Travel Tips: Our Top Tips To Avoid Jet Lag

It’s a problem which almost every long haul flyer suffers with, but what can you do to fend off the inevitable, and dreaded, jet lag? Jet lag isn’t an illness as such, but a combination of fatigue and a lineup other symptoms which are caused by travelling rapidly across one or more different time zones. And the reason our body and mind gets out of whack is that humans are fine-tuned to respond to night and day by the action of sunlight through brain chemicals, especially melatonin. Travelling to a different time zone, or across several of them in one trip, disrupts this essential clock. Add to that a lack of sleep before, during and immediately after flying especially, and jet lag can feel a lot worse than it should. Common symptoms of jet lag include fatigue, sleeplessness, difficulty with decision making, impaired judgment overall, irritability and apathy, while some unfortunate people can also add digestive upsets, constipation and even memory lapses to their list of woes.

There is no cure for jet lag as such, but the good news is that there are plenty of ways to help minimise symptoms, and reduce their longevity, should you suffer from it. During a long flight they include adjusting to the new time zone immediately upon on takeoff by changing your watch and your activities, i.e. don’t eat dinner if it’s 2am and you should be sleeping. Also avoid consuming too much alcohol and caffeine, drink plenty of water, and move around the plane as much as you can and within reason, so as not t annoy your fellow passengers. On arrival there are things you can also do immediately. They include adjusting to your new time zone quickly by exposing yourself to daylight if it’s daytime, or a bright light to help ‘reset’ your body clock, avoiding caffeinated drinks during the day, and avoiding alcohol or coffee a few hours before heading to bed. Other suggestions to beat the symptoms include avoiding a daytime nap, no matter how tired you feel, and using a white noise machine to help block out annoying noises while you try to sleep at night.