This definitive guide to jet lag cures will help you suck it up and stop whining about being tired
I used to declare I didn't believe in jet lag. That was until I rented an Airbnb in Berlin that had blackout window shades and accidentally slept in...until 5 pm. But even if (fine) jet lag is real, I have a few tried-and-true strategies that save me from suffering — and still have little patience for people who whine about jet lag (though it does make a great excuse when you're late for an appointment). Read on for foolproof jet lag avoidance methods. If you're foolish enough to ignore these, there are also some products on the market that might help you beat it, and others that might just give you a laugh.
It's all about common sense
The first rule is never think about what time it is in the place you left. If you're constantly saying, "Oh my God, it's 4am in Houston!" you'll not only perturb everyone around you, but you'll have worse jet lag than if you just reset your clocks and forget about it. Rule No. 2 is always sleep on the plane. It might be tempting to rewatch Midnight in Paris for the third time, but if you don't get some rest, it could mess you up for the first few days of your trip. If you're on an annoyingly early red-eye, just pop some Tylenol PM to ensure you pass out (or use any of these guaranteed ways to sleep on a plane). The final rule is that no matter what time you arrive at your destination, it's important power through and try to stay awake until at least your grandparents' bedtime. I accept that I might be out of it the first day of the trip and know I'll be back to normal on day two.
There's an app for that
The latest jet lag app was recently rolled out by the International Air Transport Association. SkyZen links up to Jawbone devices for now, and Fitbit and Apple Watch soon. Working with Jawbone's UP system of lifestyle monitoring products, the app keeps track of users' sleep data and provides "insights" for "a better flight experience," — for example, whether early-morning flights are wreaking havoc on your sleep schedule and should be swapped for arrivals the night before (probably yes, but then you'd have to leave earlier and pay for an extra night at a hotel). Unless you're an obsessive, er, devoted life tracker, this sounds like a pain in the neck, not to mention a potential source of added stress that could keep you awake at night, defeating the whole purpose.
Hit up Whole Foods
There's a whole natural pharmacy shelf's worth of products that claim they can prevent or cure jet lag. Melatonin is recommended to help you not only sleep on the plane (very important!) and in your destination, but to help your body more easily adjust to the new time zone. My mother always stuffs a packet of homeopathic pills called No-Jet-Lag (no, really. That's what they're called) into my Christmas stocking. I can't tell if they work since I always forget to follow the directions exactly: one pill before take-off, one every two hours during flight, and another after landing. While I can't fully endorse it, apparently Richard Branson is a fan!
Go high-tech
Most of the literature about jet lag says the same thing: eat small meals, take some homeopathic pills Jessica Alba is really into, blah-blah. But there are a few high-tech solutions on the market. I use light therapy to keep me from wanting to off myself during New York winters, but apparently it can also reduce jet lag by helping your circadian rhythms adjust. Litebook offers a smartphone-size model, the Litebook Edge, which you can easily tuck into your carry-on. Enter your flight info and normal waking time into the device's handy Jet Lag Calculator and it will set a light schedule to follow on your trip. As a bonus, it could keep you from wanting to off yourself when you visit Berlin in November.
Then there's the futuristic-looking Glo to Sleep mask, which seems straight out of the SkyMall catalog. The product emits a blue glow, which is supposedly relaxing, and its website claims that it stimulates calming Alpha brain waves. As you'd expect, there's free shipping and a 90-day money back guarantee! If this sound dorky, at least these things are cooler-looking than Luminette glasses, the light-emitting glasses that look like something your grandma wore after cataract surgery.
If none of these works, you can always hold out for laser beams.
Jenny Miller is a freelance travel and food writer based in New York City. Read more of her work at jennymiller.org and keep up with her travels on Instagram and Twitter.