If you're a frequent traveller, you have most likely experienced jet lag at one time or another. This can be easily combated with these 5 best ways to reduce jet lag.
Crossing across multiple time zones causes your regular sleep cycle to change, and your body will almost always react to these changes, this is called jet lag.
Symptoms vary depending on how your sleep cycle has been affected, but common symptoms often include daytime fatigue, insomnia, nausea, gastrointestinal issues and inconsistent moods.
No need to worry, as we've researched 5 of the best strategies for tackling or reducing your jet lag, so that you can fall back into your normal rhythms.
5. Schedule Light Exposure Before The Trip.
You can tune your body clock by use of light exposure to reduce the instance of a jet lag. The body clock is controlled mainly by the light receptive cells in our eyes and controlling light and darkness exposure before the trip can help adjust the body clock.
Darken down during the day, and expose yourself to sunlight in the early morning hours to synchronize with your new environment. You can use professional help to help you schedule your light exposure or use an app such as Entrain to ease your light exposure therapy schedule.
4. Get Enough Sleep During You Flight.
It is essential to get enough sleep during your flight. Ideally, you want to wake up the next morning after your flight has arrived at your destination.
Try to sleep during the flight, and it is okay to use some help to fall asleep. Sleep helps tune the body clock into the new timezone and reduces the number of days the jet lag will last. If you can't fall asleep during the flight, try walking around and stretching your arms.
This will tire your body and force you to fall asleep. You can use prescribed medication to fall asleep to if necessary.
3. Stay Away From Caffeine or Alcohol.
It is common for people to indulge in alcoholic drinks or coffee during flights. To avoid the instance of a jet lag, stay clear of alcoholic drinks or caffeine.
Alcoholic drinks tend to dehydrate the body and is a depressant. Caffeine, on the other hand, is a stimulant and keeps you awake during the flight. This automatically affects your sleep cycle and leads to a jet lag.
Stay away from alcohol and caffeinated drinks, and instead drink water. Water will help hydrate your body and has little effect on your sleep cycle.
2. Control What You Eat.
Experts say that food has a big effect on our body clock cycle. It is essential that during travel you take a point to know the local time of your destination.
On the flight, ensure that you take meals as per the local time of your destination. If possible, take heavy meals. This will help kick in sleep, corresponding to the local time of your destination. Ensure that you eat a balanced diet.
It helps keep out jet lag too, as it is essential in controlling the body clock. Drink plenty of water too between the meals.
1. Carry Earplugs, Neck Pillow, and Sleep Mask.
Carry materials that will help you get enough and comfortable sleep; noise-cancelling earplugs, neck pillow, and a sleep mask. Ensure that you have noise-cancelling earplugs for sufficient sleep time.
For comfort-ability, carry with you a neck pillow for the sake of your neck. It will help you avoid neck pains during and after the flight. Also, carry a sleep mask to block out light that may district your sleep time.
All these materials will help you fall asleep even if the body is not really tired.
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