Five Easy Steps to Cope with Jet Lag

Vinnie Van GO has a hard time adjusting to new time zones. So he asked travel expert Olivia Ryan for advice.

How to Cope with Jet Lag in 5 Easy Steps

Jet lag is always a traveler’s worst enemy. According to the research, almost 70% of long-haul travelers will experience some form of this condition. Jet lag can ruin your perfectly planned holiday and turn the vacation into a genuine nightmare if you don’t prepare for it before takeoff.

If you don’t want to feel its consequences for too long, you need to get ready for the flight and prepare the body for this challenge. In our article, we will show you how to cope with jet lag in 5 easy steps.

What is jet lag?

Psychologists at aussiewritings.com often say that you have to understand a problem before you start dealing with it. In that respect, you should find out more about jet lag and then think about how to overcome it successfully.

By definition, jet lag is the term used for the symptoms caused by the disruption of the body’s “internal clock” and the approximate 24h (circadian) rhythms it controls. Disruption occurs when you cross multiple time zones because it interferes with your everyday sleeping schedule.

Jet lag can cause various symptoms that range from exhaustion and dizziness to fatigue, loss of appetite, and concentration issues. The way you react depends on your overall health condition, age, and travel-related stress.

5 tactics to survive jet lag

You can never completely eliminate the effects of jet lag but you can do a lot to minimize symptoms. There are dozens of useful suggestions in that regard but we will present you the 5 best tactics here.

• Plan arrival for morning or noon.
  A human body can adapt to longer days much easier than shorter. For this reason, you should avoid arriving at the destination at night. It’s simple – you will feel fresh and energized while everyone else will be tired and ready for sleep. If you arrive earlier, you will have minor problems to make it through the entire day but you will definitely have a good night’s sleep afterward.
• Get some rest before takeoff
  Speaking of the good night’s sleep, we suggest you prepare for traveling and get some rest before takeoff. Doing so, you will refresh your body and your mind, gathering enough strength to cope with the jet lag consequences. Remember that the intensity of symptoms depends on your stamina and the overall condition, which is something sleep can improve promptly.
• Prepare for the new daily schedule
  If you need to adapt to the different time zone immediately, you should prepare for the new daily schedule before leaving. Simulate your activities abroad – go to sleep earlier if you are headed east or do the opposite if you are going west. As soon as you enter the plane, set the watch to the time zone of your destination to avoid confusion in your head when you arrive.
• Food & Beverages
  All travelers, particularly the ones on long-haul flights, should drink a lot of water to hydrate and refresh during the flight. At the same time, you don’t want to burden organism with heavy meals, so try to eat smaller portions of light food several times throughout the flight. It is also important to increase blood flow by stretching out or doing simple but very useful exercise. All these little details will make you stronger and more resilient to jet lag issues.
• Stay away from alcohol and caffeine
  A glass of wine or a cup of coffee during flight cannot harm the internal clock. However, getting drunk or drinking too much coffee will completely perturb the body rhythm, leaving you completely unprepared for the challenges of long-haul traveling.

Conclusion

Jet lag is an annoying phenomenon that can drastically influence the overall quality of your travel. It can cause symptoms like exhaustion and nausea, which is why people prepare for it and try to minimize the consequences of long-haul flights. In this article, we showed you how to cope with jet lag in 5 easy steps. Keep our tips in mind and you’ll be able to enjoy your vacation to the fullest.

About author: Olivia Ryan is an independent journalist and passionate explorer. She likes to write about everything that can positively affect people’s life. When not searching for a new topic to write on, Olivia prefers to take a camera and enjoy the beauty of nature. Find her on Facebook and Twitter.