Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
This week on Health Watch, we’re talking about getting away from it all during summer vacation season. Previously, we talked about how important vacations are for recharging our minds and bodies. But some vacations can leave you exhausted, especially if you travel across time zones.
Dr. John Herman, a sleep disorders expert at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has a simple process for resetting your body clock to a new time zone so you can avoid jet lag. First, take 6 milligrams of melatonin when it’s 11:30 p.m. in the time zone of your destination. When you arrive, try to get out in the sunlight as soon as possible. Then an hour before bedtime the night you arrive, take another 3 milligrams of melatonin. When it’s time to return home, repeat the process.
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June 2007
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