What To Do To Prevent Jet Lag From Ruining Your Trip
indrani karmakarBA Hons Experience: 2.5 yearsIndrani is a writer and artist who likes to add a dash of humor to everything she does. She has two years of experience in writing articles across beauty, health, and lifestyle genres. After graduatin... more
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Airplanes are one of the most crucial inventions ever made by humans; how else would we cover great distances and still be on time for a birthday party back home? However, all good things do have a bad side, and with airplanes is the treacherous jet lag. So if you would like to know some tricks to fight jet lag and not let it affect you, you are at the right place. Read on to know them all!
In This Article
What Is Jet Lag
A sleep disturbance caused by crossing time zones is known as jet lag or jet lag disorder. You may have a single symptom or a cluster of them when dealing with this ailment. Here are some common symptoms people face.
- Disrupted sleeping patterns, such as insomnia or hypersomnia
- Daytime sleepiness
- Concentration issues
- Constipation, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues
- A pervasive malaise or sense of sickness
- Fluctuating emotions
While going east, jet lag symptoms are more severe than when traveling west. The reason for this is that the human body adjusts to a later bedtime more quickly than an earlier one. The more time zones you travel over, the more severe the symptoms from jet lag will be in the first two days after your return. To enjoy any of them, you’ll need to travel across at least two time zones. The amount of days it takes to feel normal again is proportional to the amount of time frames you traveled through.
Why Does Jet Lag Happen
The circadian rhythm is the body’s natural internal clock, and it controls the timing of sleep and wakefulness. Even if you transit many time zones fast, your internal clock will stay in sync with your current location. This also explains the reason why we occasionally experience digestive issues. We have a natural tendency to feel hungry at specific times of the day, and if we’re forced to go to sleep at those hours, we may have trouble digesting our food.
How Does The Sun Impact On Jet Lag
Sunlight affects the melatonin manufacturing process, a hormone that controls when we sleep and how our cells all operate together. The day-and-night cycle is one of the first things that throw us off when we go to a new place.
How To Beat Jet Lag
A few easy guidelines may be followed to lessen the effects of jet lag.
1. Don’t Consume Unfamiliar Meals
Make your environment and diet familiar and safe for your body and get plenty of fluids. Jet lag symptoms may be exacerbated by a lack of fluids. Get some rest on the aircraft to ease the transition into the local time zone.
2. Get Some Sunlight
The presence of daylight will signal to your body that it is time to awaken. Make as many small adjustments to your routine as you can before you go. A few days before your journey, try to adjust your sleep schedule so that you go to bed an hour or two beforehand (depending on the direction of your flight) and eat meals in advance of what you’ll be eating at your destination. Even if you’ve flown long distances before, you might not be prepared for the disruption to your routine that jet lag can create. Consequences include insomnia, disorientation, memory loss, and general exhaustion. If you follow these suggestions, you may get some relief.
3. Plan Ahead
If you have to fly for work or pleasure, you may find that the mental fog brought on by jet lag makes sticking to your regular schedule difficult. That’s why preparation is key to making life easier. Plan your flight such that you get to your destination just as the sun is setting. You may check into your hotel and promptly turn in for the night.
4. Keep Out Of Sunlight
To make yourself at ease throughout the journey, it is recommended that you dress in loose, comfortable clothing and bring an eye mask & ear plugs. You may finally get some rest and rejuvenate your appearance. Having a soft blanket and neck pillow might make you feel more at ease and at home.
5. Don’t Drink
Be hydrated and sober by avoiding alcohol on the journey and chugging water starting three days before takeoff. Be sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after your flight.
Don’t binge watch movies or TV shows all night, and try to get some rest instead. In this way, you may save energy and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed.
It makes sense to adjust to local time if you’ll be there for more than a few days. This indicates you might need to forego eating and sleeping on the plane and instead adjust your schedule to match that of your destination. You may speed up the process of your body adjusting by doing this. So what is your worst jetlag story? Let us know in the comments section!
Sources
- Jet Lag, NCBI
- Physiology, Circadian Rhythm, NCBI
