Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Cure for jet-lag coming soon

Posted by Owen Morris on Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 10:30 AM

person_sleeping.jpg
It's odd that jet-lag needs a cure. It does not seem like the sort of thing for which there should be a cure. When it's been a long time since you've traveled it can become easy to see jet lag as a psychological weakness, not a physical one. All you've got to do is tell yourself to "buck up, you've done nothing but sit for ten hours." But as all weary travelers know, jet-lag is as real as any virus or condition.

The problem all has to do with natural sleep cycles and circadian rhythms. As doctors and passengers both know, the human body doesn't take too kindly to messing with its sleep and the current drugs on the market for jet-lag, like Xanax and other benzodiazepines, have to be strong enough to overcome the body. Unfortunately, that also makes them a little too strong and then there's that chemical-dependency issue that comes with heavy use of these drugs.

The new supposed cure involves working with the body, or more specifically, already being produced by the body.

According to "Transient Insomnia," a report just published in medical journal The Lancet,

the best way to

cure jet-lag may be reading articles with names like "Transient

Insomnia."

I kid. I kid.  

The cure may be a new drug is called tasimelteon, which is undergoing trials that have so far been successful. According to the BBC: "In trials on 450 people who went to bed five hours earlier than normal

to replicate crossing into a different time zone, those who took the

drug enjoyed between 30 minutes and nearly two hours more sleep than

volunteers who received a dummy pill."

For its base, tasimelteon uses the natural sleep hormone melatonin. There's already a variety of over-the-counter medications that use melatonin to help people sleep better. You can go to any grocery store and find a bottle of melatonin pills among the vitamins and calcium supplements.

Melatonin, which is produced naturally by the body during nighttime (or what the body believes is nighttime), has no addictive properties or side-effects but it also has a very short half-life and there's no real conclusive evidence to show it helps improve sleep. Some people see it as just a placebo. As a person who's been taking melatonin when traveling for a couple years, my thoughts on it are this: It will help you fall asleep but it does nothing to actually keep you asleep. Overall though, it's been a godsend. I was able to crisscross two continents within a period of three days with almost no jet-lag. (Note: I'm a blogger not a doctor. If you have any medical problems for God's sake ask your doctor and don't depend on me for what ails ya.)

Tasimelteon looks to be a more potent version of melatonin but really what it seems to confirm is that melatonin is not just a placebo but works. — Owen Morris

Comments (10)

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Intimately, the article is really the greatest on this valuable topic. I harmonise with your conclusions and will eagerly look forward to your upcoming updates. Just saying thanks will not just be sufficient, for the wonderful clarity in your writing. I will directly grab your rss feed to stay abreast of any updates. Genuine work and much success in your business endeavors! I also have blog on sleeping insomnia

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Posted by sleeping insomnia on December 5, 2009 at 7:55 AM

There are jet lag remedies which are available which contain more than just melatonin which are quite effective for reducing the jet lag worry. Try a natural supplement which not only contains melatonin but also Rhodiola rosea and Eleutherococcus senticosus - they work.

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Posted by Revitajet on August 17, 2009 at 7:17 AM

There are jet lag remedies which are available which contain more than just melatonin which are quite effective for reducing the jet lag worry. Try a natural supplement which not only contains melatonin but also Rhodiola rosea and Eleutherococcus senticosus - they work.

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Posted by Revitajet on August 17, 2009 at 6:53 AM

Try with u'r head head under so u'r blood flow down and fullfill u'r brain hehe

_______________________________________________
budz
http://www.kweecrown.com

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Posted by budz on January 4, 2009 at 7:11 AM

Yeah.. Interesting post..it's purely psychological weakness not a physical one. why should you go for drugs to cure this weakness. I prefer natural sleep rather than taking drugs to cure jetlog.

Mike,
http://www.royalplaza.com.sg/

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Posted by Mike on December 14, 2008 at 11:06 PM

That's interesting. I wonder how well it will actually work..

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Posted by teddy on December 5, 2008 at 2:52 AM

That was said in Readers Digest, November 1989. I could scan the copy and send it over if you wish. Not a new news... :)

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Posted by Hugo Sandrelvain on December 4, 2008 at 7:53 PM

That's interesting. I wonder how well it will actually work.

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Posted by Ted on December 4, 2008 at 7:52 PM

Wow that is WAY overdue. Wish it would have come out in my travelling days!

jess
www.privacy.es.tc

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Posted by Able Thoas on December 4, 2008 at 6:42 PM

I already cured jetlag. Its called coffee and not being a noob. Why would anyone go out and buy a drug to 'cure' a lack of sleep? just tough it out for a few hours like normal people.

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Posted by DiggPirates on December 4, 2008 at 3:42 PM
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