FAQ & DETAILS:

1. "What is the history of light therapy?"
Light therapy, or phototherapy, the science behind The Tireless Traveler "sunlight prescription," was first used to treat sleep disorders and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). In 1984, Dr. A.J. Lewy and Dr. Serge Daan applied their carefully researched techniques to the phenomenon of jet lag and discovered that light therapy was just as effective in treating this problem. Subsequent research by others confirmed the efficacy. Correctly timed sunlight exposure, as a remedy for jet lag, was how light therapy was first tested and confirmed in the field.

2. "What is melatonin?"
Discovered in 1959, melatonin is a sleep-inducing hormone secreted by the pineal gland, a tiny endocrine gland situated at the center of the brain. Your body's natural production of melatonin is increased by darkness and suppressed by sunlight. Among other things, melatonin decreases brain-wave activity, causes drowsiness and prepares the body clock for sleep. Tests with prescribed melatonin have been promising, but even in the best situations the body clock was not altered any faster than using light therapy. Your Tireless Traveler sunlight therapy formula will influence your body's melatonin production schedule to synchronize with your new surroundings.

3. "Can I use my "sunlight prescription" if I have existing health problems?"
If you have chronic sleep problems light therapy for your trip may not be an effective jet lag therapy because your body clock is out of sync. Medications can also affect the success of this treatment. Diabetics and anyone on medication timed to body rhythms should not use this therapy.

4. "Do I have to stay in direct sunlight?"
No. We are not suggesting that you lay on the beach for six hours. Walking the streets of a market town, sitting in the sunny window of a café, or reading underneath an umbrella will suffice. Even a cloudy day provides enough sunlight. However, wearing sunglasses will likely interfere with the success of the therapy.

5. "Will man-made light work?"
No. Man-made light is less intense than sunlight and typically does not influence melatonin production. In most indoor situations you will not get enough light to influence your body clock to change. However, resting in a dimly lit room with the curtains drawn is recommended for the indoor portion of your sunlight schedule.

6. "Won't I get over the feeling of jet lag on my own in a few days?"
Typically not. Your body clock is your internal mechanism that regulates, among other things, metabolism, blood pressure, body temperature cycles, hormone secretions, and melatonin production. The smooth timing of these physiological functions influences your sleep patterns, concentration, moods, reflexes, and energy level--things you typically don't notice until they're out of sync. Left on its own, your body clock will adjust itself about an hour each day. If you cross seven time zones, your body clock needs about seven days to completely adjust. Researchers estimate that 70% of international travelers are negatively affected by jet lag. No one knows exactly why some travelers seem to be unaffected by the problem.

7. "I usually start to feel better after about the third or fourth day into a trip to Europe. Why would I want a "sunlight prescription?"
Instead of starting to feel better after about the third or fourth day, your body will be adjusted by the third day without the lingering symptoms you're tolerating now.

Tips for Tireless Travelers:
You, the modern jet traveler, are, in a manner of speaking, a time traveler. Leaping time zones in a single day, you enjoy a freedom unknown to your ancestors of just a few generations ago. However, you pay a price for this freedom in the havoc visited upon your body by the abrupt disorientation of having days and nights at the wrong times.

Running about wildly in the days before leaving on a trip seems to be de rigueur. Typically, this means sleeping schedules change, too, and that is not a good thing. Getting up earlier and sleeping less works against you.

What should you do while on a long and tiresome journey in the air? While on board you need to take care of yourself by resting whenever you can, eating small snacks of protein and complex carbohydrates, drinking plenty of refreshing water, and moving about or exercising at regular intervals. You should avoid alcohol and caffeine, too. Then, with a user-friendly body poised for success and only minimally abused by travel fatigue, begin following your "sunlight prescription" when you arrive at your destination.

There are variables that affect the success of the formula--that's the bad news--but many of them are under your control--that's the good news. For our part we can merely provide you a safe, natural, effective therapy for overcoming jet lag and hope that the sun will shine benevolently when you call for it. The rest is up to you, wise and careful traveler.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
C.A. Czeisler, E.D. Weitzman, M.C. Moore-Ede, J.C. Zimmerman, and R.S. Knauer, Science 210, 1264-1267 (1980) A.J. Lewy, T.A. Wehr, F.K. Goodwin, D.A. Newsome, and S.P. Markey, Science 210 1267-1269 (1980) A.J. Lewy, H. A. Kern, N.E. Rosenthal, and T. A. Wehr, Am. J. Psychiatry, 139:11, 1496-1498 (1982) F.K. Goodwin, A.J. Lewy, R.L. Sack, R.H. Fredrickson, M. Reaves, D. Denney, and D.R. Zielske, Psychopharmacology Bulletin 19:3, 523-525 (1983) S Daan and A.J. Lewy, Psychopharmacology Bulletin 20:3, 566-568 (1984) A.J. Lewy and R.L. Sack, Clinical Neuropharmacology 9:4, 196-198 (1986) C.A. Czeisler, J.S. Allan, S.H. Strogatz, J.M. Ronda, R. Sanchez, C.D. Rios, W.O. Freitag, G.S. Richardson, and R.E. Kronauer, Science 233, 667-671 (1986) R. Pool, Science 244, 1256 (1989) C.A. Czeisler, R.E. Kronauer, J.S. Allan, J.F. Duffy, M.E. Jewett, E.N. Brown, and J.M. Ronda, Science 244, 1328-1333 (1989) Gary L. Fitzpatrick, International Time Tables, The Scarecrow Press, 1990.