Found this too
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/HQ/00317.html
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Beating jet lag
From MayoClinic.com
Special to CNN.com
If you cross three or more time zones, you'll probably experience a disorienting feeling known as jet lag. Your biological clock might not adjust for several days. Going east affects you more than going west because it's easier for you to set yourself backward than forward.
You can minimize jet lag by changing your behavior before, during and after you travel:
Get up and go to bed earlier for 3 days prior to an eastward trip and later for a westward one.
Change your watch to your destination time zone as soon as you board your plane.
Don't drink alcohol or caffeinated beverages on your flight, but do drink plenty of other fluids.
Sleep as much as you can during a long flight, even if you don't feel sleepy. You'll feel much more refreshed and ready to slip into the new time zone.
Sleep medication taken on a long flight may help you feel more rested when you land. Some people feel worse, though, especially if the trip is less than 5 hours long.
Book a flight that arrives in the late afternoon. After you land, stay up until 10 p.m. local time. If you land earlier in the day, nap in the early afternoon, but not for more than 2 hours.
When you arrive eat only a snack, not a big meal. The type of food you eat doesn't affect jet lag.
Try to adopt a usual breakfast-lunch-dinner meal schedule as soon as you arrive.
Get out in the sunlight or bright light as much as possible.
Exercise early in the day, not right before bedtime.
Don't drink alcohol or caffeine within 3 to 4 hours of bedtime. Both can interfere with sleep.
Use earplugs and eye shades to help you sleep.
If possible, stay in the same hotel or same area as on prior trips. Familiarity helps with sleep and overall orientation.
You may have heard that melatonin supplements can ward off jet lag, but Mayo Clinic physicians don't recommend the practice.
Melatonin is sometimes called the hormone of darkness because it's produced naturally in your brain at night. The hormone helps control your body's schedule for sleeping and waking. For that reason it's been explored as a way to prevent jet lag.
Some studies suggest you may be able to gradually move your bedtime ahead or back by taking small doses of melatonin, often less than 1 milligram, at different intervals during the day. That may make it easier to adjust once you arrive at your destination. Although some studies suggest this is effective, other studies have found that melatonin doesn't help jet lag and may even make it worse.
Despite all of the publicity, much remains unknown about melatonin and its effects on your body, particularly when it's used long-term or with other medications. There are also concerns about the quality and purity of the supplements. Because melatonin isn't considered a drug, the Food and Drug Administration doesn't regulate the safety of the supplements before they go on the market.
April 08, 2002
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