When I travel to Europe, it is from the west coast, so I really have more hours to make up than you lucky east-coasters. My secret is to stay up as long as I can when I get there and go to bed when it is dark, so I wake up the next morning ready to sight-see. It is when I get home that jet lag seems to set in. Next time I travel, I’ll try the Dr. Weil Method.

I have read lots of different ideas as to how to avoid jet lag. But, Dr. Andrew Weil, botanist, Physician and noted author has come up with what seems to be a good plan.

He says that you need to drink lots of – you’ve heard it before – water. Avoid caffeine and alcohol and limit your sugar intake.

Noting that food is harder to digest at high altitudes, he suggests that you eat light meals and avoid the usual high-salt and high-fat airplane fare. You can do that by ordering a vegetarian meal in advance.

Dress comfortably and while aboard, get up and stretch often to improve your circulation. This also helps you avoid deep-vein thrombosis, a risk for those who sit idle on long flights.

When you get to your destination, expose yourself to as much natural daylight as possible as it is the most powerful influence on the internal timing of your body clock.

And finally, he recommends that you take 2.5 mg of melatonin at bedtime for one or two nights before you leave and before you come home to even further reduce jet lag. You can get melatonin without a prescription at drug and health food stores. But since natural melatonin may be contaminated with a virus, I recommend synthetic melatonin.

Armed with this information, I’m ready for my next trip to Europe!