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How to Overcome Jet Lag

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  • When you travel across time zones, your body's internal clock takes time to catch up with the actual day-night cycle at your destination. If you're taking a flight from Chicago to Lima in July, for example, you won't experience jet lag because both cities are on the same time. Go from Chicago to Istanbul, however, and you'll experience quite a bit of jet lag; while the distance flown is almost identical, when it's noon in Chicago it's 8pm in Istanbul. If you want to learn how to overcome jet lag, use these tips when crossing time zones to make the adjustment to your new locale as easy as possible. This guide will help you with getting rid of jet leg. It could have been called how to get rid of jet lag.

  • Prepare Before Your Flight

    1. Make sure you're well-rested before your flight. If you're already tired, it will make jet lag worse.
    2. According to the National Sleep Foundation, it takes about one day to adjust for each time zone traveled.[1] If you want to hit the ground running, adjust your sleeping habits before you leave.
      • Traveling westward: According to the National Sleep Foundation, every day, wake up one hour later and go to bed one hour later.
      • Traveling eastward: According to the National Sleep Foundation, every day, wake up one hour earlier and go to bed one hour earlier.
      • For trips crossing more than a few time zones, it may not be possible to fully adjust before departure.
    3. The National Sleep Foundation also recommends pre-adjusting by regulating your light exposure before travel.
      • Traveling westward: Expose yourself to light in the late afternoon and evening. Avoid light in the morning as much as possible.
      • Traveling eastward: Expose yourself to light in the morning. Avoid light in the evening as much as possible.
      • If the sun is not out, the National Sleep Foundation says a light therapy box can replicate its effects.
        LiteBook Light Therapy Box
        Figure 1: LiteBook Light Therapy Box
      • If you have to be in sunlight when you should avoid light, sunglasses can help reduce your exposure.
    4. Keep up your exercise schedule.
    5. An anti-jet-lag diet developed by the Argonne National Laboratory has been shown to be effective in some studies, but others doubt its effectiveness. If you want to give it a try, you can have one calculated specifically for you at the official AntiJetLagDiet.com site for a small fee, or follow the instructions below.[2]
      1. Figure out when breakfast time is at your destination.
      2. Four days before that time in your departure area, begin the Argonne Diet. Eat large meals. Eat high-protein meals at breakfast and lunch, and a high-carbohydrate dinner. Only consume caffeine between 3 and 5 pm.
      3. Three days before departure: Eat small, light meals. Your total calorie consumption should be no greater than 800 calories, and your carbohydrate consumption should be low. You should feel slightly hungry all day. Only consume caffeine between 3 and 5 pm.
      4. Two days before departure: Eat large meals. Eat high-protein meals at breakfast and lunch, and a high-carbohydrate dinner. Only consume caffeine between 3 and 5 pm.
      5. Day before departure: Eat small, light meals. Total calorie consumption should be no greater than 800 calories, and carbohydrate consumption should be low. If you are traveling west, consume caffeinated beverages only in the morning; if you are traveling east, consume them only between 6 and 11pm.
      6. Departure day: If your flight is long enough, sleep until breakfast time at your destination. Eat large meals, beginning with a big, high-protein breakfast. Stay active at your destination, with a lot of exposure to light.

