Forget Everything Else. This is How to Combat Jet Lag.

1. 24-hour hotel stays

One of the best new trends in hospitality of late is the introduction of 24-hour rooms. The premise is simple: book a room, and its yours from the time your check-in, until that same time the next day.

This 24-hour option actually saved our health and sanity after a day of grueling travel in economy from New York to Bangkok, Thailand. We booked the Novotel at Suvarnabhumi Airport, checked in at 9pm and checked out at 9pm the next day. In between, we slept and slept and slept and had a dip in the hotel pool, did some leisurely work, watched Thai TV with excellent take-out food, and all in all shook off our travel stupor while getting comfortably accustomed to the time zone.

Aside from the Novotel at BKK, other hotels now offering 24-hour rooms are The Clarendon Phoenix, Starwood’s properties, and certain Ritz-Carltons.

2. Pills

Sure, there are plenty prescription and over-the-counter medications to help you get some needed shut-eye on flights, but our favorite is a good ol dose of either Melatonin or those “No Jet Lag” pills.

Available in everything from chewable chocolates to drinkable potions, melatonin works best if taken a couple hours before your desired nap time. Your corner drug store should have it in multiple forms, for under $10. For melatonin to do its job, dont give it a hard time by drinking coffee or ingesting anything else considered a stimulant. The same goes for if you decide to take the “No Jet Lag” route.

“No Jet Lag” pills are a homeopathic remedy with ingredients like leopard’s bane, daisy, wild chamomile, ipecac, and club moss. The pills themselves are tiny and easily chewed, which you should do every several hours throughout the duration of a flight. We’ve used it for flights as short as seven hours to Italy and as long as 24 hours, the long way around the world from New York to Singapore via Frankfurt. It was after the latter flight, when we arrived feeling perfectly fine and up to heading out instead of immediately crashing in a hotel room, that we realized the “No Jet Lag” pills weren’t a joke.

3. Premium Economy

For those who simply don’t have the means to fly in Business or First, Premium Economy may be just the ticket.

The amount of extra space and amenities you’ll receive in Premium Economy depends on the airline, but offerings generally include 4+ more inches of legroom, several more inches of recline, a footrest, and a cabin that is both smaller and quieter than Economy.

Tickets do cost more, sometimes even $1,000 more, which is why our own strategy is to book economy, and then look into upgrading to Premium Economy using frequent flyer miles or, if we’re feeling daring, to inquire at check-in if there’s any last-minute availability for a possible paid upgrade.

If you’re a frequent international traveler, save the expensive Premium Economy tickets for the longest flights, like Cathay Pacific New York to Hong Kong and Air New Zealand from LAX to Auckland. If you’re an infrequent traveler or nervous at all, then splurging a smidgeon on the British Airways “World Traveller Plus” from NYC to London could mean all the difference for your sanity and rest.

*Disclaimer: We’re obviously not medical experts so please be smart and consult your physician if you have any questions. They know your body better than we do.

[Photos: Jaunted]

Forget Everything Else. This is How to Combat Jet Lag.