Dr Jennifer Sisson has worked in travel medicine since 1997. She is a Fellow of the Australian College of Tropical Medicine and past chair of the Faculty of Travel Medicine. Since 2007 she has been the medical director of Travel Doctor TMVC Perth.
Q. What's the most effective way to overcome jet lag, and will there ever be a simple cure?
A. Begin changing to the new time zone a few days pre-flight. Go to bed earlier if you are flying eastward, when jet lag is generally worse.
When boarding the plane set your watch to the destination time and try to modify sleep and meals to time with the destination. Eat regular light meals on the flight.
If possible plan the arrival time to coincide with bedtime at the destination. If you arrive in daylight, expose yourself to light rather than going to bed and do some light exercise. Avoid napping outside normal sleep times. Avoid activities such as prolonged driving or making complicated or important decisions.
For each two hours of time difference allow a day to recover. Caffeine may help with alertness early in the mornings. Some short-Topacting sleeping tablets can help reset sleep times, taken for a limited time since they can be addictive. Melatonin is a hormone available in tablet form in Australia that helps promote sleep. Unfortunately at this stage there is no magic cure for jet lag.
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