What is Jet Set Natural?

Jet Set Natural is an herbal travel supplement for relief of jet lag.


Jet Set Natural is taken in two steps — Jet in flight to relax and boost immunity, Set to energize and restore on arrival.


Created by a Board-Certified Sleep Specialist, Jet Set Natural is produced in the United States.


Jet Set Natural supports organizations such as carbonfund.org, reducing our traveler’s carbon footprint.

What is jet lag?

Jet lag in its most basic explanation is a dyssynchrony between our circadian rhythm (internal clock) and the external time at our jet flight destination. This happens by rapidly crossing time zone meridians in a plane.


For example, Paris’ local time (GMT+1) is six hours ahead of New York’s local time (GMT-5). If one takes a seven-hour flight leaving at 5 PM from New York to Paris, the local arrival time in France will then be approximately 6 AM, however the brain will perceive it is midnight.


This effect will function in the opposite during westward travel, where the brain perceives the time to be later than the arrival destination’s local time. This conflict between our circadian rhythm and the quick alteration of our external circumstances serves as the essence of jet lag.


Why does that matter?


The body is a finely tuned instrument operating on its own internal clock known as the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is synched with various external cues including environmental daylight, eating, and sleeping. When these factors are thrown out of synch, we experience jet lag. The symptoms of jet lag can profoundly interfere with our ability to function properly or enjoy the new local destinations. Common symptoms include: headaches, gastrointestinal upset, malaise, poor concentration, irritability, and fatigue.


What is our internal clock and where is it located?


The circadian rhythm – also known as Process C and derived from the Latin words circa (around) and diem (day) – regulates the body’s internal autonomic and involuntary system processes. These processes aid in the maintenance of hormones, feeding patterns, temperature control, and sleep. The circadian clock entrains with light exposure in a 24-hour cycle - one Earth revolution around its axis. However, if devoid of all external cues (i.e. daylight/darkness), the rhythm would cycle every 24.2 hours.


In 2017, the Noble Prize was jointly awarded to three American scientists for their discoveries of the molecular mechanisms governing circadian rhythms. Using fruit flies as their model, they were able to identify a gene that controls the daily biological rhythm. As a result, it is now recognized that the circadian rhythm operates by the same principles in all multicellular organism including humans.


In humans, the clock is located in the hypothalamus area of the brain, a part of the limbic system. Within the hypothalamus is the circadian center – a cluster of approximately 20,000 neurons known as suprachiasmatic nuclei. Damage to this center can lead to a disruption of our normal circadian rhythm and result in a free running system unresponsive to external cues.


So how does this all work for sleep?

Working directly alongside the circadian rhythm to promote sleep is the mechanism of homeostatic sleep drive, or Process S. The homeostatic drive is postulated to be an accumulation of hypnogenic (sleep inducing) substances in the brain. These substances lead the body to become more susceptible to sleep as the day progresses.


The circadian drive works to increase brain arousal during the day and to weaken arousal at night. As Process S steadily increases over the course of the day, it accrues enough strength to overcome the waning circadian drive’s waning arousal, preparing our body for sleep.


Now what?

When we experience jet lag, we experience a disruption to our circadian cycle. As a result, the processes of bodily homeostasis and sleep become inhibited – no longer operating in a smooth, predictable pattern. With the proper introduction of environmental cues in the new arrival destination, the body is only able to adjust about one hour per day to acclimate to the local time.


When flying eastward, the circadian clock must be advanced to synch with local time. When flying westward, the circadian clock must be delayed. For an accelerated adjustment, the body requires additional assistance.


How can we reset our internal clock?

Aside from gradual adjustment over-time, melatonin and light are the two largest contributing factors in resetting the circadian rhythm upon traveling. The timing of these two factors is critical and can prove challenging during active travel.


Melatonin’s greatest potential to advance the circadian clock lies in only a 2 hour window preceding the natural sleep time at the home location. If one has a natural sleep time of 11 PM, a dose of melatonin can in effect advance the clock to 9 PM. But if one flies eastward to a local time of 5 AM, the clock must now be adjusted 6 hours to compensate for the difference. Consequently, the use of melatonin can prove complicated as use during active hours may result in ineffectiveness and



Light exposure, if timed properly, has an even greater “phase advance effect” than the 2 hours of melatonin. The ideal time for light exposure occurs at about 2 hours prior to natural waking time. If one’s normal waking time is at 7 AM then the ideal exposure would be at 5 AM. If one now flies to a time zone 6 hours ahead, this would most effectively be delivered around 10 AM. Therefore when taking a “red eye” flight, one would do best to avoid significant daylight exposure immediately upon arrival, but instead wait until later in the morning. This can be accomplished by wearing blindfolds on the plane and sunglasses in the airport terminal. Failing to do so may inadvertently delay the circadian clock and work against you.


Jet Set Natural has been designed to combat the negative effects of jet lag. As an all-natural, non-prescription supplement, Jet Set’s unique bi-modal (2-step) approach delivers results unlike any competing product in the market. The first step, Jet, is taken in flight to promote relaxation, reduce anxiety, and boost immunity. The second step, Set, is taken after arrival to energize and assist in restoration.


As a Board-Certified Sleep Physician, I am aware that there is no perfect treatment for jet lag as we cannot yet pharmacologically alter the time of the circadian clock. However, by properly addressing its symptoms, Jet Set Natural can quickly offset its disruption to help you hit the ground running at your new destination.


Feel Better, Fly Better.

— Eric Gentry, MD

Founder and CEO at Jet Set Natural