Before sacrificing the opportunities to work abroad or fly to far-off places, the traveler should know that there are ways to reduce, although not eliminate, the discomfort caused by quickly crossing many meridians and throwing off the body clock.

Many vital bodily functions are regulated by an internal clock called the circadian rhythm – from circa for about and diem for day. The “about” part comes from the fact that in the absence of light these daily rhythms, the body’s many clocks, operate on slightly more than a 24-hour cycle. They are adjusted to a 24-hour rhythm by environmental cues called zeitgebers (German for time-givers), primarily the 24-hour cycle of sunlight and darkness and the rhythmic secretion in the brain of the hormone melatonin, which is released at night during sleep.

Continue reading this article on jet lag and ways to minimize it from the International Herald Tribune.