  • Melatonin: Often Used But Unproven

    • Melatonin is a hormone produced by the body to encourage one to sleep. Taking melatonin a half-hour before bedtime is said by some to help the body adjust to the new time zone. However, Chris Idzikowski of the Edinburgh Sleep Center says that, taken at the wrong time, it can make jet lag worse.[1]
    1. According to the CDC, melatonin should be taken at the time you wish to go to sleep at your destination, beginning three to four days before you depart.[2]
    2. According to the CDC, people with epilepsy, on warfarin or anticoagulants should discuss melatonin with their doctor before taking it, as should children.[3]
    3. According to a double-blind study, the largest ever done, melatonin alone has absolutely no effectiveness in reducing jet lag.[4]
    4. A University of Alberta study in 2006 again showed no evidence that melatonin has any effectiveness in reducing jet lag.[5]
    5. A 2005 study showed that melatonin used in combination with a light therapy box can reduce jet lag.[6]
    6. If you choose to use melatonin to overcome jet lag, the Life Extension Foundation recommends the following[7]:
      1. Schedule your flight so you arrive in the morning or early afternoon.
      2. Expose yourself to bright daylight at your destination point no earlier than two hours earlier than what would be your normal waking time at your point of departure. For example, if you're flying from L.A. to Boston and normally wake up at 8am, don't expose yourself to the sun any earlier than 9am in Boston.
      3. Take 0.5 to 5 mg of melatonin no earlier than three hours before you wish to go to bed.
      4. Sleep in as dark a room as you can manage.
      5. Don't have caffeine after noon.
    7. You can also use the Fleet Street Clinic's Jet Lag Calculator to get a customized plan of how to use melatonin and light exposure to change your body's clock.
      1. Go to the Jet Lag Calculator page.
      2. At the bottom of the map, click on the time zone of your departure location.
        Fleet Street Jet Lag Calculator
        Figure 2: Fleet Street Jet Lag Calculator, Steps 1 and 2
      3. At the bottom of the map, click on the time zone of your arrival location.
      4. Choose "Timed exposure to bright light PLUS taking melatonin".
      5. Click "Go".
      6. Read and follow your customized jet lag prevention plan.

  • Be Healthy In Flight

    1. When you board your flight, adjust your watch to the time at your destination.
    2. Drink lots of water during your flight. Airplanes are extremely dry, and dehydration is one of the symptoms of jet lag. The more water you drink, the less likely you are to get this symptom.
      • Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics; they will cause you to lose water. Avoid them.
    3. Sleep on your flight only during the hours you would be asleep at your destination. If you're traveling during daytime at your destination, try to stay awake. For further information on sleeping in flight, see our Mahalo page about how to sleep on a plane.
    4. During hours when you should be awake at your destination, exercise on the plane. It can increase alertness. The following video shows exercises you can do in your seat, if you aren't allowed to get up.
    VideoJug: How To Do An In Flight Fitness Workout

  • Sleep Medications (Ambien, Sonata, Restoril, Lunesta) In Flight

    1. The National Sleep Foundation recommends against taking over-the-counter sleep medications, as they can have a severe "hangover" effect.[1]
    2. Dr. Richard Dawood recommends the prescription drug Sonata, which puts users to sleep for only four hours.[2]
    3. Dr. Dawood also says Restoril and Lunesta should only be used on flights that allow eight hours of sleep.[3]
    4. Ambien users are warned by the manufacturer not to take it on a flight of less than 8 hourshttp://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-9690-Ambien+Oral.aspx?drugid=9690&drugname=Ambien+Oral], or combine it with alcohol.[4] There are several documented cases of bizarre behavior on airplanes after users combined Ambien and alcohol.
    5. According to the CDC, prescription sleeping pills can cause nausea, dizziness, vomiting, confusion, headache, and dry mouth.[5]

  • Reset Your Internal Clock At Your Destination

    1. Your internal clock is governed in part by exposure by sunlight. Get as much exposure to sunlight as possible at your destination.
      • If you have traveled eastward, exposure to sunlight in the morning will be especially helpful.
      • If you have traveled westward, exposure to sunlight in the afternoon will be especially helpful.
    2. This website, designed by British Airways in conjunction with Dr. Chris Idzikowski, can help you determine at which hours sunlight exposure will be the most helpful.
      1. Enter the time you normally wake up in the morning. The website will only let you enter a time between 4am and 10am.
        British Airways Jet Lag Advisor
        Figure 3: British Airways Jet Lag Advisor
      2. Enter the current time at your destination.
      3. Enter the current time at home.
      4. Click the "Get Advice" button.
      5. A pop-up window will tell you the best times to expose yourself to the sun.
    3. The National Sleep Foundation says you should eat lightly the day you arrive.[1]
    4. Don't go to sleep until it is bedtime at your destination. If you try to nap, your body will take longer to adjust to the new schedule.
    5. Exercise during the morning or early afternoon at your destination. Evening exercise can keep you awake beyond your bedtime.
    6. Modafinil is used by some frequent flyers to stay awake without jet lag effects at their destination. However, it has not been approved for this use by the FDA. The CDC warns that use of Modafinil to overcome jet lag could lead to dependence.[2]
    7. These steps should help you get rid of jet lag.

 


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