Can Melatonin Help with Jet Lag?

Melatonin is a well-known dietary supplement that was said to quell jet lag and treat insomnia. It has also been known to help with other things also such as anxiety, fatigue, headaches, tinnitus, dementia, depression, bowel issues and even help keep your skin healthy from the UV rays of the sun. The wonder drug even has been said to help with cancer and heart disease, many different aging signs and symptoms of menopause. Companies have picked up on the hype and have come out with Dream Water and iChill that was developed to help with relaxation. If anything is said to help with all of these ailments is probably something that is too good to be true.

Melatonin: Hormone Released in the Dark

The Pineal gland is responsible for producing the melatonin hormone. Some plants that are edible also produce this hormone. It is discharged in the dark which is why they call it a “darkness hormone” which is contrary to vitamin D which is known as the “sunshine hormone”. Melatonin is blocked from being released during the day by light. Circadian rhythms are affected by melatonin and have always been utilized as a sleep aid. There is even a prescription drug called Rozerem that operates the same way as melatonin.
Recent studies have shown in lab animals that is hormone has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer and immunological effects. Just because it works on lab animals doesn’t necessarily mean it may extend to living human beings.

Melatonin Production is Affected by Aging

As we age, melatonin production begins to decline. Some scientists have advocated that come changes in our body because of age may have some connection with a decrease in melatonin. Many money-making companies use the same pretense that melatonin is needed since it is decreasing as we age just like drug replacement estrogen therapy but this hasn’t been proven. There are many different compounds that decline as we get older but that doesn’t necessarily mean if they get replaced we will feel better.

Some of the Melatonin effects are well supported

Cochrane Collaboration, in 2009, concluded that taking melatonin as a supplement can reduce or prevent jet lag. Some of the studies performed didn’t perform the same positive results. The supplement does seem to be safe if used for a short period of time and is recommended for use by adults that are travelling through five time zones or more and preferably towards the east. Natural Standards is a company that analyses alternative treatments also found convincing evidence of using melatonin as suggested. It has also found evidence for treatment in elderly patients for insomnia as well as helping healthy people sleep. There is inconclusive evidence that melatonin helps in any other capacity suggested.

What effects does Melatonin have on sleep?

• Melatonin may produce drowsiness or a “hangover” like effect the following day which may prove dangerous if you operate heavy machinery or are driving.

• There is no definite dosage recommendation for melatonin. It is different with every person so it has to be tried on an individual basis to see what amount works best for them.

• You can get melatonin in bananas, rice, grapes and cherries but there is no evidence as to how much has to be eaten to get any kind of beneficial effect.

Prior to Taking Melatonin

• Use only occasionally when needed for insomnia or jet lag

• Consult your physician if you experience chronic insomnia

• Do not use this supplement for any reason other than matters relating to sleep

Don’t Let Jet Lag Hurt Your Productivity

Here are a few ways you can try to handle the problems that jet lag gives you and still be productive when traveling across time zones.

Drink little bits of water frequently – The body has over 60% water. It is simple to become dehydrated due to the airplane air being dry and then when you are traveling across many time zones you are in the plane longer. To stay hydrated, you need adequate amounts of water all through the day. If you get dehydrated you may end up with messed up sleep patterns and headaches. They will usually last at least one day for every time zone that is crossed.

When you do take water, try to take little amounts at a time but more frequently. Constantly drink small amounts of water throughout your flight. Don’t wait until the flight is over and then guzzle a whole bottle of water because that won’t help. Also if you drink so much water that you feel full, that isn’t good either and you may end up not eating properly which will only aggravate your jet lag.

Try to drink at least four ounces every hour that you are flying. If you are more regular, you will have an easier time flying across time zones.

You will also be more productive once you get there or you will recover quicker if you are consistent. The other thing that will happen is you will need to use the bathroom so you will get up which will make you stretch your legs a little.

