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Revisiting Jet Lag -- Your Comments and Opinions. My column concerning jet lag seemed to be of great interest to a number of readers and I received many wonderful emails in response--thanks again to all who took the time to share their experiences. One general conclusion that your feedback suggests is that managing jet lag is extremely personal. Just as you need to pick your own mattress (soft or firm?), pillow (thin or thick?), and lighting arrangements (shades up or down?) to sleep well at home, you will need to experiment to find the right environment that will allow you to sleep well on a plane or in your new time zone. Many readers reported that they have licked jet lag through habits developed over time, without the use of expensive devices or medications. While it would be difficult to summarize all of the comments received, I have noted
below the most common suggestions and have included some of my opinions as
well.
My general feeling on the use of these agents for the treatment of jet lag is to
use caution. As I noted in the original article, I'm hesitant to ingest or
recommend unknown compounds to treat jet lag, a condition which will
eventually go away anyway.
A digression on the use of medications for any condition. I subscribe to the
general rule that you should only use a medication to treat a problem if no
less-invasive alternative exists. If you choose to use a medication, you and
your physician should try to follow the following rules: (1) use the oldest
medication available that has a track record of success and safety for the
condition in question--the older the medication, the longer the history of
safety; (2) use a medication that is approved for use by the FDA or,
potentially, a similarly thorough drug regulatory agency in another country
(this is important not only because of the initial approval process but because
of the ongoing safety monitoring that the FDA performs); (3) use a medication
that is manufactured by a reliable pharmaceutical company, to maximize the
chance that you're actually getting what you think you're getting.
Unfortunately, many of the non-traditional jet lag remedies don't meet one or
more of these criteria. These are general rules and many of you will be able to
cite perfectly valid situations in which one or more of them should be ignored.
But I find them a helpful guide.
I am in favor of experimenting with these simple but safe strategies. Unless
you travel long distances very frequently you may need to keep a journal to
remind yourself from trip to trip what methods you tried before and how you
felt.
Finally, my favorite suggestion: boring airplane movies! One reader made this
suggestion after "Liar, Liar", a Jim Carrey movie, woke her up and kept her
alert during an entire transatlantic flight to Paris. There are probably certain
movies that are just too funny for overnight flights--and there's no shortage of
dull movies that might help combat jet lag. If you'd like, send me your film
suggestions: Best (and Worst) Movie(s) for Inducing Sleep on an Overnight
Flight!
Thanks again for all the feedback. Your comments are always welcome.
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