The prospect
of dealing with jet lag has kept many travelers from scheduling overseas
flights. If you’re finally taking a long-planned vacation over multiple time
zones, symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, irritability, and nausea can keep you
from enjoying your time abroad.
The physical
and emotional distress of jet lag happens when exposure to light and dark is
misaligned with your body’s internal clock. You need to help your body
gradually adjust to the new time zone, and this adjustment starts even before
you arrive at your destination.
If you need to hit the ground running when you travel, here are tips and remedies suggested by experts to help keep jet lag from negatively impacting your travel experiences.
- First of all, get plenty of rest before leaving
on your trip. Some experts suggest gradually changing sleep patterns before
departure, if possible, to align more with the time zone of your
destination.
- Plan ahead, pack early, and don’t cram too much
activity into the last day prior to leaving (forego the bon voyage
party!).
- Arrive at eh airport early so you have plenty of
time to check in and relax. This will set the tone for your flight.
- Drink plenty of water. Limit alcohol, coffee, or
caffeinated sodas during the flight. These drinks add to dehydration which
results from re-circulated air in the plane.
- Eat small quantities of food or consider fasting
during the 12 hours prior to the wake cycle at your destination.
- Set your watch to the new time zone as soon as
you board the plane, and try to sleep enroute. Catching some zzz’s during
the flight will help you be more functional upon arrival and enable you to
get on local time more quickly.
- While the temptation to watch one movie after the
other may be hard to overcome, make sure you get up and move. Exercise at
your seat and walk the aisles to keep your blood flowing. This could prevent a blood clot or deep
vein thrombosis, which can be very serious, even deadly.
- Upon arrival get out in fresh air and sunshine,
if you arrive during the day. Taking a walk in sunlight will help your
body re-set to the new time zone.
- If you arrive in the daytime, resist the urge to
sleep for even a short time. If absolutely necessary, limit your nap to
half an hour—nothing longer.
- If you arrive at night, exercise or walk around,
preferably where there’s a source of light since light helps reset your
body’s natural clock. Staying indoors will worsen jet lag, according to
the National Sleep Foundation.
Images from free sources.
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