Researchers for the Science journal have presented in the May 23 issue a study about the causes and solutions for jet lag. According to their observations, a way to avoid the unpleasant state is to starve yourself before a flight.

Apparently, the body responds to light through its natural circadian clock in the brain, announcing when it’s time to sleep, wake and eat. There is also present a second clock, that makes its presence known when food is unavailable – and this clock is, according to scientists, the key to coping with new time zones.

"A period of fasting with no food at all for about 16 hours is enough to engage this new clock," said Dr. Clifford Saper of Harvard Medical School, as quoted by Reuters. The doctor was also involved in the study conducted by the Science journal.

The discovery could be very helpful for people who are heavily involved in traveling, due to the fact that normally, the body’s clock needs about a week to fully adjust to a new time zone, which is the general time spread for all holidays or business related trips.

The studies have been conducted on mice, and researchers found the animals fed only during the time when they normally sleep shift their body clocks to the new program. The feeding clock took control, overriding the master clock and keeping the mice awake until they were able to find food.

The researchers said that their suggestions will not make the symptoms fully disappear, but will surely make them a lot less disturbing.