Jet lag pills are the new way for you to beat jet lag and arrive to destinations and foreign cities fully refreshed and ready to go. Jet lag is a travel issue that more and more people are facing these days – it’s even worse on long haul flights. But now there is a way to beat jet lag thanks to jet lag pills! Only problem, is there's something missing in most jet lag pills.
We'll discuss the truth about jet lag pills, how they can help, and what's missing in most of them.
If you've ever experienced jet lag symptoms, you know that it can be difficult to get through. It's hard to sleep when your body and mind are out of sync with the rest of the world. That's why no jet lag supplements exist.
Jet lag affects nearly everyone who flies across time zones, though some people are more sensitive to the effects than others. In some cases, jet lag can be severe enough to impact your health and make it difficult for you to function. Jet lag symptoms can include:
Melatonin is a hormone produced by a gland in your brain called the pineal gland. Your pineal gland regulates your circadian rhythms, or your sleep cycle. Your body produces melatonin naturally when it gets dark outside. It helps you fall asleep at night and stay asleep.
Melatonin pills are not miracle workers. They don't eliminate jet lag. They just make it less intense, and they work best when paired with planning your travels around your natural circadian rhythm. Consider them a helpful assist if you're traveling to a major time zone, but don't expect them to erase all symptoms of jet lag.
Since melatonin is a hormone that tells your body when it's time to sleep, it can also make you feel sleepy during the day, which can cause drowsiness and fatigue. Melatonin supplements may also cause a few other side effects such as dizziness, headaches, drowsiness, and nausea.
Using melatonin for jet lag short term is generally considered safe. Unlike with many sleep remedies, with melatonin it's already a naturally produced hormone in your body, therefore it there's risk that it can alter users' body cycles in the long run.
On top of melatonin, other jet lag medicine sometimes used are essentially sleeping pills. Two that have been studies for jet lag are Eszopiclone (Lunesta) and zolpidem (Ambien). They might may help you sleep if you suffer with jet lag, mostly used if you take them before bedtime when you first arrive at your destination. The problem with jet lag medicine is you may have side effects like with melatonin including dizziness, headaches, confusion, and feeling sick to your stomach.
For most of the no jet lag pills, jet lag supplements and jet lag medicine --- the focus is on sleep and contain melatonin. But there's one factor missing.
When flying, the airplane’s cabin pressure can cause mild forms of discomfort characterized by symptoms similar to altitude sickness (or acute mountain sickness). Most commercial airliners are pressurized somewhere between 5000 and 9000 feet, similar to altitudes where acute mountain sickness occurs. Just like being in Denver. We know from first hand experience, visitors of Denver often experience altitude sickness symptoms.
A study was done simulated the effects of a 20-hour flight at barometric pressures corresponding to altitude at up to 8,000 feet above sea level. Published by the New England Journal of Medicine, it showed that blood oxygen levels dip as you get to 7000 to 8000 ft and frequency of the travelers reported discomfort increased.
Therefore, most jet lag pills do not address one of the most important issues, which is the possible altitude sickness effects manifesting from the lower levels of oxygen in airplane cabins.
You want to know how to prevent jet lag? Contrary to common belief, you actually want to use a jet pill that helps avoid altitude sickness. This will help with the typical symptoms of jet lag like headaches and fatigue.
At high altitudes (therefore in airplane cabins too) glutathione was shown to significantly decrease by 43%-45% at high in a study done by European Journal of Applied Physiology. As the body's master antioxidant, Glutathione is key to supplement for numerous functions and most importantly like combating oxidative stress when there's lower oxygen levels in a cabin.
In addition, the body loses water through respiration at high altitude (like in an airplane cabin) twice as fast as it does at sea level, according to the Wilderness Medical Society. Hydration is key!
Our product, Zaca, helps both supplementing glutathione for antioxidant support and glutamine for hydration support.
In conclusion, when trying to get rid of jet lag beware of the downsides of jet lag pills with melatonin or jet lag medicine. It's highly recommended to stick with jet lag remedies that helps with hydration and the high altitudes of airplane cabins.
Looking for an easy way to supplement on-the-go for jet lag? Try our Hydration Chewables that include antioxidant and hydration support.
SOURCES:
1. Sleep Problems: Dealing With Jet Lag
https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/ug4997
2. How Altitude Affects Hydration
https://hydrapak.com/blogs/beyond-adventure/high-altitude-hydration
3. Jet Lag by Cleveland Clinic
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12781-jet-lag
4. THAT JET LAG MIGHT REALLY BE “MOUNTAIN SICKNESS”
https://www.healthytravelblog.com/2012/06/05/that-jet-lag-might-really-be-mountain-sickness/
5. Effect of aircraft-cabin altitude on passenger discomfort
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17611205/
6. Melatonin and its Effects: The Truth Behind this Popular Supplement
https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/groups/University%20Honors%20Program/Journals_two/dis_sotogarcializeth.pdf
7. Is melatonin a helpful sleep aid — and what should I know about melatonin side effects?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/melatonin-side-effects/faq-20057874
8. What is melatonin
https://www.medicinenet.com/is_it_ok_to_take_melatonin_every_night/article.htm#what_is_dayvigo_and_how_does_it_work
9. Jet lag disorder
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/jet-lag/symptoms-causes/syc-20374027
10. Jet Lag and Altitude Affect Performance and Safety
https://ppihc.org/wp-content/uploads/Jet-Lag-and-Altitude-Affect.pdf
11. Effect of Aircraft-Cabin Altitude on Passenger Discomfort
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa062770
