Jet lag, we’ve all had it we all hate it, but most of us don’t know how to beat it. Your circadian rhythm is Commonly known as your body clock, your natural pattern of going to sleep and waking up. Your body clock is set by two things: Natural lights and the hour at which you eat. Keep those principles in mind Follow these tips and you’ll be adjusted in no time.
What is Jet Lag?
Jet lag is a physiological condition resulting from the alteration of the body’s circadian rhythms as a result of rapid long-distance trans-meridian travel. Simply it’s when you fly across too many time zones for your body clock to adjust if you fly east you can’t sleep And if you fly West you wake up super early. The more time zones you cross, the longer it takes your body to readjust about two-thirds of a day per timezone.
Adjust your time zone before you fly
Three days before your trip, calculate the time difference between home and your destination. Then, adjust your sleep schedule gradually before your trip Ideally about an hour a day but even 30 minutes makes a big difference. If you’re flying east you have to wake up earlier or if you’re flying west you get to sleep in a little bit. If you have Worked in the morning sleeping in might not be an option so try adjusting your mealtime.
Catch a Red-Eye flight
When it’s time to choose your flight, make your flight work for you. For longer distance flights, taking an overnight flight also known as a “Red Eye”. It can help you adjust to jet lag faster because it’s dark when you fly allowing you to sleep on the flight and it’s generally light when you arrive. These all things allowing you to take advantage of that first day in your new destination.
Schedule a layover
Schedule a layover halfway to your destination to allow your body to acclimate little by little. Now, this is not always a practical suggestion but Iceland, in particular, makes a convenient stop between Europe and North America. Airlines like Icelandair allow you to make a stopover in the country for up to a week at no extra charge, that is if you can afford a week in Iceland on top of your vacation.
Arrive early
If you’re flying for business see if your company can upgrade you to business class so you can sleep more comfortably on the flight. If not see, you can just arrive a day or two days early so you can adjust for that big meeting.
Pack the right goodies
Make sure that you’ve packed your anti jetlag essentials earplugs, an eyeshade, a refillable water bottle and melatonin, and also natural sleep aid that will come in handy later.
Adjust your watch
The point is to mentally transport yourself to your destination the second you hop on the plane. Once you arrive, quit your feeling about how late it is back home, it’ll only take you out of the moment and make you tired. Just focus on adjusting your body clock to the local time.
Don’t sleep on the plane
We come to a contentious suggestion, that you probably shouldn’t take a nap on the plane. Unless you’re on a red-eye flight, going to sleep could throw you off worse than if you just stayed awake. Either way, modern planes make dealing with jet lag a lot easier, the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 have LED lights that simulate the local time at your destination. So, if you see the lights go dark that’s probably a good time to sleep.
Drink lots of water
The best thing to do during the flight is to drink tons of water. The pressurized cabin air really dehydrates you and even though modern planes have made some improvements for that It’s still pretty bad. So, even if you’re offered for free booze or coffee just stick to water and keep drinking. It’s really good to have a refillable water bottle of your own which you can bring onto the flight. So, you’re not nagging the flight attendant for a tiny little cup of water every half hour.
Don’t sleep on arrival
Once you arrive no matter what you do, do not take a nap as tempting as it may be. Taking a nap will actually make it harder to adjust a jet lag instead try staying up at least until 9 p.m.
Go for a run
A better strategy is to go for a run right when you land. I’m not talking about like in the airport right when you land, but once you get situated go outside, go for a jog it’s gonna give you some energy. It’s gonna help You sleep better that night and it’s a great way to get your bearings in a new city. Go out on your jog, find some cool spots to check out the next day but make sure that you don’t go running too late because it could make it hard for you to go to sleep that night.
Catch a sunset
Your body clock adjusts based on changes in natural light so, catching a sunrise or a sunset will be an automatic cure for your body to figure out what time it is?
Avoid alcohol and coffee
Another counterintuitive tip is to avoid alcohol and caffeine because those are both proven to hurt your quality of sleep. Work with jetlag not against it that is if you fly east and you’re having trouble going to sleep hit the town and if you fly west and you wake up early go for a morning run and then drink a coffee. Sometimes we get frustrated when jetlag throws us off but we forget that it can be a good thing, keeps us up past our bedtime.
Use natural sleep aids
If you’re still having trouble going to sleep try doing some night time yoga or taking a natural sleep aid like melatonin, it’s a hormone found naturally in the body that helps regulate sleep cycles. It’s available over-the-counter and doesn’t have the nasty side effects of prescription strength sleeping pills.
Eat right
Have a meal when the locals do even if you’re not hungry. Start your day with a high-protein breakfast which is gonna give you a ton of energy. Heavy meals for little snacks throughout the day and avoid high-fat dinners which are hard to digest and can make it difficult to fall asleep.