Health / jet lag New Drug Promises Better Sleep for the Jet-Lagged Substance works a lot like today's popular but unregulated melatonin supplements By Rebecca Smith Hurd, Newser User Posted Dec 7, 2008 2:32 PM CST Copied Nelly Su, of Miami, rests in the arms of her sleeping boyfriend Mike Thomas, as Satish Venkat, rear, also tries to nap before their flights out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) A new drug promises to put an end to jet lag and enable better sleep for travelers, swing-shift crews, and insomniacs, the Economist reports. Tasimelteon works a lot like today's popular but unregulated melatonin supplements, bonding with brain receptors to stimulate melatonin production and REM sleep. The distinction is significant because the drug is not acting as a mere sedative. “We want to treat the underlying cause of jet lag or shift-work disorder: the misalignment of the inner circadian clock with the external environmental time,” says the drug’s lead researcher. More than 400 people successfully shifted their sleep patterns by 5 hours in two clinical trials. If further tests prove effective, an even simpler remedy for sleeplessness—such as wearing orange-tinted sunglasses at night—may be forthcoming. (More jet lag stories.) Report an error