Jet Lag

Jet lag

Jet lag is the result of traveling at great speed over large distances through several time zones. There are three ways to minimize this problem:

1. Force your body to the new time environment as soon as possible. If you are traveling east to west, when your travel day will be longer, try to stay awake until a time is "normal" for your new environment and then get up the next morning at a reasonable hour. When going from west to east, your travel day will be shortened by several hours and you will have to get to sleep earlier than you would during a normal 24 hour day. Caffeine, high protein foods or other stimulants and sedatives, starches and sweets, may help smooth the process of synchronizing your biological clock with your new time environment.

2. Manipulate your diet by alternating FEAST and FAST days, according to a plan developed by Dr. Charles Ehret, Argonne National Laboratory. Here's how you can use the diet when traveling east to west, such as from New York to California. You may find that travel from the U.S. mainland to Hawaii or the Orient requires 4 days of dietary preparation while travel from one U.S. coast to the other can be accommodated in 2 days.

A. Determine your breakfast time at your destination on the day you will arrive. Begin your diet cycle 2-4 days before you are due to arrive at your destination.

B. Day 1, FEAST with a high protein breakfast and lunch and a high carbohydrate dinner. Do not have any cola, coffee, tea or other caffeine-containing beverage between 3 PM and 5 PM.

C. Day 2, FAST with three light meals of salad, fruit and juices. Avoid tea, coffee, cola or other caffeine-containing beverages between 3 PM and 5 PM. Decaffeinated beverages are fine.

D. Day 3, the day before you travel, is another FEAST day.

E. Travel day is a FAST day with caffainated beverages taken only on the morning you travel.

F. If the flight is long enough, try to sleep until breakfast at your destination. Be sure to eat a high protein breakfast, like steak or sausage and eggs. Alcohol is not allowed, especially on the plane traveling west. Follow the same procedure when traveling west to east, until the day of departure. Then, be sure to drink caffeinated beverages between 6 PM and 11 PM.

3. Turn on the lights! Flying east to west, stay outside for several hours in the late afternoon on your day of arrival. Light stimulates hormones in your body that influence sleep patterns. This exposure is designed to speed accommodation to the now time environment. Got outside for an hour or two early the next morning. Traveling west to east, got outside early on the first morning at your new location. This early exposure to bright, natural light will help speed accommodation. Avoid late afternoon exposure on the first day.

Revised 1/2000