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Melatonin restrictions in the UK
I recently took a flight from San Francisco to London, during which a fellow passenger gave me a melatonin tablet to combat jet lag. It worked brilliantly and while I understand these tablets are available over-the-counter in America, I cannot get them here. Why is this and how do they work?
The body’s circadian rhythm, which determines when you sleep and when you wake, is controlled by a hormone called melatonin which is, in turn, released by the pea-sized pineal gland buried deep in the brain. As with other hormones, levels of melatonin decrease with age so that by 60, your body produces half the amount of melatonin it did when you were 20.
It has been shown that tiny doses - just 0.3mg - of replacement melatonin taken at bedtime can quickly bring blood levels of the hormone back to normal and help induce a good night’s sleep both at home (for insomniacs) or after a long flight. Patients taking melatonin report they have less trouble getting to sleep in the first place - they drop off in less than half the time it takes without a melatonin supplement - they sleep longer and they wake up feeling alert and refreshed.
You can get melatonin here, but only from your GP since it is a prescription-only substance. You can neatly side-step this by ordering supplements from an American supplier via the internet, or you can do what I do and take a clever step back in the biochemistry of the brain. Here, you take a supplement of a feel-good chemical called serotonin - which, as a precursor for melatonin, plays a key role in regulating the bodyclock.
The body uses vitamin B6 to make serotonin, so if you have a choice of an in-flight menu choose carrot, fish, lentil, pea, potato, and spinach dishes since these are all good sources of this nutrient. The B vitamins all work best when taken together so if you do take a supplement, buy a good vitamin B complex that combines all of them.
*Serotone 5-HTP is a popular substitute for melatonin in treating jet-lag, but it can take some time to kick in - so start using it a week or so before your flight. Higher Nature (01435-882880) sells tablets which provide 100mg of the active ingredient, 5HTP. 30 veggie capsules cost £12.90. inc p&p.