What’s the best way to get over jet lag?

A. Going west is easier than going east. Westbound, keep awake as long as possible when you arrive, and go to bed at the normal time for your destination. After eight or more hours of sleep, you should wake fresh at the normal breakfast-time, and adjust quickly to the new time. Going east is more difficult as you have the disadvantage of losing a night’s sleep before you start to adjust. You recover from the time change at a rate of only an hour a day. So if you have come from west coast America, an eight-hour difference, it takes eight days to be completely normal. Using sleeping tablets or stimulants to try to adjust faster can make things worse. Melatonin has its followers, but the evidence isn’t impressive, and I’m not sure of its safety. I cope by accepting I won’t be right for a few days and taking that into account when making decisions.