There’s nothing worse than being in a beautiful destination on vacation and feeling lousy from jet leg. This can delay or shorten your quality vacation time. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to offset this side effects with these jet lag travel tips.
Our bodies love routine and even harmonize with daily circadian rhythms according to time of day. Travel bombards our routine and the body’s inner clock. The medical term for jet lag is circadian dysrhythmia. Understanding why we get jet lag is helpful in minimizing it. Jet lag usually lasts 3-5 days. However, why not do all you can to minimize these uncomfortable days, so you can get on with enjoying your vacation or travels. It’s all about adjusting your circadian rhythms, sometimes even before you travel.
Jet Leg Travel Tips
Plan Plane Flight Schedule
Planning so your plane flight timing is part of the sleep adjustment is a good start. However, always plan sleep according to your destination’s time. Here’s where red eye flights can come in handy when traveling within 3 time zones. For example, sleep across the United States and wake up with the early morning arrival of your destination. Sometimes, on long international flights there is no opportunity to work with this variable.
Sleep Adjustments
You can start adjusting sleep times before you leave. The week before try waking up early or going to bed later to be closer to the destination time. For example, if you’re going to New York City from Seattle, try waking up the week before earlier closer to EST. I do something extreme and it works for me, in that I never sleep on a plane, so as to exhaust myself. For example, when I flew to Nepal, a 12-hour difference to Seattle, I purposely stayed awake the entire long ass flight. Then, when I arrived in Nepal I stayed up until the local sleeping time. I have done this for years and it is a crash landing (pun intended) for adjusting to the new time. It works every time for me.
Sleep Aids
Bring your ear plugs and eye mask or whatever works for you to conduce sleep in all situations. If sleeping on the plane aligns with destination time, you will be glad you brought them.
Meal Adjustments
Also, the same goes for meals as sleep. Begin the week before eating your meals a bit earlier/later closer to your destination. Also, don’t overeat on the plane or indulge in sweets. A long flight stuck on a plane with heartburn and sugar crashes will more likely affect motion sickness and rest. Plan ahead and bring healthy snacks because plane food is usually high in fats or sugars. Also, you can request ahead of time the airlines for any special dietary needs.
Hydrate on the Airplane
Airplane rides are very dehydrating on the body from the very dry air. Airplanes circulate air from the outside. At high altitudes the air is without moisture and extremely dry. And this also goes for the mucus membranes too that get dried out. Viruses and bacteria are more likely to grow in dry mucus membranes, leaving you more likely to get sick. Also, some people get urinary tract or sinus infections from getting too dehydrated on a flight. If it’s a long flight, I drink 1-2 glasses of water an hour. Hopefully, I made myself clear: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
Avoid Alcohol/Caffeine on the Airplane
Sorry to be a killjoy, however, alcohol and coffee are dehydrating. So having more than one drink can leave you with the worst hangover of your life.
Stretch on the Plane
Stretching well before, during and after a flight can do a world of good. I get up and walk the aisles every hour to avoid stiffening up. Also, this can help to avoid getting clots in the legs from really long flights. If it’s a long flight, wear compression socks to avoid this.
Melatonin Supplements
The hormone melatonin helps you to fall asleep and regulates the circadian rhythms. Melatonin is available over the counter and should be in your Wellness Travel Packing List.
Sun or Light Exposure
The sun or light is one of the biggest influences on your circadian rhythms and melatonin production. Early morning exposure tells the body this is morning and time for alertness and activities. Whereas, darkness promotes the melatonin production to induce drowsiness and sleep. So in your travels, get some sunlight as soon as you can upon arrival. Furthermore, if you travel east get early morning exposure or west get late afternoon light.
Overall, Jet Lag Travel Tips
It’s empowering to know that you can take all these tips to minimize jet lag. It just takes some planning to make adjustments allowing the circadian rhythm to adjust for travel wellness.
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