Essential Oils for Jet Lag

Table of Contents

Jet lag can be a real holiday buzzkill.

Whether you’re flying to visit family or hosting out-of-town guests, you want to be able to enjoy the holiday season feeling rested and refreshed.

Jet lag can sap your energy, disrupt your sleep, and make it harder to fully enjoy the holiday magic.

That’s where melatonin comes in. This natural sleep hormone, which can be supported with essential oils, can help reset your internal clock and ease the transition to a new time zone. In fact, research on “Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag” found that “melatonin is remarkably effective in preventing or reducing jet lag.”

Whether you’re flying across the country or welcoming weary travelers into your home, knowing how to use essential oils to support the natural release of melatonin can help gradually adjust your body’s internal clock to the destination’s schedule, allowing for a smoother, more enjoyable holiday season.

What is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a natural hormone that helps regulate your body’s sleep-wake cycle, also known as your circadian rhythm.

Melatonin is released by your pineal gland, located in the center of your brain, in response to environmental light-dark cycles. Because it is light-sensitive, Melatonin levels are low throughout the day and peak in the evening, signaling it is time to sleep.

Jet lag is believed to occur when your body’s internal circadian clock is out of sync with the local time in the new time zone. Melatonin is thought to act as a chronobiotic (a substance that helps shift the internal body clock) to reduce jet lag symptoms by helping to resynchronize the body’s internal rhythms with the new destination’s day-night cycle. It does this by acting as a darkness signal, which, when timed correctly, can help to “trick” the brain into thinking it is time for sleep or wakefulness in the new location, which may help your body adjust faster and promote sleep at the appropriate local time. Similarly, taking melatonin a few days before your trip—timed to your destination’s bedtime—can help gradually adjust your body’s internal clock to the destination’s schedule, making the transition smoother upon arrival.

READ THIS NEXT: Identifying the Root Cause of Your Sleep Issue

What is Jet Lag?

Jet lag is a temporary condition that you may experience while traveling. This condition describes sleep problems and other symptoms you may encounter when you quickly cross multiple time zones, such as during a cross-country or overseas flight.

When traveling through time zones, your body may not adapt quickly to the changes. Traveling by plane worsens jet lag because your body moves faster than your circadian rhythms and brain can process the time change.

It can take time for the circadian rhythm to adjust to new sleep and wake cycles in a new destination, contributing to symptoms such as:

Daytime sleepiness
Insomnia or Difficulty sleeping at night
Decreased ability to perform mental and physical tasks
Reduced alertness
Problems with concentration and focusing
Drowsiness during the day
Fatigue
Irritability
Disrupted mood

Sleep disturbances typically last a few days, but they can persist for up to a week if the time zone change is more than 8 hours. Eastward travel is associated with a longer duration of jet lag than westward travel. As the body’s internal circadian “clock” adapts to the new time zone, jet lag diminishes.

How Can Melatonin Help Reduce Jet Lag?

Melatonin helps reduce jet lag by acting as a chronobiotic that signals darkness and helps to reset the body’s internal circadian rhythm to align with the new time zone. This minimizes the misalignment between your internal clock and the local time, which is the primary cause of jet lag symptoms.

Melatonin exerts both a hypnotic (sleep-inducing) and sedative (anxiety-relieving) effect to support your body’s natural sleep-wake cycles. Research has proven that melatonin helps prevent, reduce, and improve jet lag symptoms, such as alertness, particularly when travelling east, as it resets the body’s sleep-awake schedule. Melatonin works by helping re-synchronize the body’s circadian rhythms, helping you sleep when you are transitioning between time zones by telling the brain to sleep at a different time than usual.

Melatonin helps support circadian realignment as rapidly and efficiently as possible, allowing you to regulate the circadian clock by shifting the timing of internal rhythms. Melatonin receptors are located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, the site of the circadian pacemaker, and can reset the rhythms generated by the pacemaker.

An increase in melatonin alerts the body that “biological night” is starting, whereas a decline in melatonin alerts the human body that biological night is ending. Melatonin taken in the evening will shift the clock earlier (a phase advance), whereas melatonin taken in the morning will shift the clock later (a phase delay). Taking melatonin at the right time for the required shift will help reset the clock more quickly when traveling across time zones.

Melatonin’s utility in managing jet lag has been the subject of numerous studies.

Research on “Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag” found melatonin to decrease jet lag in people crossing five or more time zones. This decrease in jet lag was seen when melatonin was taken close to the local bedtime at the destination.

In addition, research on “The effectiveness of melatonin for promoting healthy sleep: a rapid evidence assessment of the literature” reviewed studies of the use of melatonin in various scenarios, including preventing jet lag. This review of eight randomized clinical trials involving more than 900 participants found that six favored melatonin over the control for counteracting the effects of jet lag.

Essential oils can help trigger or support the body’s natural melatonin release. They do this primarily by influencing brain activity and neurotransmitter systems through the olfactory system, rather than supplying the hormone directly.

