Imagine you’re embarking on the trip of your dreams, only to be taken down by jet lag once you arrive. You spend the first few days roaming around like a zombie, thanks to all those sleepless nights. Once you finally recover, it’s time to go back home and experience jet lag once more.
Some of us are lucky and don’t fully feel the effects of jet lag, while the majority of people have problems with it. Plus, age doesn’t make it any easier.
But before you think all hope is lost, there are several tricks I’ve learned through traveling that can help you beat jet lag.
Preparing for Your Trip
Several days prior to your departure, start scheduling your sleep to match the regime of your destination. You don’t have to switch day and night to get ready for Asia necessarily, but changing your sleep habits by an hour or two can go a long way.
If you’re going eastwards, try to go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier. For the opposite direction, delay your sleep a bit, if you can afford to do that without suffering too much at work.
For the geeks among you, did you know there’s an app to help you get ready to cope with jet lag? It’s called Entrain and it’s available for both iOS and Android. It was developed by mathematicians, and it basically learns your typical daylight schedule and then suggests when to expose yourself to light at your new destination. It might help you prepare for your next trip!
Starting the Trip
Depending on which direction you’ll fly, you’re either trying to sleep or stay awake. Again, if you’re going eastwards, you better save the sleep for after you arrive. If you can’t cope with a bit of lack of sleep, try to take a few naps rather than sleep for a long time. On westbound flights, you need to sleep to arrive as fresh as possible. It’s often difficult to fall asleep if you don’t feel like it, so try to wear yourself off with some exercise right before heading to the airport.
Naturally, first class is the best option for a nice sleep on long-haul flights. If you’re in economy, try to get the exit row so that you have at least a bit more legroom (but check if seats can be reclined!).
Avoid alcohol and watching long movies. Sleeping pills can help, but it’s better to avoid them on flights that are shorter than seven hours. If you mange to get to sleep with earplugs and/or a sleep mask, that would be the best option.
While There
Try to assimilate with the local day and night patterns sooner rather than later, and try to trick your body into the new schedule. If you feel really tired a long time before bedtime, go for a walk outside to get some fresh air.
If you can’t fall asleep at night, try to read or find an activity that makes your eyes tired and helps them close. Don’t force yourself to sleep with hard meds. If you feel like you need to use sleep enhancements, go for natural essences. Lavender oil is said to relax the body and mind and put it to sleep more easily.
You can even use jet lag on your trip! I often go see sunrises that I wouldn’t normally manage to wake up for. Sightseeing in the wee hours will get you stunning photos without tourists, and you’ll see a totally different perspective on things than if you had to fight the crowds.
After Coming Back
Try to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Your daily routine will certainly help. The best-case scenario is not to go back to work on the day of arrival or, ideally, not even the next day. But you can’t always swing that kind of luxury, right?
Jet lag is a pain but it can’t stop us from travelling! Planes have made traveling so much faster and easier, but jet lag is the toll we have to pay for it. Use the tips above to cope with it better and hopefully it’ll become a thing of the past.
Do you have rituals that help you feel less jet-lagged when traveling long distances?
The post Say Goodbye to Jet Lag: Simple Tricks for a Smooth Journey first appeared on Travelbinger.