Suggestions on How to Deal with Jet Lag

​Licensed marriage family therapist Timothy Kovacs serves as assistant director of education services at Baldwin Park Unified School District, Early Childhood Education. At the same time, he teaches master's level psychology courses at Azusa Pacific University, where he is an adjunct faculty. When not working, Timothy Kovacs loves to travel.

Traveling is a very exciting and fun activity. However, the excitement and fun stop once jet lag sets in. Jet lag happens when a traveler's bodily rhythms become out of sync as they cross different time zones. The good news is that jet lag can be treated.

First, resetting the body's circadian rhythms by regulating light exposure may treat jet lag. Circadian rhythms are natural processes affecting the body, mind, and behavior following the 24-hour cycle and are shown in the responses to light and darkness.

A study conducted by Rush University Medical Center researchers found that exposure to light is the best way to cause a phase shift. A phase shift can either advance or delay circadian rhythms. Based on the study, exposure to light early in the morning makes the traveler wake up earlier, thereby advancing their circadian rhythms by 2.1 hours. Conversely, the study found that exposure to light near bedtime makes travelers wake up later, thereby delaying their circadian rhythms by 2.1 hours.

Another way to deal with jet lag is to take melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that regulates the body's sleep cycle. It operates like a clock that tells when it is time to sleep. Taking melatonin helps the traveler to sleep at a time when they wouldn't usually be sleeping. The National Library of Medicine website published a study that found that taking between 0.5 and 5 milligrams of melatonin close to a target bedtime decreases jet lag from crossing at least five time zones.

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