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  1. Home
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  3. How to Use Sleep Aids to Avoid Jet Lag

How to Use Sleep Aids to Avoid Jet Lag

By Rena Behar
February 08, 2019
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
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Sleep is a precious commodity on normal days, and even moreso on the road. It may be hard to make it to the office after a bad night, but it’s even harder to go from sunrise to sunset among the temples of Angkor if you’ve already been up for three hours.

Start by improving your sleep hygiene at home before a trip. You can train yourself to go to bed roughly an hour earlier each night if you’re anticipating a time change, with apps like Timeshifter to help you get onto your new schedule. Try to minimize large meals within two hours of bedtime and screen time within an hour before tucking in. If you get used to a standard sleep routine before your travels, whether it’s a book, cup of tea, or essential oils spritzed on your pillow, it will be easier to signal to your body that it’s time to go to bed in a new location by following the same steps.

Related: This Tiny Sleep Device Is My Secret to Adjusting to New Time Zones

“Sleeping well is a challenge for many travelers; however, the solution doesn’t come in a bottle,” said Dr. Jennifer Martin, clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist with the California Health & Longevity Institute. “I always encourage people to think about what makes sleeping at home so much better, and bring as much of that experience with you as possible.”

Once you arrive at your destination, use an eye mask and earplugs to minimize any external interruptions and utilize the same routine you trained yourself into at home. If you’ve tried all this and you’re still tossing and turning, you may want to reach for some of these natural or over-the-counter remedies, but proceed carefully.

Self-described “blogger by day, physician by night” Dr. Nadeen White of The Sophisticated Life recommends testing out any sleep supplements at home before bringing them on the road, as you never know exactly how something new will affect you.

Related:5 Sleep Tricks for Frequent Travelers, According to Sleep Psychologists

“Melatonin can be used to change the timing of a person’s circadian rhythms, but when taken at the wrong time, it can actually shift sleep timing in the wrong direction,” said Dr. Martin. “Using melatonin correctly is not easy and often requires input from a sleep specialist. The science to support other herbal remedies is thin, and some can interact with prescription drugs so should be used with caution and only after consulting with a doctor.”

No sleep aid is totally guaranteed to be without potential side effects or other drug interactions, and anything classified as a “dietary supplement” isn’t subject to the same level of FDA oversight as conventional food and drugs. Make sure to check with your physician before you start sampling.
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Hyland’s Calms Forte

best sleep aids for jet lag calms forte
Credit: Courtesy of Amazon

Hyland’s uses a blend of herbal supplements to help encourage relaxation.

To buy: amazon.com, $10

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Valerian Supplements

best sleep aids for jet lag valerian root
Credit: Courtesy of Amazon

Valerian root supplements are a very popular natural sleep aid. Though the jury is still out on their degree of effectiveness, valerian is one of Dr. White’s suggested herbal options.

To buy: amazon.com, $11

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Genius Sleep Aid

genius sleep aids for jet lag
Credit: Courtesy of Amazon

Genius is popular with Amazon reviewers, with claims of reducing adrenal fatigue and counteracting residual caffeine. It combines melatonin, L-Theanine, glycine, and inositol (also known as vitamin B8).

To buy: amazon.com, $20

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Olly Restful Sleep

best sleep aids for jet lag olly
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Part of Olly’s larger gummy supplement line, the Restful Sleep melatonin gummies are a favorite of T+L editors and a top Amazon seller in the sleep aid category for their combination of active ingredients and well-crafted formula.

To buy: amazon.com, $13

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Bach Rescue Sleep

best sleep aids for jet lag bach
Credit: Courtesy of Amazon

Wellness consultant Stephanie Gailing cited Bach's Rescue Remedy flower essence as her go-to sleep aid, especially for its lack of side effects.

To buy: amazon.com, from $20

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MidNite

best sleep aids for jet lag midnite
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This chewable natural supplement uses melatonin and naturally soothing lavender and chamomile to help send you off to sleep.

