Coping with jet lag and sleepiness with tips on how to avoid jet lag effectively without drugs

Jet lag could be the bane of long-distance travelers, but with a few easy following steps, you could reset the circadian rhythms, which govern your own body’s drowsiness and alertness to make sure you have a productive, enjoyable trip. Check out them now!

1. Stay Hydrated

Keeping hydrated is the most critical part of avoiding jetlag. The humidity in the air plane hovers about 15%. Compared that with the humidity in the driest place in the world, the Atacama Deserts, where it hovers around 16%. The dry air in aircraft leads to dehydration. Therefore, you should drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluid to counter this problem. Water is much better than coffee, fruit juices or teas. You had better drink at least 8 ounces of water for every hour you are in the aircraft even when you are not thirsty.

Do not use alcohol because it is useless in fighting off dehydration, yet has an intoxicating effect when consumed in the rarefied atmosphere of an airliner than it does at ground level. Also, do not swear off in-flight wines or cocktails. Avoid stimulants, such as coffee, which will disrupt your normal sleep patterns.

Get to know tips to get rid of fear of flying for good to make your flights more comfortable.

2. Be Realistic

If you feel not sure about the symptoms of jet lag, do not confuse your physical symptoms with the emotions of being in a new environment. It is good for you to bring over-the-counter medications to counteract even temporary symptoms, like:

Headaches: Tylenol, ibuprofen, aspirinDiarrhea: Kaopectate or ImodiumConstipation: Laxatives, including Metamucil or Ex-LaxUpset stomach: Tums or Pepto-Bismol, Rolaids

Refer:

3. Reset Your Internal Clock

You will have dinner at a normal time and be more likely to sleep than on afternoon flights. Depend on the length of the flight and the number of time zones you arrive, you will arrive at the destination in the morning or afternoon. The moment that the flight attendants announce the time in the new destination, set your watch. By this way, you will make it easier to force yourself to catch a nap if you are arriving in the morning or to stay awake in case that you are arriving in the evening. Also, this will help you mentally prepare for the new time zone. 

4. Avoid Coffee

 Within 12 hours before, during the flight, you should avoid overeating and having caffeine as well. Though caffeine could help you stay awake longer, it also makes you awake more often once you fall asleep, leading to reduce total sleep time.

5. Catch Some Zzz’s

 If it is daylight at the destination, try to avoid sleeping on the plane. If it is nighttime at the destination, try to sleep when being on the plane.

If you have never used sleeping pills, an aircraft is not the place on which you try to use them. In reality, you should not use sleeping pills altogether because the deep sleep and resulting inactivity could contribute to blood clot formation, a more serious problem than sleep deprivation.

Make use of eye shades, earplugs, and turn on the air-conditioning valve. Especially, a set of ear plugs are so beneficial because it can prevent tinnitus, the ear ringing that many people experience many hours after the flying time. Just keep in mind that resting with the eyes closed is 70 to 80 percent as efficient as real sleep. Even just a short snooze could make a huge difference in your own recovery time.

Blow-up pillows are helpful in helping you get good sleep while flying. You should kick your shoes off in order to ease pressure on the feet. Some airline supply customers with soft-sock-like slippers, and many experienced traveler carry their own. 

6. Ease Your Way In

To minimize the shock to your own body when it comes to learning how to avoid jet lag, you should prepare some clever pre-flight things. If you are going to travel or arrive at the east, for several days before your journey, go to sleep a little earlier each night and wake up also a bit earlier in the morning . For westward journey, you do the opposite. These little shifts will help you adjust your internal clock beforehand.

7. Eat Like You Are Already There

If possible, avoid eating airplane food, because it is generally served on a timetable that is consistent with the time zone in your leaving place, not the one you arrive at. In case that you are hungry, snack lightly until you arrive at the destination and eat during what will be mealtimes there. 

8. See If Melatonin Is For You

Consider taking the non-prescription drug melatonin. Using this hormone can help you set your body’s time clock. Though this is a complex and controversial treatment for jet lag involving in manipulation of a hormone in the human body, some people still see effectiveness of this hormone to avoid jet lag. Begin in the days preceding your trip. As melatonin seems to control when people go to sleep and wake up, many scientists advocate supplements to lessen jet lag. Several studies suggest that people should take 3 milligrams of fast-release melatonin prior to bedtime for several days after arriving at the new time zone to ease the transition.

9. Anti Jet Lag Diet

Another complex method is the anti jet lag diet. Similar to melatonin, this is for those people, who spend several days before and after a trip on preparing. Though it has some passionate devotees, there is little evidence that it can work well.

Check out: nutrition tips for better health 

1. Exercise

Some of the new studies on neurophysiology point out that enhancing the body’s temperature can reset the circadian rhythms both day and night cycles. Grabbing a sauna, warming up, or relaxing in warm water might promote that process.

If exercise is part of your routine when you are at home, keep exercising once you reach your destination. Exercise as much as you could. You can walk up or down the aisle, stand for spells, and do some small twisting as well as stretching exercises in your seat in order to reduce discomfort, particularly swelling of legs and feet. After arrival, you should do some exercises or take a walk. If you are able to exercise with a friend, even better social interaction stimulates wakefulness. This can help to reduce the possibility of blood clots and associated trauma. Moreover, this also helps you get familiar with the new surroundings.

2. Shower

During extended stopovers on a long haul flight, showers are sometimes available. A shower not only refreshes your body but also gets your muscles and circulation going again. Moreover, you will feel better for the rest of the flight. Many pilots reveal that taking a shower can help them recover more rapidly from the general effects of jet lag after tiring flights. You can give it a try to reduce your jet lag naturally.

3. Anchor Sleep

Try to get as much sleep in every 24 hours as you normally do. A minimum block of four hours’ sleep during the local night known as “anchor sleep” can be necessary to help people adapt to a new time zone. If possible, you should make up the total sleep time by taking naps during the day.

See: nutrition tips to get a good nights’ sleep and foods to eliminate snoring permanently

4. Get Some Sunlight

The cycle of dark and light is one f the most critical factors in setting the internal clock of the human body. Exposure to daylight at your destination will assist you in adapting to the new time zone. It pays to be a little strategic when it comes to timing the sunbathing. If you travel east, try to get as much afternoon sun as you could. For the westward trips, you can take the morning sun.

5. Eat Meals At Proper Local Times

Even if you are not hungry, scheduling meals by the local clock can help you adjust. Try to avoid the urge to eat off times. In order to eat optimally for jet lag, you should eat meals with high-protein foods for staying awake and include more carbs when you are going to sleep.

For better health and body, you can refer nutrition tips for a flat and healthy stomach

After covering all of the above tips on how to avoid jet lag and some natural ways to reduce this problem, do you feel they are useful for your next trip? Making use of them properly will help you get happy and memorable trips easily.

If you are interested in this topic of how to avoid jet lag, drop your words at the end of this post to let us know what you think. 

View the original article here