1. Bring food of your own on the flight – Always bring your own food with you on the plane including protein bars, Vitamin C powder, a salad, a sandwich, some mixed nuts, a couple bottles of water and some granola. Make sure you take along foods that are high in protein, low in carbs, and high in fat. This is called brain food and they will also fill you up plus an added bonus is that they taste good. If you are not hungry you will be able to concentrate on the vital things like getting ready for a meeting or trying to nap for a few minutes.If you bring your own food you will also be more relaxed because you will have good things to eat and you won’t have to worry about finding good things for you. If you make it easy to travel, you will be able to focus on what’s important. Don’t drink when you fly either and it is better not to drink while you are traveling especially if it is for business. Alcohol depresses you and that combined with jet lag will cause increased problems and decrease your productivity.
2. Be there early – Try to arrive at your destination earlier than you need to be there. If you can get there a couple days early that would be fantastic because your jet lag will most likely be gone before you need to be focused and productive. You may think it will be worse to spend more time in a far-away location but it really is best if you can relax for a few days before your time is needed for work or business. It may also give you extra time to plan for your meeting by creating your reports or taking care of other business so your mind is clear for the important things of the day.

Traveling long distances is usually necessary for many business people. If you plan on being successful, make sure you plan ahead and do what is necessary to make sure you can overcome your jet lag before you need to be productive, both mentally and physically, for your important meeting.

Everything You Need to Know About Sleep

To maintain good health, sleep is important. Sleep fixes the body and give the mind time to refresh. It is never in a still state and is always active even during sleep. The brain moves through stages when sleeping and repeats them through the night.Fatigue, mood alterations, and lack of memory, coordination, and concentration occur when the body lacks sleep. Your body is programmed to sleep around the same times each day. The amount of light is so important to your sleep schedule. When there is less light, there are hormones released into the brain to help induce sleep. Before there was electricity, people used to sleep between sunset and sunrise. That was around ten hours, which is what the average person got each day. Nowadays many people are deprived of essential sleep and this is not good to their health.

Make sure to get enough sleep

In developed nations, sleep deprivation is prevalent with most adults only getting between six and seven hours of sleep. These adults experience fatigue several times throughout the day. One in every six auto accidents happen due to sleeplessness. There are many causes of sleeplessness which include texting, internet, being a parent, shift at work, travel into different time zones, illness, medications, and poor sleeping habits. It is estimated that new parents in the first year lose between 450 and 700 hours of sleep.

Various sleep cycles

There are two distinct stages of sleep that every individual experiences. These two stages continue in a cycle throughout the sleep cycle. The first is rapid eye movement or REM sleep.

The second is non-rapid eye movement or NREM sleep. REM sleep occurs naturally every 90 minutes to 120 minutes. One quarter of your night’s sleep is in this stage. During this stage, the brain seems to be very active and the eyes dart around in the socket, which is where this stage got its name. It is the part of the sleep cycle where dreams occur. NREM sleep makes up the other three quarters of your sleep time and comes in four stages.

Stage one starts when you are dozing off or drowsy and you go from being awake to being asleep. Stage 2 is when your body temperature drops, you lose consciousness of what is around you, and your heart rate slows down.

The third and fourth stage come when you are in a deep sleep. Your muscles relax, your heart rate and breathing slow down, the body temperature drops, and the body grows and repairs itself.

Some disorders can interrupt the main sleep patterns and if this happens the body does not get the significant amount of sleep to grow and repair itself. These diseases, like insomnia, sleep restriction, sleep walking, night terrors, narcolepsy, and jet leg, can be treated with the proper diet, medications, and your doctor can help you with them.

Get the Facts About the Most Common Sleep Disorders

Some people are unable to enjoy a good sleep at night because they have a sleep disorder. Some of the sleep disorders include snoring, sleep apnea, jet lag, insomnia, narcolepsy, or restless leg syndrome. These problems should be looked into and treated.

Every 24 hour, a state of consciousness is reached called sleep. It is the time when the body rests and repairs itself. The brain has some much needed downtime during this time period as well.

