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How to Fight Jet Lag
How to Fight Jet Lag
I love to travel. There are still so many places that I want to see in the world and as a travel writer, I am always planning my next adventure. I tend to get pretty jet lagged the further away I go and there are a few things that I do to help alleviate jet lag. There are many causes of the condition known as jet lag apart from the most common one: the crossing of time zones. Crossing time zones interferes with the natural Circadian rhythm of our body confusing our sleep/wake pattern. This usually happens on long flights with rapid crossing from west to east or east to west believed to cause the most severe symptoms. We hope that you find this How to Fight Jet Lag post useful.
What is Jet Lag?
Sufferers of jet lag can experience difficulty in adjusting their sleep pattern and this may result in feelings of disorientation, lethargy, tiredness, dehydration, exhaustion, leg and foot cramps, and a severe lack of concentration. This how to fight jet lag definition doesn't sound all that fun and I always get annoyed that I get jet lagged so there are a few things I tend to do before leaving for a trip and during the trip. Signs of jet lag come from not only crossing time zones that can cause jet lag but other conditions as well. The dry air atmosphere on a plane can lead to headaches, lethargy, and irritability. Other symptoms can be the drying up of nasal passages, eyes, and throat which is just uncomfortable.
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How to Fight Jet Lag
Get a good night's sleep right before travel.
Being well-rested and having a good night's sleep before traveling can help by making the body more adaptable to the change in conditions. Being tired could lead to the symptoms being more severe and add to feelings of irritation and exhaustion. This tends to be hard for me to do. I take ZzzQuil in liquid capsule form the night before I leave for a trip and then I bring it with me as well. If it's an especially long plane ride, I will take ZzzQuil to help me get to sleep. They work well.
Hydrate as much as possible.
Keep your body well hydrated, avoiding tea, coffee, and alcoholic drinks may help to lessen the dehydration of the body. The body becomes dehydrated due to Jet Lag and drinking unsuitable beverages serves to increase the symptoms further. Drink plain water throughout your journey to minimize the unwanted effects that can cause headaches, sickness, and tiredness. I always travel with Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier Electrolyte Powder Packets Supplement and a collapsible travel water bottle that I LOVE.
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Eat sensibly and bring snacks.
Eat sensibly while traveling. I start this jet lag diet a few days before I leave. Avoid overeating and snacking on high-fat, greasy, or high-sugar snacks. Eat fresh light snacks, and eat little and often. This will help your overall digestion and prevent bloating and feelings of discomfort caused by jet lag. I fill my BlenderBottle GoStak Twist n' Lock Storage Jars with my favorite travel snacks and it goes right into my bag for easy reach on the plane or in the hotel room.
Keep blood circulating and stay comfortable.
To boost circulation while flying, and to ward off feelings of fatigue and lethargy, do some gentle inflight exercises to get your circulation going. You should also get up a few times and walk to other parts of the plane, use the restroom, etc. Wearing flight socks or compression socks may also help. They always work for me. I never travel without them.
Pamper yourself at your hotel.
Once I get to my hotel, I do a little pampering. I turn the air in the room to cool, refill my water bottle, take a shower, put on a hair mask, and then wrap my hair in a towel to let the heat do its thing with the mask. Then I use all of these treatments as I relax in my room in my travel robe:
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Adjust to your destination time immediately.
Set your watch by the time. Make sure your phone displays at the right time. Do not nap or go to sleep until a customary time at your destination. This helps me with getting over jet lag quickly. I do what I can to stay awake. Walk around the hotel and local area. Have a drink somewhere local. Read a book. Do my masks in my hotel room. Shop. People watch in the lobby. Whatever I do, I can't nap. If I nap, I struggle for days and can't sleep at night. My husband can take a 20-minute nap and feel completely refreshed upon waking.
Above are some of the causes of jet lag that can have undesirable effects on our bodies. With some preparation and action, we can prevent or lessen some of these symptoms giving the body the help it needs to effectively rebalance itself. This means a better trip overall plus an easier travel recovery time once you get home. If you want a more scientific way to know how long can jet lag lasts, try the Jet Lag Recovery Calculator for more info on how long jet lag lasts. We hope that you are inspired by this How to Fight Jet Lag post. Happy travels!
