"Jet Lag No More: Expert Tips for Long-Haul Flight Planning"

Planning a long-haul flight? NPR's International Desk offers tips to outsmart jet lag. Suggestions include using apps like Time Shifter to create a personalized plan for adjusting to new time zones, understanding circadian rhythms and using external factors like light, exercise, meals, and social cues to regulate sleepiness and wakefulness. Other recommendations include sleeping on the flight aligned with the departure city's nighttime, managing light intake to sync the circadian clock, taking melatonin tablets, avoiding prescription sedatives and alcohol, staying awake until 9 p.m. at the destination, taking short naps, and using caffeine strategically. Exercise, meal times, and temperature changes can also help adjust to a different time zone.