Jet lag is a serious consideration for frequent travelers. Symptoms can range from extreme fatigue, insomnia, blurred vision, digestive issues, and mental confusion. It’s the bane of any experienced traveler’s existence.
Managing jet lag takes preparation, discipline, and understanding of your own body. There are many tips and strategies available to help minimize the effects of jet lag and make traveling feel manageable.
The following is a guide to the best tips and strategies for managing jet lag and becoming a seasoned traveler.
Understand Your Body and Its Circadian Rhythm
Jet lag occurs when traveling across multiple time zones. It causes disruption to your body’s circadian rhythm, which is responsible for your natural daily rhythms of sleep and wakefulness.
Understanding your body’s unique rhythm is an important part of managing jet lag. As you become experienced in long distance travel across multiple time zones, you’ll begin to understand how long it takes your body to adjust to a different rhythm.
Timing Your Trip
Managing jet lag starts in preparation for the trip itself. Start by looking at when it is the best time for you to travel. See if you can arrange your flight to accommodate your body’s optimal sleep and wake cycles.
When possible, the best time to travel is at night or very early morning. This will help minimize the symptoms of jet lag since those times are closer to your body’s regular sleep cycle. If a night flight isn’t an option, try to travel at the cloest times of day that you normally sleep and wake.
For a business trip, it’s important to arrive a day or two early to acclimate and avoid the effects of jet lag. This gives you additional time to adjust to the new schedule and time zone.
Staying Hydrated
Staying hydrated is one of the key factors in managing jet lag. It’s important to drink plenty of water before, during, and after your flights. This will help your body recover more quickly from the symptoms of jet lag.
A good rule of thumb is to drink about 8 ounces of water per hour on board the flight. Religiously taking in fluids throughout the flight will help your body get the hydration it needs to recover.
Sipping on electrolyte drinks during the flight is also a great way to replenish the fluids lost by air travel.
Strategic Eating and Supplements
- Take melatonin supplements before bed to help you fall asleep in a foreign environment.
- Eat smaller, light meals such as a salad or soup. This will help your digestion adjust to time changes.
- Eat plenty of dark, leafy greens which are full of antioxidants that will help your body recover.
- Avoid foods with high sodium, sugar, and caffeine. These can make jet lag worse.
- Drink herbal, decaffeinated tea to get natural hydration.
Conclusion
Managing jet lag takes patience and practical preparation. With enough knowledge and preparation, jet lag can be avoided or at least minimized. Focusing on understanding your body’s circadian rhythm, timing trips carefully, staying hydrated, and eating correctly are just some of the ways to manage jet lag and make travel a much more enjoyable experience.