Condition
Jet Lag
Jet lag is what happens when fast travel across time zones leaves your internal body clock out of step with local day and night, bringing poor sleep, daytime fatigue and trouble concentrating. Little research on supplements for it has been reviewed here so far, though melatonin has the strongest evidence. Caffeine has moderate evidence, while vitamin D, magnesium, L-theanine and valerian have limited evidence, so firm conclusions aren't possible yet.
Sources: PMID 12076414
- Supplements studied
- 1
- Graded outcomes
- 0
- People studied
- 975
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jet Lag Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1 study | 142 people | |||
Studies that measured jet lag symptoms | ||||||
What the published studies found
1 automated reading
Melatonin: jet lag
The studies disagree. A Cochrane review (2002, 10 studies) found an improvement in jet lag, while 1 of the 10 studies read found no clear difference. The evidence is very weak.
10 studies counted of 10 read: 7 reviews and 3 trials (77 people in the trials).
- Systematic review, 2002; 10 studies; airline passengers, staff, or military personnel crossing time zones: improves (the review the verdict rests on).
decreased jet-lag from flights crossing five or more time zones
Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag - Meta-analysis, 2021; 23 studies; healthy adults: improves.
melatonin reduced self-reported jetlag following eastbound
Efficacy of Functional Foods, Beverages, and Supplements Claiming to Alleviate Air Travel Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - Meta-analysis, 2015; 11 studies; travelers crossing multiple time zones: improves.
melatonin probably reduces symptoms associated with jet lag
Is melatonin useful for jet lag? - Meta-analysis, 2006; 17 studies, 651 people; people with secondary sleep disorders and sleep restriction: no clear difference.
no evidence that melatonin had an effect on sleep onset latency
Efficacy and safety of exogenous melatonin for secondary sleep disorders and sleep disorders accompanying sleep restriction: meta-analysis - Systematic review, 2001; 10 studies; airline passengers, staff, military crossing time zones: improves.
decreased jet-lag from flights crossing five or more time zones
Melatonin for preventing and treating jet lag - Systematic review, 1997; patients with circadian rhythm sleep disorders: improves. [Melatonin--a natural hypnotic?]
- Systematic review, 1996; time zone travellers and night shift workers: improves. Use of melatonin in circadian rhythm disorders and following phase shifts
- Randomised trial, 2001; 27 people; US Air Force reservists: improves.
allows a faster resynchronization of hormone rhythms
Resynchronization of hormonal rhythms after an eastbound flight in humans: effects of slow-release caffeine and melatonin - Randomised trial, 1992; 30 people: improves.
self-ratings significantly discriminated between melatonin and placebo
Melatonin and jet lag: confirmatory result using a simplified protocol - Crossover trial, 1989; 20 people; twenty volunteers with transcontinental flight experience: improves.
Feelings of jet lag were less for subjects taking melatonin
Effect of melatonin on jet lag after long haul flights
- Systematic review, 2002; 10 studies; airline passengers, staff, or military personnel crossing time zones: improves (the review the verdict rests on).
The Jet Lag Prevention & Recovery protocol
1 primary supplement · 6 supporting supplements
- Melatonin0.5–5 mg taken at bedtime in destination time zone (start day of travel for eastward, arrival for westward)
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Studies cited
38 studies from PubMed
- Plasma insulin, leptin, adiponectin, resistin, ghrelin, and melatonin in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients treated with melatonin
- Effect of melatonin supplementation on body composition and blood pressure in adults: A systematic review and Dose-Response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial.
- Effects of melatonin on vascular reactivity, catecholamine levels, and blood pressure in healthy men
- Acute effects of melatonin administration on cardiovascular autonomic regulation in healthy men
- Melatonin administration and pituitary hormone secretion
- The effect of melatonin administration on pituitary hormone secretion in man
- Melatonin supplementation ameliorates oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling induced by strenuous exercise in adult human males
- The potential therapeutic effect of melatonin in Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease
- The effect of prolonged-release melatonin on sleep measures and psychomotor performance in elderly patients with insomnia
- Evaluation of sleep, puberty and mental health in children with long-term melatonin treatment for chronic idiopathic childhood sleep onset insomnia
- Prolonged-release melatonin improves sleep quality and morning alertness in insomnia patients aged 55 years and older and has no withdrawal effects
- Effect of melatonin on insomnia and daytime sleepiness, in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia (COMISA): A randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial.
- Effects of melatonin and tryptophan on healing of gastric and duodenal ulcers with Helicobacter pylori infection in humans
- Melatonin differentially affects vascular blood flow in humans
- Melatonin treatment improves blood pressure, lipid profile, and parameters of oxidative stress in patients with metabolic syndrome
- Influences of melatonin administration on the circulation of women
- Effects of Melatonin Supplementation On Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
- Treatment of central and sensorineural tinnitus with orally administered Melatonin and Sulodexide: personal experience from a randomized controlled study
- Melatonin: can it stop the ringing?
- The effects of melatonin on tinnitus and sleep
- Effect of melatonin on tinnitus
- Prophylaxis of migraine with melatonin: a randomized controlled trial
- Randomised clinical trial comparing melatonin 3 mg, amitriptyline 25 mg and placebo for migraine prevention.
- Efficacy on sleep parameters and tolerability of melatonin in individuals with sleep or mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Melatonin improves memory acquisition under stress independent of stress hormone release
- Efficacy of melatonin in the treatment of endometriosis: a phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- A randomized controlled trial of oral melatonin supplementation and breast cancer biomarkers
- Urinary 6-Sulphatoxymelatonin levels and risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women: the ORDET cohort
- Melatonin administrated immediately before an intense exercise reverses oxidative stress, improves immunological defenses and lipid metabolism in football players
- Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag
- Role of melatonin in mucosal gastroprotection against aspirin-induced gastric lesions in humans
- Effect of melatonin on intraocular pressure
- Melatonin in the treatment of cancer: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials and meta-analysis
- The efficacy of exogenous melatonin supplement in ameliorating irritable bowel syndrome severity: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
- Effects of melatonin supplementation on BDNF concentrations and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
- 12-week melatonin supplementation improved dynamic postural stability and walking performance in persons living with multiple sclerosis: A randomized controlled trial.
- 12-week melatonin intake attenuates cardiac autonomic dysfunction and oxidative stress in multiple sclerosis patients: a randomized controlled trial.
- The effect of melatonin supplementation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.