How to Take Melatonin for Jet Lag

Traveling across time zones can leave you feeling lethargic and off-kilter, ready to sleep when everyone else is awake, or full of energy in the middle of the night. Melatonin is a hormone released by the pineal gland at night. The pineal gland regulates the body's rhythms of sleep and wakefulness, known as circadian rhythms. Taking melatonin is thought to "re-set" the body's internal clock, helping you adjust much more quickly to a new time zone and mitigating the effects of jet lag.

Things You'll Need

• Melatonin .5mg tablets

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Instructions

• 1

  Take .5 mg of melatonin at 6 or 7 p.m. the evening before your departure for your trip. Though melatonin tablets are available in various strengths, the University of Maryland Medical Centers recommends .5 mg as closest to the amount naturally produced by the body each day.

• 2

  Take a tablet at bedtime at your destination. Take a tablet at bedtime each night while you are at your destination.

• 3

  Take a second melatonin tablet if you awaken before 4 a.m. at your destination.