Business Traveller: Battling Jet-Lag

Jet lag is an unpleasant nuisance as well as a sap on productivity. Is it best to deal with the symptoms, the causes or both?

 
Decide whether to adapt: If the trip is short – say two to three days – it may be better not to adapt to your new timezone. Instead, try to mitigate fatigue with naps, for example, and also try to arrange meetings at times that are advantageous to your body clock.

How to adapt if needed: “If you actually want to quickly reset your body clock to the new timezone, the two things that work are timed exposure to bright light [specially designed lamps are available] and melatonin,” says Dr Richard Dawood of the Fleet Street Clinic. It may also be helpful to use a jet lag calculator, which guides you on the optimum time to use them. Seek medical advice before trying melatonin. It is available over the counter in the US and many other countries. In the UK, it’s available as Circadin, which requires a prescription.


Drugs can be useful – but consult your doctor first: “If the purpose of your trip is to attend meetings for two days, and you’re dozing off, it’s not outrageous to consider using pharmaceuticals to manage sleep patterns,” says Dr Dawood.
When travelling to the US from Europe, for example, you would want to stay up as late as you can and then probably wake around 3am local time. “You might use a sleeping pill to get back to sleep,” says Dr Dawood. If you are trying to stay awake, you could also use medicines that boost alertness, such as Nuvigil. “This came close to being licensed for jet lag in the US and, again, needs to be prescribed,” says Dr Dawood.


Non-medicinal methods: More natural ways of dealing with jet lag include exercise, massage, relaxation and showers. Most frequent travellers find that some combination of the above works best for them.

Article written by Rhymer Rigby for www.FT.com