Ease the symptoms of jet lag with these guidelines

Jet lag occurs when your body’s internal clock becomes disrupted after you cross time zones. It causes fatigue, insomnia, “brain fog,” and even constipation or diarrhea in some people. By adjusting your diet ahead of time through a series of feasting and fasting, you can trick your body to be on the right time.

Nutrition Connection
-Lose the booze. Eschew alcoholic drinks the day before your flight, during the flight, and the day after the flight. Alcohol can dehydrate you and also disrupts your sleeping schedule.
-Ditch the caffeine. As with alcohol, caffeine dehydrates you and disrupts sleep, plus it can put nervous fliers even more on edge. Don’t drink caffeinated beverages the day before, during the flight, or just after your flight.
-Eat your water. In addition to drinking lots of water, bring watery fruits and vegetables, such as cucumbers, celery, watermelon, grapes, and papaya, as snacks.
-Alternate fasting and feasting. The late Charles F. Ehret, PhD, who was a senior scientist and circadian rhythm expert at the Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois, developed a 4-day anti–jet lag diet that featured alternating days of feasting and fasting. That diet was tested in 2002 on 186 National Guard personnel who were deployed nine time zones away. Of the volunteers, 134 used the diet and 52 did not. The dieters had significantly less jet lag than the nondieters.

Beyond the Diet
Ease the symptoms of jet lag with these guidelines:
Prepare in advance. If your trip will last longer than a few days, start to adjust your body clock to the new time zone before you leave.

QUICK TIP:
-Try melatonin
A 2005 MIT study suggests that taking a dose of 0.3 mg to 5 mg can ease jet lag for people crossing five or more time zones.
-Harness the sun.
Sunlight helps you reset your body clock when you’ve reached your destination. Take an air stroll. Make sure to walk around the plane every hour or so and jiggle your legs frequently. Stretch your body as often as you can.