No Jet Lag or Melatonin and a sleeping aid

Just a warning. I had a HORRID reaction to No Jet Lag. I would be careful. (I nearly passed out after taking it due to the effect on my blood sugar and I have no underlying blood sugar issues!)

Melatonin does in fact act as a non narcotic/non addictive sleep aide. My doctor suggested it for my 14 yr old son ( who has some health issues)and my father( in his seventies, and now suffering from insommina) . I have taken it myself,, I find it helpful to fall asleep on,, but, it does not "zonk" you out,, it is not a narcotic,, so you will still wake easily. It works best for what my doctor calles "sleep onset insommina" but is not as effective in helping you substain a full nights sleep. Therefore it does help you reset your falling asleep time when travelling.

I have a friend who used it and found it had no effect on her at all, but, unfortuantely she only tried it at my urging since I was trying to convince her to stop taking prescription sleep aides,, they are so much stronger and addictive..after them I am not surprised she did not find the Melatonin strong enough.

I reviewed No Jet Lag's website to look for the active ingredients. There are enough medically and scientifically questionable statements on that website that I would doubt the product works any better than placebo.

As I understand it, NoJetlag is a homeopathic "remedy" which has a microscopic amount of some active ingredient along with sugar. I've used it, but found that it was very awkward keeping on the suggested schedule for use, and I doubt it did any good. In my estimation, a waste of time and money. Melatonin, on the other hand has a scientific basis (look it up) and I use it along with a sleeping pill at bedtime. I have used melatonin alone, while traveling, and couldn't detect any effect. When traveling, I take my sleeping meds on the plane if it will be 8 hours before deplaning. I don't want to be stumbling around in a daze at the airport.

A few years ago I used Unisom (over-the-counter) occasionally when I wanted a good night's sleep. It worked well, with no hangover. I'm not a doctor and I don't recommend anything. Read labels and consult a pharmacist or doctor if you need more info.

Probably your best bet on an overnight train would be to arrive really tired and unstressed; and wear earplugs for sleeping. The only nighttrain travel I've done was years ago in an open compartment. Sleep, at best, was about an hour at a time. What with people coming and going, border passport checks, and new passengers entering the compartment, it was not restful. But I was younger then, and more able to bounce-back from a night of little sleep.

I've never tried melatonin, an easy to find Excedrin PM works fine for me.

Brad,, melatonin is available in the vitimin aisle at many grocery stores here. Not suggesting you need to try it,, but just that it is super easy to find.

It's easily available here, too, Pat.

Honestly, there are numerous remedies to help you fall asleep (all have been discussed in this forum, so I won't add anything here), but there is virtually nothing to help you stay asleep if early awakening is your problem. All sleep aids (melatonin, diphenhydramine, wine) wear off after about 6 hours, so the only real cure for early awakening is time to adjust to the new schedule.

When I travel west to east, I just expect to have to suck it up and deal for a few days. That attitude alone helps me relax a bit more and I don't fight it so much!