Beat Your Jet Lag

Jet lag

Also called Jetlag, Time zone change, Beat jet lag

3 min plan45 min with every studyUpdated Sep 27, 2026

Who it's forA man who flies across time zones and loses days to bad nights and foggy afternoons.

When to see a doctor

With chest pain or breathlessness, call 911.
A fever or flu-like illness within 12 months of travel to a country where malaria is found: urgent care or your doctor today. Do not wait to get home.
Higher clot risk: over 40, recent surgery or injury in the last 3 months, or a previous clot. Before a long flight, ask a doctor about compression stockings.
A trip to a malaria area: see your doctor, pharmacist or travel clinic before you go, ideally 4 to 6 weeks ahead.
Tired for a few weeks with no clear reason, or tiredness that affects daily life, after the trip. Your doctor can run blood tests.
Breathing that stops and starts in sleep, gasping or choking noises, or feeling very tired every day. This can be sleep apnea: see a doctor before a sleeping pill or drink to sleep.
Bipolar disorder, or days of high energy needing little sleep. Lost sleep can trigger a high: plan the trip with your doctor.
Epilepsy, or a blood thinner such as warfarin: only take melatonin under a doctor.
Trouble sleeping for months, or bad enough that daily life is hard, once you are home.
Feeling sleepy while driving. Do not drive.

I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. This is self-education. Every dose on this page is the one a label or trial used, quoted from it. It is not a prescription. Talk to a physician who has your history before anything in the With a doctor group, and before melatonin with epilepsy or a blood thinner.