Tuesday, August 4, 2009

New Technique for Avoiding Jet Lag

This trick can help you overcome jet lag in a single day, according to Harvard Medical School (as explained in the WiseBread blog): Figure out what time breakfast is in your destination, and fast 12 to 16 hours beforehand. No big deal, considering that most of us fast that long between dinner and breakfast, anyway...though the idea of traveling hungry isn't terribly appealing (on the other hand, a week of jetlag may be less appealing still). Staying hydrated is essential, obviously.

Some interesting reader comments posted on that page:
"In fact, many people do this automatically when they sleep in on a saturday, which might explain why some people are slow starters on a monday morning. As someone who used to frequently juggle between day and night cycles, I am far more affected by food than sunlight. I'm no scientist, but my anecdotal experience fully supports this theory."
and...
"Instead of torturing yourself during the flight, why not simply eat dinner when the locals do (e.g. 6 p.m. their time), then wake up for their natural breakfast time 12-16 hours later (6 a.m. - 10 a.m.)? I can't see any reason, based on this article, to make the flight more unpleasant by fasting."

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