Jet Lag Cure?: Scientists May Soon Have One Available at Pharmacies

Scientists may soon develop a pill that allows those who make a stop at the pharmacy before vacation to fight jet lag, according to ABC News.

Researchers at the University of Oxford have identified a gene. The gene can be manipulated to limit the impact that travel has on people across time zones, allowing them to have a faster recovery time. A pill that would have this ability may only be a few years away, according to a report published in the Independent.

"We've identified a system that actively prevents the body clock from re-adjusting," Dr. Stuart Peirson, the team leader on the study and a senior research scientist at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford, told the Independent. "If you think about it, it makes sense to have a buffering mechanism in place to provide some stability to the clock.

But it is this same buffering mechanism that slows down our ability to adjust to a new time zone and causes jet lag," he added.

The team exposed lab mice to a series of patterns of dark and light intended to mimic the changes in time zones to the test subjects. In humans, a day for each time zone traveled is typically required to fully recover from jet lag.

Through these tests, the scientists were able to identify a molecule called SIK1, which specifically debilitated the natural response to light in the body, which would normally allow the body to begin a new circadian rhythm. Without the molecule, the result is jet lag.

The impact of a pill that prevented jet lag would be hugely beneficial to those who in the travel industry, such as pilots and flight attendants. Frequent business travelers would also find it immeasurably helpful. However, many industry experts are still skeptical about the success of that type of pill.

"I'm very skeptical, as I've heard many times that the cure for jet lag is just around the corner," Chris McGinnis, the business travel expert for the web site YouMustBeTrippin.com. "People were saying it about Ambien at one time, a few years ago they had light therapy visors that people would wear."

Nonetheless, McGinnis was still optimistic about the impact such a drug could have.

"If it is indeed a true cure for jet lag, it will have a huge impact on business travel," he said. "You won't have to get [to your destination] ahead of time to adjust for a day or two before you give a big presentation. "There are countless hours of productive time lost to jet lag," he added. "I experience it myself and as I get older it only seems to get worse."