If you’ve ever experienced feeling sleepy during the day, awake throughout the night, and battling everything from loss of focus to digestive problems on the first few days of a trip — you’ve had jetlag. When you move swiftly between time zones, your body’s natural rhythm is thrown off, which causes jet lag. Your body will ultimately adjust to its new time zone.
To help quicken the process, Jaya Travel is sharing some proven techniques to help you overcome jetlag on your next vacation.
Table of Contents
How To Avoid Jetlag:
Plan Your Light Exposure Carefully
Your exposure to light changes when you switch time zones, which throws off your internal clock. Going outside in the sun might stimulate your body and lessen the release of sleep-inducing melatonin hormones.
If you need to wake up and start working earlier when you fly east, exposing yourself to morning light will be beneficial. If you go west, you may need to remain up later in your new time zone, so having additional light at night can be helpful.
In order to accomplish this adjustment, you should use natural light rather than artificial light. You should use light exposure strategically at home as well. To maintain physiological synchronization even when you’re not traveling, get light as soon as you can after getting up and avoid it at night.
Try Melatonin Supplements
The hormone melatonin, which your brain naturally produces to prepare your body for sleep, is available as a supplement. Melatonin deceives your brain into believing it is getting close to nighttime instead of making you fall asleep like traditional sleep aids do. As a result, your body relaxes when it normally wouldn’t, which aids in shifting your sleep-wake cycle.
If you’ve gone west, you should take it in the early morning to keep sleeping. Never consume more than 5 mg of melatonin at once to prevent undesirable side effects.
Melatonin is a supplement, thus the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t have any control over it. Before using melatonin, people with health issues should consult a doctor.
Manage Sleep Time
Make sure to plan for rest when your vacation schedule permits. Try to get some sleep on your flight, since your plane can be in the air during the night time at your destination.
Starting a few days before your departure, you might attempt modifying your sleep, wake-up, and meal times by 30 to 60 minutes each day in order to align with the time in your new location.
Here are a few items that will promote sleep:
- noise-cancelling headphones
- white noise
- eye masks
- earplugs
- comfortable travel pillows and blankets
If you arrive during the day, resist the impulse to take a nap. Later, it may be challenging to fall asleep at night.
Time Your Meals Properly
Consuming foods high in water content can help reduce weariness and increase focus. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about dozing off during the flight.
Because some foods provide your body with chemical cues that help you feel more awake or sleepy, the type of food you consume is crucial to reducing jet lag. Try to wait to eat until breakfast in your new place if you arrive at night or if you find yourself awake during the night.
This also applies to traveling by air. In order to prevent eating when you shouldn’t be, check the time in the place you’re flying to. Rich foods or large meals eaten too close to bedtime can easily interfere with your sleep, both at home and while traveling. Timing your meals properly will help you to reduce the effects of jet lag and help you stay focused and energized.
Drink Water
Dehydration can occur on long trips, and you might even drink less water to cut down on restroom breaks. Reconsider this decision. Drinking enough water can assist with exhaustion brought on by travel and jet lag.
Any time you’re dehydrated, you may have headaches, fatigue, and negative effects on your mood and cognitive function. Dehydration while traveling can aggravate jet lag symptoms, and lengthy flights themselves are particularly dehydrating.
Through airport security, bring an empty water bottle to fill up once inside the terminal. Water is also available for purchase at the terminal and upon request during flights.
To reduce dehydration during your flight, avoid alcohol. As you acclimate, this should also lessen the exhaustion brought on by dehydration and assist you in staying awake during the day.
Book Your Next Flight With Jaya
Get your light exposure, exercise, and meal timing just perfect depending on which direction you’ve flown in if you want to beat jet lag quickly. No matter where your next vacation is taking you, Jaya can get you there at the lowest rates possible.
Call Jaya and we’ll assist you in planning your next international getaway that too within your budget!
