No urge to switch to melatonin for jet lag

When I sat down to write this column, it was 4.30am and the dawn chorus was silent. I’m not normally this early a riser but I’ve got jet lag thanks to a trip to the United Kingdom for Christmas. My normal strategy to combat jet lag is to get some exercise and eat at the right time for wherever I am.

Today that means I’ll wait a few hours before having breakfast. And I’ll eat my normal breakfast, even though my body thinks it’s time for an evening meal.

Other people swear by melatonin but I’ve never tried it.

Melatonin is a hormone that’s naturally produced by our bodies at night and thought to play a key role in regulating our sleep-wake cycle. Our bodies generally start to release melatonin about 14 hours after we spontaneously wake.

In Aotearoa-new Zealand, melatonin is only available on prescription in a slow-release form for treating some types of insomnia.

But in many countries, melatonin products marketed as jet lag remedies are available over the counter or on prescription.

Last year, the UK’S Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency licensed two melatonin products as prescription medicines for treating short-term jet lag.

A just published independent review by the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin took a closer look at the data. They found that the evidence melatonin relieves jet lag is inconclusive and conflicting.

Worryingly, most studies didn’t assess the possible side effects of taking melatonin.

As jet lag clears up by itself within a few days, the reviewers concluded that the new products shouldn’t be prescribed on the UK’S National Health Service (NHS). In other words, they’re a waste of public money.

I’ll stick to my strategy and make the most of the quiet early mornings.

Worryingly, most studies didn’t assess the possible side effects of taking melatonin.