Time Travel Tips - Reducing Jet Lag
If you’ve ever time travelled aka traveled to a different time zone, I don’t have to tell you how awful jet lag is. No one wants to arrive at their destination tired, foggy, and unable to sleep for the first several days. You end up losing time on your vacation and missing out on experiences. Upon your return, you can also feel unproductive at work, neglect your everyday routines, and even end up with a cold because your immune system is weakened. When you’re tired, you’re more likely to injure yourself when driving, exercising and even with day-to-day activities like cooking. You are also more likely to engage in unhealthy eating behaviours and reach for more calorie dense, sweet and fatty foods.
Why do we experience jet lag to begin with?
Every cell in your body works off a “clock”. Some cycles are longer than others but when it comes to your sleep wake cycle, we’re talking about an approximate 24 hour cycle which many people refer to as the “Circadian Rhythm” - in fact, this is only one cycle.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) or the “master clock” of the hypothalamus controls our biological rhythms. Many circadian rhythms have been identified, including core body temperature and behavioural rhythms, such as the sleep-wake cycle which is being disrupted during travel.
This sleep wake cycle can be influenced by a number of factors like when you are exposed to sun light(which also influences melatonin secreation), moon light, exercise and meal times. When you’re time zone jumping, these biological routines can easily disrupted. The body needs anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to acclimatize to the new time zone – approximately one day for each hour of time zone changes.
So, are there any foolproof ways to stave off jet lag? I don’t think so. There are some people who don’t “suffer” from jet lag but if you’re reading this, that’s probably not you.
As someone who frequently jumps times zones, I have developed my own tricks to regulating my sleep wake cycle, typically in 1/4 of the time.
Please consult a doctor, especially if you have pre-existing medical conditions, before applying any of the following.
Days before: I begin to adjust my sleep and wake time according to my destination by only 1-2 hours because that’s what my schedule allows for. I move my eating times, exercise times and light exposure accordingly. This way I am at least a day or two ahead of the jet lag.
Day of: If my flight is in the afternoon or evening, I make sure to get some exercise in – even 20 minutes of walking if that’s all I have time for. I drink more water than I normally would but don’t go overboard on this one. It’s important to stay hydrated throughout the flight rather than drinking a ton just before your flight.
On the flight: I do as the locals do while I’m on my flight. If they’re sleeping, I nap or at least rest my brain and body(no more than 2 hours at a time). If they’re awake, I’m awake. If they’re eating dinner, I have a snack or dinner. Also, avoiding screens during my destinations “sleep time” and limiting any stimulating activities. I also keep my meals light and always bring bars with me. My go to bars are Simply Protein because they have a great calorie to protein ratio and they’re low in sugar.
It’s important to get up and walk around or do chair exercises/stretches every 2-3 hours on your flight. Drink 250 ml of water every couple of hours.
When I land: If I’m landing in the morning, I get as much sunlight in my eyes as I can. I exercise and I push myself to stay awake till at least 9:00 pm local time. If I arrive at night and I’m not tired, I take 3mg of melatonin and perform soft yoga and meditation to relax my body and my brain. Sometimes, if I have too much energy, I will exercise at night (if it’s safe to do so). I also bring along a band with me to exercise in my room if I don’t have access to a gym.
Things I Don’t Do:
Pull an all nighter the day before a flight
Drink alcohol the day before, the day of or the day after a flight
Stay seated for the entire trip
Take a sleeping pill on the plane or at my destination
Eat past 9:00 pm local time, even if I don’t sleep till 4 am local time (sometimes I will have a piece of fruit if I’m really hungry)
Take melatonin for more than 2 nights in a row
I hope these trips encourage you to adopt some of your own practices to reduce your jet lag.