How to Avoid Jet Lag

When arriving at your destination, there is nothing worse than having to deal with a tired and fatigued frame of mind caused by jet lag.

What is Jet Lag?

Your body’s biological clock can become ‘desynchronised” when you travel at a fast pace through several different time zones. Although the symptoms of jetlag are often only minor (such as tiredness of the body and mind), it can be a drain on the first few days of your trip.

Prepare Yourself for Jet Lag

Whether you travel frequently or recreationally, it is important to follow some precautionary advice when crossing several time zones. As it may take a few days to acclimatise to a new time zone and you need to plan ahead. This will allow you to synchronize your body clock with the time zone to which you are traveling.

When crossing these time zones, take the time to follow these steps:

• Try going to bed earlier a couple of nights before you travel east. Try going to bed later if you plan to travel west
• If you are going west, try to get bright natural light in the early evening. This may help you adjust to eastern time zones much easier
• Get a good night’s sleep! During long overseas flights, try to get some shut-eye before you arrive at your destination
• Try not to smoke, drink, or take sleeping pills while in flight. These things will merely make you feel worse when you finally arrive
• Drink lot’s of water before, during, and after your flight to avoid possible dehydration
• Try to exercise while in flight. Stretching in your cabin seat or walking around can prevent stagnation of blood circulation. Older travellers should especially do this to prevent swelling in the feet.

Watch Out For Symptoms of Jet Lag

Jet lag can affect many aspects of your body’s daily routine. The symptoms of jet lag can include headaches, irritability, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, and loss of appetite. These symptoms are usually more severe for those flying east rather than west, and the severity of these symptoms will depend on how many time zones you cross.

What to Do When You Arrive

When you arrive at your destination, try to adopt local hours for sleep by following these steps;

• Activate your mind as swiftly as possible after waking.
• Get outside, or at least open the windows. This will expose you to as much natural daylight as possible. Natural daylight will help you adjust to the proper time zone faster and more effectively.
• Try to forget that you are adjusting to a new time zone and convince yourself that it is 12:00 o’ clock in the afternoon rather than 8:00pm last night!