How to Make Sleeping on Business Trips Less of a Nightmare Send business-trip sleep issues packing.

The problem: Crossing time zones

Jet lag isn't about sleep; it's about alertness. Crossing time zones knocks your circadian rhythm out of whack, so napping won't necessarily fix that foggy feeling.

If you've traveled to an earlier time zone, try bright light, such as a Philips goLite Blu energy light, late in the day, says John Herman, adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and advisor to the National Sleep Foundation. If you're groggy the next morning, half a milligram of melatonin—which is not a sleep aid, but an internal clock-resetter—can help.