You don’t have to travel to Beijing to get jet-lagged. Don’t believe us? Fly from New York to Denver and back in three days and see how you feel over the next week. The truth is, for every time zone change, you need a day to recover. So flying from New York to London can put you off base for six days (every hour of flying time approximates one time zone).
You may not be able to completely avoid jet lag, but you can be one of those people who more or less breeze through it. Here’s how.
The best way to deal with jet lag is to prevent it. Take 5 milligrams of melatonin the day before your flight at a time that equals 5 p.m. in the new time zone. Take it again on the plane if you’re travelling eastward. Continue taking 1 to 3 milligrams of melatonin at bedtime in your new time zone to continue your body clock’s adjustment.
Melatonin, also known as the sleep hormone, rises throughout the day, peaking in the evening and signalling your brain and body that it’s time for bed. Supplementing with it when travelling can trick your body into thinking it’s later than it is.
