When traveling, use these five strategies to avoid jet lag. By dealing with jet lag, you can improve your sleep, flight recuperation time, daily lucidity, and overall health.
1. Restricting blue light exposure at night can help reduce jet lag symptoms and keep your sleep routine consistent. Part of controlling circadian rhythms is learning to communicate to your body when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. In today’s society, we are exposed to a lot of artificial “blue” light (even though it appears white), which serves as a daytime signaller to our minds. Our bodies are more easily deceived by LEDs, fluorescent lights, or the backlit screens of our portable devices. It’s even more confusing when your body clock believes you’re halfway around the world.
2. Change your time zone before you depart to help you adapt more quickly.
3. Use a sleep mask to block out light at the time you want your body to get to sleep. Use earplugs that will help make your sleep environment quiet which is very important when regulating the body clock.
4. Work out in the mornings when you are in the new time zone, getting your blood flowing and waking you up even more. It’s also vital to get some natural morning light if you can, especially during the first few days of jet lag.
5. Minimize sugar and alcohol, alter meal times, limit coffee in the afternoon, and keep hydrated to help your body recover from jet lag. Meal times are an essential component in reducing the symptoms of jet lag. Eating at the incorrect times can tell your body that you’re not in the right place
Finally, jet lag isn’t all that awful. We are aware that this is a transient situation. It is a temporary state of mindless agony. A small price to pay for a wonderful and extravagant journey.