Jet lag is the worst. End of discussion. You pay all that money to visit somewhere far enough to get jet lag and then you end up snoozing through all the best of it, often wide awake at the most inopportune hours. Another problem? Jet lag advice is often very complicated to avoid. Here are a few demystified tricks to work your way onto vacation time…
Eat On Destination Time Before You Leave…
Scientists (which I am not) believe that your metabolism is a key in deciding sleep and energy rhythms. On the day of, or even days before your trip, try to slowly adjust your meals to the local meal times at your destination. You’ll ease the effects and train your metabolism for when to rest and when to be hungry, a key in sleep. For example, on the day of a flight from New York to London, eating a big meal at 2PM would be very similar to dinner time in Britain. Use your iPhone to figure out when is best. Oh, and in most cases, skip the airplane food, it’s not worth it. Dining in the lounge will not only make your insides feel better, it will also keep you on a better schedule.
Lip Balm, Moisturizer, Hydration, Repeat…
Laugh all you want, but this is one of the most effective ways to feel fresh off of a flight, which is often the little jolt needed to stay awake for a long day. Even on the best of flights your body faces dehydration from cabin pressures different to those down on earth, not to mention dryer conditions. If you keep your face, skin and lips hydrated while drinking lots and lots of water (aisle seat maybe?), you’ll feel far more refreshed and stand a fighting chance to battle through your first day, making it to an appropriate sleep time wherever you land.
Sleep Going East, Stay Awake Going West…
So if you’re facing North, and your plane goes left, it’s going West. Obviously right, East. Most flights to the East fly overnight. Obviously if everyone else at your destination is sleeping, you should be too if you’d like to join them in a world of semi normalcy. Grab an eye mask, shades, ear plugs and a window seat or whatever helps you doze off, and catch some Zzzz’s going East, forget that perennially average in flight meal, especially on shorter flights like those from New York to London. Going West, it’s almost always earlier in the day than it is where you are. For that reason you want to try to stay awake, so that if you arrive at night, you’ll be tired. Believe it or not, it’s hard to sleep after sleeping on the plane all day…
Force Yourself To Pump Up Your Body With Fresh Air And Exercise When You Land…
The body is pretty darn resilient. Though you may get off the plane feeling extremely tired and sluggish, there’s no cure quite like some good ole’ O2, fresh air. Go for a walk (preferably a jog) and if possible, stay outdoors as much as you can. If you need to get from one place to another, try to opt for a walk. Not only will the this help you burn off some energy, it will rejuvenate the body. Especially when traveling East (right), napping for any duration longer than a half hour will keep you up to ungodly hours feeling awful, only perpetuating the jet lag for more days. When going West, the fight to stay awake is harder in the evening, but equally important to not waking up ready for the day at 2AM. Most hotel breakfasts don’t start until 5 or 6 sadly…
