Three Half-Assed, Old Jet Lag Remedies

Over the course of the years a few home remedies have evolved, some no more than nonsensical or counterproductive, others more successful and useful because they accidentally incorporate helpful techniques. None, however, are as effective as The Cure for Jet Lag.

The first old-fashioned jet lag remedy involves a preflight adjustment over a period of days before departure:

The Henry Kissinger Approach. When former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger knew he had to attend an important meeting in a foreign country, in the hope that he could systematically shift his body clocks to foreign time before he actually boarded the airplane, he would try to retire one hour earlier each night and rise one hour later.

Did it work? The problem with the Kissinger approach to “shuttle diplomacy” is that the demands of public and private life at home and before departure seldom permit the kind of rigid commitment and self-discipline this technique entails. Not only is it extremely difficult, as well as impractical to withdraw so totally from daily events, it is actually impossible to remain unaffected physiologically by environmental influences such as the light/dark patterns and the social cues around you.

If the technique worked at all, it did not work well. From the studies performed on phase shifts associated with body clock changes, in all likelihood Kissinger experienced nearly as much jet lag on the first day at each of his destinations as the person who had sat next to him in the airplane.

The second approach involves arriving several days ahead of time when an important appointment, meeting, or event is scheduled:

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Approach. In 1955, President Eisenhower flew into Geneva on a Friday for a summit meeting with Nikita Khrushchev the following Monday. Eisenhower had arrived early in order to try to reduce his jet lag symptoms in time for the meeting.

Was Eisenhower successful in reducing his jet lag symptoms? Partially, but not totally. Studies on jet lag symptoms indicate that recuperation actually does take about a day (more or less) per time zone through which the traveler has flown. Had Eisenhower arrived in Geneva an entire week prior to the summit meeting, he would have been well on his way to recovery, but in the absence of the other jet lag countermeasures, just two or three days are ordinarily not enough time for full adjustment to the new time zone. In fact, Eisenhower was still very much in a state of cellular upheaval, although his sleeping/waking patterns may have begun to synchronize with local time.

As an interesting note, in the past, companies such as Continental Oil Company and Phillips Petroleum Company (now CONOCO-Phillips, Inc.) actually insisted that their executives use a modified Eisenhower approach and take one full day to adjust from easterly trips before resuming business oriented activities. However, as in-depth studies have indicated, jet lag begins from the moment the plane lands and continues for days thereafter whenevera time zone change has occurred.

The third approach to jet lag is to adhere rigorously to your own hometown schedule, no matter where you are in the world:

The Lyndon Johnson Approach. President Johnson rarely, if ever, reset his wristwatch when Air Force One landed in a foreign country. When he flew to Guam to confer with President Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam, Johnson remained on his usual time schedule, eating when he would have at the White House, sleeping when it was dark in Washington, and arranging meetings at his convenience during what were reasonable hours in the United States.

Was Johnson’s technique effective? To a degree, yes, but his approach required an iron will and total denial of events transpiring around him. If you are interested in experiencing the country you are visiting by dining out, by touring its museums, etc., forcing yourself to remain on hometown time will put you totally out of sync with everyone else and everyone else’s schedule. If you schedule a meeting at what might be the middle of the night at your destination, but only afternoon by your hometown schedule, will you be more alert? Yes, and perhaps you can get away with it if you are the President of the United States—but chances are other members of the meeting may not be willing to adjust their entire schedules to accommodate you. The fourth way to control jet lag involves the systematic and orderly introduction of environmental cues and other agents that predictably influence body clocks. These include illumination, exercise, social cues, foods that encourage sleep, and common beverages that contain natural chemicals.

The Cure for Jet Lag 3-Step System Approach. Beginning from one to three days prior to flight (depending on how much notice you have to implement the 3-Step System before your plane takes off), The Cure for Jet Lag continues for the day of the flight, and for the first few days at your destination.

Will it be more effective than the other three approaches? Absolutely! And:

• You will initiate the resetting and resynchronization of those body clocks that may have been disturbed prior to your actual trip.
• You will not have to readjust your waking and sleeping patterns while at home using the “Kissinger” technique for days prior to flight.
• You will not have to waste valuable vacation or business time recuperating for days from jet lag in a foreign hotel.
• You will be better able to function from the moment you land because the system forces you to step right into the mainstream of activity.

Finally, being informed about the basic causes and symptoms of jet lag and circadian dyschronism, you are better equipped to deal with and to prevent the onset of similar problems and disorders in your daily living even when you are not engaged in global travel.