Medical Edge Newspaper Column

Jet Lag

Sept. 11, 2006
READERS:
Jet lag -- it's what happens when you've arrived at your travel destination but your body is out of sync with local time. It can cause irritability, decreased concentration, dizziness, headaches, muscle soreness and gastrointestinal problems such as constipation or diarrhea. Symptoms can be aggravated by stress, lack of sleep, dry air, dehydration and a bumpy airplane ride.

The severity of symptoms is related to the number of time zones crossed during a flight. For every one-hour time zone change you undergo, it generally takes a day to fully adjust.

While there's no single, proven method for preventing or curing jet lag, the following suggestions could help.

• Arrive at your destination in mid- to late afternoon -- this gives you time to get to the place you'll be staying, have a light snack and sleep. If possible, avoid flights that arrive early in the morning.

• Rest up -- before your trip, make sure you're well rested and not sleep-deprived.

• During the flight, drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated -- but limit or avoid alcohol and caffeine. They can increase the amount of time it takes your body to adjust to the new time zone and may prevent you from sleeping once you reach your destination.

• Avoid taking sleeping pills during the flight -- sleeping pills can cause sleepiness long after your intended sleep time and can worsen the sleepiness associated with jet lag.

• Consider melatonin -- this nonprescription supplement has long been touted as a remedy for reducing jet lag. There are mixed opinions and research on whether it's helpful. If you want to give it a try, or have found it helpful in the past, there appears to be no harm in taking melatonin for short periods. If you take other medications, check with your doctor to ensure there are no potential interactions between melatonin and other drugs.