Research on “The effect of aromatherapy with lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) on serum melatonin levels” found that “blood melatonin levels significantly increased after the intervention with aromatherapy.” Additional research suggests that essential oils may influence neurotransmitter systems and brain wave (EEG) activity, which, in turn, can affect sleep-wake cycles and hormone regulation.

When essential oils are inhaled, their aromatic molecules are absorbed and travel directly to the brain’s limbic system, triggering neurochemical responses that promote sleep. For example, essential oils like White Grapefruit can encourage the release of serotonin in the brain, which acts as a precursor that the body then converts into melatonin. This hormone regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

White Grapefruit is incredibly high (95.12%) in the chemical constituent Limonene, a terpene found in the rind of citrus fruits that has been shown to lower anxiety and stress. Limonene’s calming, mood-lifting effects have been attributed to its ability to elevate serotonin levels in the brain. The pineal gland synthesizes serotonin to produce melatonin, which helps support relaxation and sleep. Similarly, low serotonin levels result in sleep disruption and sleep disorders, including insomnia. Limonene’s serotonin-boosting effects contribute to the benefit of Grapefruit essential oil as a sleep-promoter. Further research reveals that limonene may help reduce insomnia symptoms.

Similarly, Rose Geranium essential oil has demonstrated a natural sedative effect, helping you overcome insomnia and fall asleep. Research published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice in 2014 found that rose essential oil “can significantly improve sleep quality.” The study found that patients hospitalized in the coronary care unit (CCU) who received routine care plus rose oil aromatherapy for three subsequent nights had better sleep quality than those who received routine care. A similar study found that inhaling rose and orange essential oils “induces physiological and psychological relaxation,” along with an increase in “comfortable,” “relaxed,” and “natural” feelings.

The effectiveness of essential oils in stimulating melatonin production could be due, in part, to the fact that melatonin is produced in plants and defends plant cells as an antioxidant.

Applying essential oils topically at the appropriate time triggers your pineal gland to naturally release melatonin. This, in turn, signals to your brain that it is “biological night,” which helps prevent and relieve symptoms of jet lag and shifts your internal clock to the new time zone faster.

Circadian Rhythm® blend is designed to help you fall asleep, triggering the pineal gland in your brain to release the sleep hormone melatonin naturally to help you fall asleep. Your nose is a direct gateway to the brain and the pineal gland. To stimulate the olfactory passage to activate the pineal gland, inhale Circadian Rhythm® oil or apply topically on specific spots around the head—on the very top of the head, the back of the head, or the skin above the ears.

The pineal gland is located in the exact center of the brain, so topically applying oils directly around the brain allows transdermal access. Circadian Rhythm® blend can also help detoxify the pineal gland, enhancing melatonin release through its numerous healing properties.

In addition to applying Circadian Rhythm® around the pineal gland, you can use acupuncture points on the legs for topical application.

Traditional Chinese medicine recognizes the connection between acupuncture and circadian rhythms, noting that acupuncture can influence the factors that regulate your internal clock.

A study published in the Journal of Sleep Research found that acupuncture can increase melatonin production and enhance sleep efficiency. It was specifically found to increase the duration of deep sleep—the most restorative sleep phase—allowing your body to repair and rejuvenate. By boosting melatonin levels, acupuncture may improve sleep quality and create a more aligned circadian rhythm.

Topically applying Circadian Rhythm® on the following acupuncture points may help balance deep sleep.

Kidney 6 (Zhaohai): Located on the inner side of the lower leg, directly below the inner ankle bone. Massage the depression between the Achilles tendon and the tibia (shin bone). This is known to improve sleep, alleviate insomnia, and reduce fatigue.

Bladder 62 (Shenmai), located on the foot, is believed to help with mental disorders, insomnia, and other conditions, potentially aiding sleep, according to the Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science [1].

Both Bladder 62 (outer ankle) and Kidney 6 (inner ankle) can be found by locating a tender depression about one inch underneath the tip of the ankle bone (malleolus). These points help you to become grounded, allowing you to fall asleep and stay asleep.

How to Massage:

Once located, topically apply a small amount of Circadian Rhythm® blend, then massage the points together with your fingertips, maintaining a firm but painless pressure. You can massage the two points on your ankles at the same time. Small circular motions may be applied if desired. Massage these points for up to 3 to 5 minutes before bedtime.

Research suggests that you prepare to reset your circadian rhythms in advance of travel by applying the oils topically at your ideal bedtime in your destination time zone on the day of arrival, and for an additional 4 days. If you awaken before 4 a.m. local time, it may be beneficial to take an extra half dose of melatonin. This is because melatonin can delay the waking portion of your circadian rhythms and help shift your sleep pattern.

READ THIS NEXT: The Neuro-Protective Effects of Melatonin

Featured Oils:

Ready to get started? Click the links below to order today:

Circadian Rhythm® available here

Essential Oils for Jet Lag

What is Melatonin?

What is Jet Lag?

How Can Melatonin Help Reduce Jet Lag?