8.13 How to deal with jet lag

What’s your favorite way to deal with jet lag? Melatonin? Resetting your internal clock hour by hour? Taking four tablets of Dr. Whizgig’s Magical Anti-Jet Lag Formula?

There’s a reason that people are always keen on finding a quick fix for jet lag. Jet lag is horrible!

This week, as students return from a one- or even two-week spring break, we’ve heard a lot of moaning about jet lag. Too be sure, some of the loud moaning is a form of bragging: “Wow, I am so jet lagged! Just got in from (fill in name of country at least 6 hours away) this morning!”

Then there are the unperturbed observations, such as: “I meant to work on (name assignment), but I forgot to bring my laptop.” This is about on a level with, “My dog ate my homework."

We also hear more desperate confidences: “I knew I had two papers and a test due this week, and I thought I could study for them over the break, but the internet connection was so poor in the middle of the safari park!”

Athena Advises

Parents, we understand that you would love to give your children wonderful experiences of world travel. You might not mind a couple of weeks at a resort in Southeast Asia yourself.

But if you have a student who will be in 11th or 12th grade next year, please think carefully before booking tickets to faraway places. I feel sorry for kids who are loading down their luggage with SAT or ACT prep books.

Parents sometimes tell me, “It’s okay! We’ll be staying in a 5-star hotel, so my teenager can study just as well there as at home.”

Not if they are as jet lagged as the students I talk to.

I’m happy to compromise on spring break, but parents, please: Set a good example of what is most important in life. If your child is taking an SAT or ACT at the very beginning of a break, please don’t think it’s a great idea for your child to fly out on Friday and take the test when you arrive on another continent the next morning.

And if you have a rising 12th grader, be especially careful when planning your end-of-year holidays. If you are keen on leaving as soon as school is over, plan way, way ahead to make sure your teenager has completed all college applications by the time you plan to leave town. That will require making good use of the summer and fall breaks, so that you are all free to leave in mid-December!

We’d be very happy if all of our students are finished by December 15! We look forward to the holidays, too!

Dr. Marlena CorcoranFounder and CEOAuthor of Year by Year to College, on amazon.com, amazon.de and many national amazon sites