Melatonin for jet lag

[AutumnLeaves5]

Has anyone tried melatonin for jet lag and does it help? Going to Asia for the first time later in the year and I’ve always struggled with jet lag flying East. It hasn’t really mattered when coming home from America/Caribbean but I don’t want it to impact the start of my holiday!

Yes, I always take melatonin when I fly long haul. I take 10mg on the first 2 evenings after arriving. It has to be 10mg. Less than that and it doesn't help me at all.

(A friend of mine used to commute weekly from London to New York and back for work and he's the only who told me it needs to be 10mg - and he was right!)

Not for jet lag specifically but I do take it to help me get to sleep in general. If you can get some I'd give it a try at home first. Start with 1mg and see how you feel. Everyone is different with how much they need, how it affects them, how quickly it sends them to sleep after taking and how long they need to sleep following taking it so worth giving yourself some time for that trial and error so you can take it with confidence on your trip. I don't get any dodgy side affects though, I do sometimes get a slight headache if I take it and then stay up too long after taking it but if I've got to that stage I just use it as my cue to sleep

Yes our family always uses it for the first few days after a long haul flight.

Yes it's really helpful for jet lag. I've never had any side effects.

How do you get it? It’s prescription only and isn’t prescribed for jet lag.

Buy it online

https://www.biovea.com/uk/product/detail/14471/melatonin-advanced-sleep-10mg--maximum-strength--time-release--60-tablets

I use this one although I usually buy it from Walgreens/CVS when I'm in the USA.

https://onlinedoctor.superdrug.com/jet-lag-tablets.html

private prescription. They do really work and are worth it.

Don't take it if anyone in your family has liver, kidney or autoimmune conditions.

I went to the Carribbean before Christmas and didn't suffer from jetlag in either direction no supplements just a good sleep on the plane

I used to use it when I travelled a lot for work and it worked like a charm. I wouldn't have been able to do transatlantic flights without it.

My doctor told me another good tip:

He said that any time that you sleep for more than an hour during the day, your body clock resets to morning when you wake up. So if you are going on a long half flight from america back to the UK arriving in the morning, it is best to have naps of less than an hour during the day. That way you can still fit in extra sleep but your body will not get confused about when morning is.

Yes, works very well for me and unlike sleeping tablets doesn’t leave me feeling groggy the next day.

I get the Boots over the counter Sleepeze tablets- tell them you need them for jetlag.
Use them for first two or three nights at destination and on return, never felt particularly groggy in them.

Yes it’s great. I buy when we are in North America. I give it to the kids too. We are sorted after two nights instead of the interminable length of time it used to be.

I once battled through 4 days of horrific jet lag in Asia before giving in and buying melatonin and it worked instantly. I’d never travel without it now!

Melatonin is the only thing that works for me. I was prescribed it when undergoing therapy and buy it online now. I couldn't sleep without it to be honest

Would people recommend taking it to help sleep on a night flight?

I'm taking off around 8pm and flying for around 11 hours, landing at my destination at midday. I really struggle to sleep on flights!

Melatonin only helps you get to sleep, it doesn't really keep you asleep. So yes it might help you sleep on the plane, but then again sometimes people take other medication that helps keep them asleep on flights (nytol is a benign version you can get over the counter, night nurse makes you drowsy, I think you can get stronger stuff on prescription)

Melatonin is great for jet lag because it helps you get to sleep and reset your circadian rhythm rather than because it makes you sleep for a long time.

We bought some to try for jet lag after a trip to the US but it didn’t seem to do very much except make me feel a bit hungover the next day.

Thanks everyone.

I’ve bought some and will have a practice run this weekend!