You have saved for months and you have been dreaming with that great vacation your whole life. But when you arrive at your destination you are very tired, so you cannot enjoy all the fun that your dream place can offer you.
Be careful, maybe you are suffering from jet lag.
Jet lag is when you travel across time zones and you feel symptoms like fatigue and sleep disorders, digestive problems, memory loss, irritability, confusion, dehydration.
Trust me this can ruin your trip. Let’s say you are a Brazilian who arrives in Tokyo at 10:00 pm Tokyo time, your body will act as it was 10:00 am Brazilian time, since Tokyo is 12 hours ahead from Brasilian time. That is why temporaly you can became confused and disoriented, after all who will be ready to suddenly change bed time for the working time or vice versa.
It is important at least to reduce the jet lag symptoms. Because it doesn’t matter if you are travelling on vacation or business you will love to arrive in good physical and mental health.
Here are ten ways to help you avoid jet lag:
- Plan it in advance
- Exercise regularly
- Wear comfortable clothes
- Adjust your watch
- Fight against the temptation of sleeping
- Don’t take medicines
- Stay hydrated
- Eat according to the destination time
- Expose yourself to daylight
- Reduce your stress
In the days prior to departure you adjust the time of getting up and going to bed. The adjustment depends on the direction of the flight. If you are flying east you can get up and go to bed 30 minutes earlier each day prior the travel. Or getting up and going to bed 30 minutes later each day prior the travel if you are flying west.
If you already exercise every day, congratulations. If you don’t exercise regularly, now it is time to think about it. Before traveling you can walk 30 minutes everyday. At the airport you should avoid escalators and moving sidewalks, instead you should walk. In the plane walk up and down the aisle a few times during the flight. After landing, do the same – walk.
Loose and comfortable clothes will help you to get some rest. Wear tennis shoes or any other comfortable shoes you have. Also remember to bring eyeshades, neck pillow and earplugs.
As soon as you land you should adjust your watch to the local time of your destination. It will help you to re-sync your biological clock.
If it is not sleeping time you should fight the temptation of sleeping or taking naps, in the plane or when you just arrived.
Do not use sleeping pills, unless your are used to it. And of course do that only if it has been prescribed by your physician.
Avoid alcohol in the flight. Alcohol will dehydrate you. Hydrate yourself by drinking water, and I mean a lot of water. This will compensate for the dry air on board.
Eat only if it’s eating time at the destination. Airplanes companies usually are prepared to offer you food at the landing time. You should eat according to the destination time, unless you want to have digestive problems.
If you arrive at your destination during the day, expose yourself to the daylight. If you for any reason cannot get out of your hotel room, open the windows and let the sun light get in.
Reduce stress in the days before travelling. Plan everything ahead. Do not let important matters to be solved the day before your departure. The less stress you have the more you will enjoy your trip.
And you, what do you do in order to reduce jet lag?