The amount of sleep that is needed depends on a variety of factors, which include diet, personality, environment, lifestyle, and age. For example, a newborn baby would need around sixteen hours of sleep in every twenty four hour period and an adult would only need half of that.

The body’s internal clock

c cycles called the circadian rhythm. When it starts to get dark, the brain releases chemicals into the brain that make you sleepy. The same happens when the sun rises and the brain releases chemicals to wake up.

Sleep stages

There are different sleep stages that go over and over. The first stage is the rapid eye movement stage and the second is the non rapid eye movement stage. The brain waves for the REM cycle are faster than the ones for the NREM cycle. The REM stage is associated with the time during your sleep that you dream while the body repairs during the NREM stage.

Common sleep disorders

When sleep is disturbed, it can be for any number of reasons. Here are some of the most common sleep disorders.

• Insomnia deals with when it is hard to sleep or stay asleep.
• Jet lag deals with the times when the body’s internal clock is thrown off because of a different time zone.
• Narcolepsy is when the body is extremely tired during the day and that leads to napping involuntarily.
• Periodic limb movement disorder is when muscle spasms wake up the sleeper.
• Restless leg syndrome is when lower leg pain and discomfort makes a person need to get up and move around.
• Snoring is when noisy breathing or narrowed nose and throat obstruction wakes the sleeper.
• Sleep apnea is when the upper airway becomes blocked which causing breathing to stop.
• Sleepwalking is when the sleeper walks around in their sleep.

Treatment of sleep disorders

Some disorders like snoring or sleepwalking don’t necessarily require treatment. However, there are some sleep disorders like sleep apnea that are dangerous. To make sure that you don’t have a dangerous or even deadly sleep disorder, it is so important to contact your doctor or a sleep clinic.

Jet Lag: What is it anyway?

It is a mental and chemical change that happens to the body from time changes of travel through different zones. Traveling through these zones throws off regular functions that are set to let the body function at a normal capacity. Things we take for granted become a nuisance to our everyday life.

What brings on jet lag?

Traveling long and far enough to put certain body functions out of whack. Chemicals in your brain fool your body to act, or react to time, light, and hunger at abnormal times. When these messages are given at the wrong times complications may occur mentally and physically. When most of us land our internal clock resets that we take our messages from. Most of us are usually back on track and focused in about two days.

Direction traveled has different effects on the body.
Depending on the direction traveled can be a positive or negative on the lag. When you travel in a direction that makes the day shorter it makes lying down and sleeping at night a lot easier. This is west to east. Going the opposite direction makes for a longer day. Getting used to functioning on longer schedule can create problems.

Traveling back on the clock averages about an hour and half for body to adjust. Moving forward on the clock takes about an hour to return to normal.

Negative reactions of jet lag

Conforming to the basic routines of the day may keep you from doing everyday events for that couple of recovering days. These reactions could make you look and act out of character. Energy could be at an all-time low for you to do even the easiest of things. The mindset you could fall into can cause strife between people in your regular connections. Explain your situation to your people you may come in contact with so they will understand any negative reactions.

Problems that lag may cause are;

1) Concentration may be clouded, confusion may show itself more than usual.

2) Feeling drawn out, and sleepy at inappropriate times.

3) Judgement may be impaired. Making simple things dangerous to you and others around you.

4) Not having the ability to sleep at all. Insomnia is no good when it is for any length of time.

5) The ability to focus on anything becomes a task. Walking around in a fog can have negative feedback.

6) Tossing and turning on those sleepless nights may make you edgy.

7) The more serious medical problems that come to light must be seen by doctor.

Remember, feeling ill and having physical problems can be caused by your general health, or flying itself. That is why a checkup is a smart move before making assessments about your health on your own. Jet lag is not serious, but if you do a lot of flying you should contact your doctor. They will give you all the professional advice you will need. They can also adjust any appointments you may have, so not to conflict with your travels.