Melatonin – Does It Work or Not?

We’ve recently posted stories about a number of alternative medicine products that have proven to be inactive in well-controlled clinical studies – echinacea, gingko, saw palmetto, soy, and so on. The only alternative medicine I take is melatonin, which I use for jet-lag. I was therefore disappointed to read headlines about the lack of melatonin’s effectiveness in sleep disorders and in jet lag studies. The report in the British Medical Journal analyzes 32 randomized controlled studies, and concludes melatonin cannot guarantee a good night’s sleep to jet-lagged travelers or shift workers. On the other hand, it was safe, without serious side effects.

I was delighted to read further that the analysis did not examine the effect of melatonin on the daytime fatigue that accompanies jet lag. It’s this feature of jet lag that I find responds best, at least in my case. That awful sinking feeling that hits mid-morning on your first day in the new time zone . . .

The secret is to take a small dose at the time that corresponds to 6:0 pm in the time zone you are traveling to. Don’t expect it to send you off to sleep on the plane, just to make you feel better the next day. Again, that’s just the experience of one person.

Comments

[Robert Griffith]

Now comes confirmation of my view, that melatonin can help night-shift workers and jet-lagged travelers get back onto their normal schedule. Taken during the daytime, it helped subjects whose melatonin was too low get some sleep. See the article in the journal Sleep, summarized on MedPageToday:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/tbprint.cfm?tbid=3201