Could this pill change travel forever?

For those of us who travel overseas from time-to-time, jet lag is an all too familiar downside to the trip. Living in such an isolated location in the world means that flying practically anywhere other than the Asia Pacific region results in complete confusion for our body clock. But now scientists have created a pill that could spell the end for jet lag…

The new pill has been developed that can reset the body clock and end the sleeplessness of shift workers, travellers and insomniacs. Our body clock is used to synchronising every 24 hours and is regulated by our bodily senses and how we see light and dark.

We get jet lag when our body expects to see dark and it’s light, or vice versa, and gets confused and fatigued. Surely having jet lag from time to time is fine? Actually, it could lead to stress, heart disease and even cancer.

In trials, the experimental drug has shown that it can trick the body into thinking day is night and night is day – a breakthrough for so many people who are sick of feeling flat when they travel through different time zones or have night shifts.

16 healthy volunteers were tested in isolation chambers with the tablet that was created by Canadian scientists, and it was a success. White blood cells contain biological clocks controlled by a switch deep within the brain, but the pills containing the steroid-based compound glucocorticoid can effectively reset the settings.

There are some over-the-counter medications that say they can decrease the effects of jet lag, however this is the only one that is clinically tested and is backed by science.

There’s no doubt that if this is available in Australia that many of us will want to use it, particularly those who travel to the US and UK regularly. We’ll keep our eyes peeled!

Would you use a pill to get rid of jet lag? Have you felt the effects badly before? What happened? Tell us below.