Melatonin is your body's natural sleep aid medication, and a great way to help fight jet lag. It is a chemical in the brain that is released in increased amounts as the day darkens and night approaches to make you drowsy and aid sleep. The synthetic version of this brain chemical can be used to prevent and recover from traveling from PST to EST (Pacific Standard Time to Eastern Standard Time) or across any other time zones that create jet lag.
LEARN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRAVELING FROM PST TO EST VS. EST TO PST.
The more difficult time zone crossing travel to recover from is moving from west to east since the day ends sooner before your body is used to releasing higher levels of melatonin. Many people find taking melatonin earlier in the evening for a few days before travel and during travel greatly reduces jet lag when traveling from PST to EST.
DECIDE HOW LONG YOU SHOULD TAKE MELATONIN FOR JET LAG RECOVERY.
Use this formula to give yourself an idea of how long it will take to recover: East to West Travel: Multiply number of time zones crossed by two thirds. 6 zones then = 4 days recovery. West to East Travel: Divide the number of time zones crossed by two. 6 zones then = 3 days recovery.
CHOOSE A MELATONIN DOSAGE.
This step should be done in consultation with a doctor. Since the dosage of melatonin can range highly it is best to consult with your physician based on your travel plans, age, health condition, and other medications. The typical dosage of melatonin often are as high as 3 milligrams per day. Unfortunately, MIT researchers have proven that the body's natural dosage of .3 mg is actually more effective. So, avoid over doing it.
USE OTHER NATURAL SLEEP AIDS WITH MELATONIN.
One of the best time tested sleep aids is a few cookies with warm milk. This increases the amount of tryptophan heading to the brain to create seratonin in the brain which induces calm and improves sleep. Keep the shades closed and avoid watching TV or using the internet an hour before you sleep since melatonin reacts to light. See more tips below.