To buy: amazon.com, $17

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Zarbee’s Naturals Children’s Sleep

best sleep aids for jet lag zarbees
Credit: Courtesy of Amazon

Another Amazon top seller, these gummies work with just one milligram of melatonin to start off slowly.

To buy: amazon.com, $12

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Good Day Chocolates Sleep Supplement

best sleep aids for jet lag chocolates
Credit: Courtesy of Amazon

Prefer chocolate over gummies? These also offer one milligram of melatonin per piece along with chamomile extract in an M&M-like shell.

To buy: amazon.com, $18

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Dodow

best sleep aids for jet lag dodow
Credit: Courtesy of Amazon

The Dodow sleep device helps you drop off using exercises to slow your breathing in sync with its light projections. “I honestly did not expect this device to be so effective for me,” said Mina Agnos, president of Travelive. “By focusing on the light patterns, I can easily fall asleep within the eight-minute cycle.”

To buy: amazon.com, $60

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Luna

best sleep aids for jet lag luna
Credit: Courtesy of Amazon

In addition to melatonin and herbal extracts, Luna also contains L-Theanine, an amino acid most commonly found in tea leaves and believed to promote relaxation, and GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric acid), an amino acid that naturally occurs in the brain and reduces neural activity, also leading to a calmer mental state.

To buy: amazon.com, $22

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Alteril

best sleep aids for jet lag alteril
Credit: Courtesy of Amazon

The main ingredient in Alteril is L-Tryptophan, which may sound familiar as the reason people believe Thanksgiving dinner makes you sleepy. It’s actually another amino acid used in protein synthesis and the production of serotonin, which is then associated with sleep and melatonin levels.

To buy: amazon.com, $18

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Bedtime Tea

best sleep aids for jet lag sleepytime tea
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If you want to start simple, try introducing evening teatime with a relaxing blend like Yogi Bedtime or the classic Sleepytime tea. Look for ingredients like chamomile, valerian, and passiflora/passionflower and incorporate the tea into your routine as a sensory cue for your system that it’s time for bed.

To buy: amazon.com, $17

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This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

best sleep aids for jet lag this works sleep spray
Credit: Courtesy of Ulta

Relaxing smells like lavender can help you unwind and also help condition your brain into sleep mode, especially if you work them into your bedtime ritual at home.

To buy: ulta.com, $29

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Unisom Sleep Tabs

best sleep aids for jet lag unisom
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Rather than diphenhydramine, Unisom uses doxylamine succinate, a different variation of antihistamine, to induce drowsiness.

To buy: amazon.com, $8

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Equate

best sleep aids for jet lag equate
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“Most over-the-counter sleep aids contain antihistamines, which make people feel sleepy as a ‘side effect.’ The bad news about these medications is that they lose their effectiveness quickly and some people experience side effects,” said Dr. Martin.

Equate contains diphenhydramine, an antihistamine that’s also one of the active ingredients in Benadryl, to induce drowsiness. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine doesn’t recommend diphenhydramine as a sleep aid, finding it didn’t show a significant improvement over placebo trials and adds a risk of side effects and morning grogginess, but many consumers start here.

To buy: amazon.com, from $8

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Zzzquil

zzzquil sleep aid
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Another diphenhydramine product that pulls out the active ingredients from the Nyquil product line, minimizing the other compounds to just focus on the one that will help you sleep.

To buy: amazon.com, $14

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    1 of 16 Hyland’s Calms Forte
    2 of 16 Valerian Supplements
    3 of 16 Genius Sleep Aid
    4 of 16 Olly Restful Sleep
    5 of 16 Bach Rescue Sleep
    6 of 16 MidNite
    7 of 16 Zarbee’s Naturals Children’s Sleep
    8 of 16 Good Day Chocolates Sleep Supplement
    9 of 16 Dodow
    10 of 16 Luna
    11 of 16 Alteril
    12 of 16 Bedtime Tea
    13 of 16 This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray
    14 of 16 Unisom Sleep Tabs
    15 of 16 Equate
    16 of 16 Zzzquil

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