My jet lag is so bad: what can help?

Crossing time zones makes the internal body clock disagree with local daylight, meals, and bedtime. Eastward travel often makes an earlier sleep schedule difficult, while westward travel can make staying awake later difficult. Symptoms may include difficulty sleeping, waking too early, daytime sleepiness, headache, poor concentration, and appetite changes. Jet lag is usually temporary, but symptoms can be amplified by sleep loss, alcohol, dehydration, stress, or an irregular schedule. Ongoing insomnia or sleepiness after the travel adjustment period may have another cause.

Use the destination time for meals, sleep, and activity as soon as practical. Spend time in outdoor daylight at a suitable local time, keep naps brief and early, and make the bedroom dark, quiet, and cool. Drink fluids, eat lightly if your stomach feels unsettled, and avoid alcohol near bedtime. Do not drive, swim alone, or operate machinery while very sleepy. A clinician or pharmacist can help you consider whether a sleep aid or melatonin is appropriate, especially if you take other medicines, are pregnant, or have a medical condition.

Arrange medical advice if sleep disruption or daytime sleepiness is not easing, repeatedly prevents normal activities, or continues after you have had time to settle into the new time zone. Seek urgent help for chest pain, severe shortness of breath, fainting, new confusion, a severe sudden headache, or weakness on one side. Do not assume every post-travel symptom is jet lag, particularly after a long flight or when symptoms are escalating.

Could another sleep problem be contributing? What timing of light, naps, or medication fits my travel direction and health history? When is it safe for me to drive or work?