Hate being jet lagged?
9:09 pm
Hello!
A lot of you may have experienced jet lag in the past when travelling, and will understand how frustrating it can be adjusting to a new time zone. Jet lag is actually caused by the de-synchronisation of our ‘body
clock’. Our bodies are not equipped to cope with sudden changes in time (e.g.
going on holiday and travelling to another part of the world where time is
different) and it can take several days to adjust to the new time zone. Symptoms can include insomnia, nausea and loss of appetite, fatigue and mild
depression. However, this is only a temporary condition until our brain adapts
to the new time zone.
A successful time zone
shift depends on knowing the exact times to seek and avoid bright light.
Exposure to light at the wrong time can actually make jet lag worse. Personal
variables are important too; if you're a 'night owl' you'll typically need a
different schedule to a 'lark'.
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| On my way back from Turkey, 2009 |
Tips
to combat jet lag
Sleep well before you
travel
Make sure you're fully rested before you travel, and try to sleep on the flight if flying during night time.
Make sure you're fully rested before you travel, and try to sleep on the flight if flying during night time.
Plan when to take
medication
People who have to take medication at certain times of the day should seek medical advice before travelling. Your GP will be able to tell you what times you should take your medicine when you’re crossing time zones.
People who have to take medication at certain times of the day should seek medical advice before travelling. Your GP will be able to tell you what times you should take your medicine when you’re crossing time zones.
Adjust to your
destination as soon as possible
A few days before you travel, start getting up and going to bed earlier (if travelling east) or later (if travelling west). During the flight, try to eat and sleep according to your destination's local time.
A few days before you travel, start getting up and going to bed earlier (if travelling east) or later (if travelling west). During the flight, try to eat and sleep according to your destination's local time.
Keep hydrated
Dehydration can intensify the effects of jet lag, especially as aeroplane atmosphere is generally very dry. Avoid alcoholic drinks and drink plenty of water instead.
Dehydration can intensify the effects of jet lag, especially as aeroplane atmosphere is generally very dry. Avoid alcoholic drinks and drink plenty of water instead.
Be active
Try to exercise and do light stretching during your flight. You can stretch your legs and rotate your ankles in a circular motion. Take a walk to the toilet in your plane cabin.
Try to exercise and do light stretching during your flight. You can stretch your legs and rotate your ankles in a circular motion. Take a walk to the toilet in your plane cabin.
Natural light
Spend time outdoors in the daylight when you arrive, if possible. This will help regulate your body clock.
Spend time outdoors in the daylight when you arrive, if possible. This will help regulate your body clock.
Stay up
Don’t nap as soon as you arrive. This will only confuse your body clock, making it difficult to re-adjust.
Don’t nap as soon as you arrive. This will only confuse your body clock, making it difficult to re-adjust.
Use remedies with
caution
Sleep medication is not recommended as it doesn't help your body to adjust naturally to a new sleeping pattern. Many airline staff take melatonin, a sleep hormone, to try to fight jet lag.
Sleep medication is not recommended as it doesn't help your body to adjust naturally to a new sleeping pattern. Many airline staff take melatonin, a sleep hormone, to try to fight jet lag.
Hope you guys will find these tips useful.
Take care!
Ayesha xxx
P.s. My blog is now one month old! Yayy! :D
P.s. My blog is now one month old! Yayy! :D
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5 comments
Because i travel quite a lot I get jet lagged a lot and i hate it! Thank you for posting this , this will be very helpful for when I'm traveling soon. I'm following you now! Would you mind to follow me back? :)
ReplyDeleteArayne http://arianaly.blogspot.be/
That's great to hear! :) Jet lag can be very uncomfortable, I hate messed up sleeping patterns!
DeleteI don't do follow for follow, but I'll check your blog out :)
Ayesha xxx
First of all, congratulations on your one month birthday! Second of all, these are all great tips, especially the one about staying awake. I spent a couple weeks in China this summer and my saving grace was the first day when my family and I decided to go explore instead of going to the hotel to nap first.
ReplyDeleteVanitytalkbeauty.blogspot.com
Hi Addison! Thanks!
DeleteI'm glad you found this helpful. It's crazy how much wonders natural light can do! Staying up is definitely helpful, it's just the will power to do it which is hard to find (for me)!
Ayesha xxx
You're blog is fabulous! Do you mind checking my blog out?
ReplyDeletehttp://kellyanngonsalves.blogspot.com
Thank you for reading and commenting! Feel free to leave your blog link so I can check it out, but please no follow-for-follow requests! ♥