How to Beat Jet Lag

1. Get on local time before you take your flight by starting to sleep and eat on the time schedule of your destination, especially in the hours prior to the crossing the time zone. So if you are traveling on an evening flight from New York City to Europe, sleep during the part of the flight that corresponds to Europe's time zone so you will be awake when you arrive in the morning.

2. To sleep on a flight or the night before a flight, consider taking to your doctor about sleep aids such as Ambien or Lunesta or Sominex. Using these for a few days during a time zone change is highly unlikely to cause any long term dependency if you do not have problems sleeping at home.

3. To sleep, consider eating protein in the morning and carbs in the evening helps aid sleep, as well tryptophan foods like Turkey and almonds. Keeping well hydrated keeps you awake and makes you sleep better when you do sleep. Avoid alcohol when changing time zones.

4. To stay awake, Take a hot shower, bath or take a steam once getting to your hotel - the heat will keep you awake.

5. To stay awake, consider hitting the beach or other sunlight activity immediately since the sunlight will stop the trigger of melatonin and other sleep hormones and make you think "daytime".

6. Some people use the light machines and other techniques typically used by those with Seasonal Affective Disorder while traveling to adjust their circadian rhythms to match the time zone they are currently in.

7. It is hard to avoid some jet lag, so try to allow an extra day between a big meeting or event and your flight when possible to adjust to the time zone. If you are taking a vacation, schedule your intensive activities, sports, scuba diving, amusement parks or fast paced sight-seeing for a few days into your trip and do the beach, light shopping, a nice restaurant, spa activities like getting a massage, and general checking out the neighborhood type activities on the first day or so.

8. Caffeine may work keeping you awake for a meeting or event for small time zone change, but downing multiple caffeine beverages just delays a big sleeping crash.

9. To sleep better, invest in comfortable pajamas and your own pillowcase. Silk is a very comfortable option suitable to both warm and cool climates that will make you sleep comfortably. Brookstone and Sharper Image type stores often carry special pillows to stay cool.

10. To sleep well, consider getting an iPod with headphones or a white noise machine to block out unfamiliar loud noises that might keep you awake, especially if you are going to a city and are not used to traffic or other loud guests at the hotel, or if in the country, if the sound of animals, frogs or crickets will keep you from sleeping.