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How to Recover From Jet Lag? |
Travel Info How to Recover From Jet Lag? Travel Tips Like cures for the common cold, jet lag remedies abound. How effective they are is a matter of some debate, but most experts agree on a few basic rules: If you have an important meeting or conference 鈥?anything that requires you to be in top form 鈥?try to arrive a few days early to give your body a chance to adjust. Get plenty of rest before your trip. Starting out sleep-deprived makes jet lag worse. If you're traveling east, try going to bed one hour earlier each night for a few days before your departure. Go to bed one hour later for several nights if you're flying west. If possible, eat meals closer to the time you'll be eating them at your destination. Drink plenty of water before, during and after your flight to counteract the dehydrating effects of bone-dry cabin air. It's not clear whether dehydration actually causes jet lag, as some experts maintain, but there's no doubt it makes symptoms worse. For the same reason, avoid alcohol and caffeine, both of which dehydrate you further. Try to sleep on the plane if it's nighttime at your destination. Earplugs, headphones and eye masks can help block out noise and light. If it's day where you're going, resist the urge to sleep. Set your watch to the new time before you leave. Once you reach your destination, try not to sleep until nighttime, no matter how tired you are. Use light to reset your internal clock; it's the most powerful natural tool for regulating the sleep-wake cycle. That's because the pineal gland, a part of the brain that influences circadian rhythms, responds to darkness and light transmitted by the optic nerve. At night, the pineal gland releases the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin; during the day, melatonin production stops. Plan ahead to determine the best times for light exposure based on your origination and destination points and overall sleep habits. An online jet lag calculator may make this task easier. For example, a poor sleeper traveling from New York to Paris is advised to seek light between 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on the first day in France and between 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on the second day. By the third or fourth day, the traveler's internal clock should mesh with the local time. The results are even better if light exposure is combined with exercise such as walking or jogging. Avoiding light at certain times is every bit as important as taking it in at others. The hypothetical New York to Paris traveler should avoid light from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on day one and from 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on day two for best results. In the real world, that can be a challenge. At night, draw the blinds or drapes in your hotel room or use a sleep mask. During the day, dark glasses can help block out light. Consider melatonin supplements. Melatonin's reputation as a jet lag remedy and sleep aid has had its ups and downs. Some studies indicate that it's effective; other studies have found the opposite. The latest research seems to show that melatonin does indeed aid sleep during times when you wouldn't normally be resting, making it of particular benefit for people with jet lag. Small doses 鈥?as little as 1/3 milligram 鈥?seem just as effective as doses of 5 milligrams or higher. Some scientists think that higher doses actually overload the body, causing the melatonin to become ineffective. If you do use melatonin, take it 30 minutes before you plan to sleep or ask your doctor about the proper timing. Investigate other remedies. Most red-eye regulars have a favorite jet lag cure, from aromatherapy or homeopathy to special diets. Many of these diets alternate days of feasting and fasting and high-protein and low-protein meals. Though no anti-jet-lag diet has definitively been shown to work, some people swear by them. If the diets themselves seem too complicated, you can approximate their effects by simply eating high-protein foods to stay alert and carbohydrates when you want to sleep. Most alternative jet lag therapies aren't harmful and may be worth a try if nothing else helps. Take a slow boat. Jet lag got its name for a reason. Crossing time zones slowly allows your body more time to adjust and usually eliminates the worst jet lag symptoms. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/jet-lag... Others Maybe you pictured taking the Louvre by storm the minute you stepped off that plane in Paris, but though your mind's willing, your body's not. When you travel to a new time zone, your internal clock needs time to adjust. Insomnia, fatigue, lack of appetite at meals and a ravenous appetite at the wrong times are all signs of jet lag. Instructions * STEP 1: Drink plenty of water as you travel to your destination and after you arrive. If you are dehydrated, it will take you longer to adapt to the new time zone. * STEP 2: Sleep on the plane to be alert and awake if you will be arriving in the morning or early afternoon. Stay awake on the plane to be sleepy upon arrival if you'll reach your destination in the evening or at night. * STEP 3: If you arrive at your final destination in the morning, try to stay awake all day. Drink small amounts of coffee, tea or caffeinated soda to wake you up (too much caffeine will further disrupt your sleep cycle). Keep napping to a minimum. * STEP 4: If you arrive in the evening, go to sleep at your normal bedtime according to the new time zone. That is, if your bedtime at home is 11 p.m., go to bed at that time in your new location. You may want to ask your doctor to recommend an over-the-counter sleeping aid. * STEP 5: If your trip is shorter than 48 hours, schedule meetings according to your home time zone. If the new time zone is 3 hours ahead of your normal time, schedule late morning or afternoon meetings when you will be awake and alert. For example, a 1 p.m. meeting is at 10 a.m. according to your internal clock. * STEP 6: Expose yourself to bright light and exercise in the morning in the new time zone. This helps reset your internal clock. * STEP 7: Eat small meals throughout the day while you adjust to the new mealtimes. Keep a snack by your bed if your regular dinnertime occurs in the middle of the night in the new time zone. * STEP 8: Give your body time to make the switch. If you feel very drowsy during the day, take a nap for up to one hour, but make sure it's before evening. Avoid pushing yourself too hard during the first few days. Overall Tips & Warnings * To minimize the effects of jet lag, start adjusting your internal clock before you depart. Go to sleep an hour earlier or later on the days leading up to your departure. * Generally, it is more difficult to adjust to a time zone when you are traveling east, because you must wake up and go to sleep earlier than you're used to. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated, and as soon as you arrive at your destination, power through until bedtime. Don't nap, that will hamper your ability to get on the new schedule. You should start by preventing it. I used to fly back and forth crossing the Atlantic (10 hours flight) and found helpful not to sleep much the night before my flight in order to sleep during the flight. Upon arrival, stay up until night time, even if you did not get much sleep during the flight. Avoid taking a nap or going early to bed. Try to sleep around 10 or 11 p.m., that way you will have your 8 hours-sleep. Do not oversleep,the next morning you must continue avoiding naps so that at night time you will be tired enough so as to fall sleep easily. Remember that it takes the body about a day for every hour difference to recover completely from jet lag. |
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