How To Avoid Jet Lag Quickly

Jet lag is a psychological condition that causes disruption of one’s body clock. It refers to the disturbed sleep patterns, weakness and disorientation caused by traveling. This happens when we travel through several time zones and gets worse when we move from east to west or vice versa. The more time zones a person crosses, the more jet lag he is likely to experience. Jet lag can ruin trips and completely stress out a person. There are different symptoms of jet lag, which include fatigue, insomnia, disorientation, swollen hands and feet, headaches, digestive problems and lightheadedness. Read on further to know various tips on how to beat jet lag and avoid it at the earliest.

Tips For Beating Jet Lag

Change your sleep pattern, as per the place you are going to visit and keep it consistent for days before your journey, so that your body clock is not disrupted and has a pattern to work with.
Eat well before you travel and eliminate alcohol and caffeine from your diet. Take a balanced diet to keep your body in good health, your cells in working order and your rest peaceful and productive.
Keep yourself well hydrated by drinking two glasses of water every hour. You require more hydration in the air, than you would need when on the ground.
Make yourself comfortable in every possible manner, to reduce jet lag on long flights. Take off your shoes, push back your seat and turn on the AC whenever you require.
Use blindfolds or sunglasses to close your eyes and sleep. Get yourself adjusted to the local time of your destination. Even if you cannot sleep, simply close your eyes and rest.
Wear ear plugs to block out all sounds in the environment, when in the flight. This will help you get as close to your natural sleeping environment as possible, just like your home.
Exercise well while you are in the air, as sitting for the whole period is not good for your circulation. You can lift your arms and roll them in a wide circular movement, both forward and backward. You can even lock your fingers and stretch them out front, bowing your back with the palms facing inwards. Be sure to move your ankles in small circles, from time to time.
Take a shower to wake up and freshen up your body, if you have a stopover in between your flights, on a long journey. This will also help get your circulation flowing.
Avoid alcohol altogether, when you are in a flight. The impact of alcohol on the body is 2 to 3 times more potent, when you are flying. This implies, one glass of whiskey in the flight is equivalent to 3 glasses on the ground.
Sitting for longer periods in the flight can often result in some kind of back pain, so it is advisable to move around and try sitting in different positions. People who suffer from chronic back pain or stiff back should carry air-activated, self-adhesive 12-hour heat pads with them, as they provide continuous, low level warmth and relieve pain.
After you reach your destination, make sure that you stay awake till 11 pm local time, to get your sleeping pattern in order. Although this is the most difficult way to beat jet lag, it is the best and the fastest way to come down to a normal sleeping pattern.

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