How to avoid jet lag while traveling

When you finally take that trip you’ve been dreaming about, don’t let jet lag cause you to miss valuable hours.

When Josh and I took a trip to Bangkok, Thailand we experienced our worst case of jet lag.  Thanks to free tickets via award points, we had a very screwy route…Atlanta to Amsterdam then Amsterdam to Bangkok.  This made for an extra long time on planes.  We were so tired after our long plane ride that we slept as soon as we checked into our hotel.  We ended up waking up in the middle of the night with nothing to do but watch TV and hope to get back to sleep.  The next few days, it was tough to get into the schedule of the current time zone.  We lost precious time on the trip by sleeping late and staying up late.  We learned from this trip what not to do.  And we learned from future trips what works.  Below are our tips from 18+ years of traveling.

According to the Mayo Clinic, jet lag happens when your internal clock isn’t able to adjust to the light-to-dark changes of multiple time-zones.  The most common symptoms of jet lag are tiredness, difficulty sleeping, and stomach problems.  The goal is to minimize these symptoms and re-set your internal clock, or circadian rhythm, to the time in your current destination. Set your sleep schedule to the current time and enjoy the sun as much as possible.

Avoid Jet Lag by Doing These Things on the Plane

Avoiding jet lag starts on the plane.  The sooner you start to implement the ideas, the less likely you are to succumb to jet lag.

Drink plenty of water

Buy a bottle of water at the store before you board the plane.  The plane air is notoriously dry.  You want to keep hydrated, so keep drinking water.  Every time the flight attendant comes around to offer you a drink, accept it and ask for water.  Avoid caffeine on the flight:  say no to the coffee and soda.

Get up and move

A nice side-effect of drinking all of that water on the plane is the need to get up and use the restroom. This bit of exercise will help you feel better overall.  Also, while you are in your seat, it is a good idea to do some stretching.

how to avoid jet lag while traveling
You don’t have much room in your seat, so walk around in the aisles to get a little exercise.

Keep Your Skin Hydrated

The dry airplane air can wreak havoc on your skin, lips and eyes.  Bring moisturizer to apply during the flight to avoid itchy and uncomfortable skin.  Lip balm can feel like a lifesaver during the flight when your lips are as dry as the desert.  If you wear contacts either take them out during the flight or use eye drops multiple times throughout the flight.

Try to Avoid Seeing the Time of Your Home City

Noticing what time it is at home can hinder how quickly you adjust to the time at your destination.  If you wear a watch change the time to the current time at your destination.  Many times on the back-of-the-seat screen, you can check the time at your destination and departure city.  Avoid looking at this!  The sooner you start thinking about the time as the time at your destination, the better.

Do Your Best to Sleep

If you can sleep on the plane, all the better. It will make it easier to adjust on your first day in the new time zone.  Select the window seat, so you have the wall to lean against. Avoid the blue light of your monitor or electronic device that you brought from home.  Wear an eye mask and use noise-cancelling headphones.

Use an eye mask to help avoid jet lag while traveling

 

Now That You Are at Your Destination, Do These Things to Avoid Jet Lag

Stay Awake

Try to stay awake until at least 7:00 p.m. (local time) on your first night.  Whether you’re flying to Asia where the flights arrive in the afternoon or flying to Europe where the flights arrive in the morning; keep yourself occupied until you can go to bed.  It is often difficult to stay awake after being on the plane all night.  But, it will make the rest of the trip much more enjoyable if you can jump into your normal sleeping patterns.  Try doing one of these things to stay awake:

  • It’s tempting to take a nap, but don’t.  This will only continue to mess up your sleep schedule.
  • Sometimes the secondary traveling will help with jet lag.  If you flew into a large city and are traveling to a smaller city by bus or train, this will take up some of the time that you need to stay awake.  On our trip to Füssen, Germany we flew into Munich, did some sightseeing around Munich, then took a train to Füssen.  By the time we checked into our apartment and ate dinner, we were ready for bed.  We all went to sleep around 7:00 pm and slept about 12 hours.  We needed this extra sleep since we didn’t sleep much on the plane.
  • This is a perfect day to take a hop-on/hop-off bus tour around the city.  You can relax on the ride while touring around the city.  Many times we will see parts of the city that we would not have ventured off to if not for the ride.
  • Go to a grocery store to get a few things.  Wander around the grocery store and notice how many things are different than at home (and how many things are the same).  This is a chance to stock your room with snacks.  If you’re staying in a hotel, grab some snacks for the room.  If you’re staying in an Airbnb, then you might want a few more things:  eggs for a quick and cheap breakfast, milk, juice, snacks.
  • Take a walk and explore the city in the fresh air.  Nothing helps combat tiredness more than fresh air and sun.  The light from the sun will also help your body reset its internal clock.
  • Get a cappuccino and sit outside at a café; but don’t have too much caffeine.  If you drink more than you usually would, then your stomach will tell you why it’s a bad idea.

    Avoid jet lag by walking around outside on your arrival day
    On your arrival day, don’t nap! Get out in the sun and walk around to avoid jet lag.

Eat at Local Times

Forget what time it is at home.  Eat dinner at the normal local time to help your body to better adjust to the current time.  Going with the idea of re-setting your internal clock, eat meals at normal local time.  The day you arrive is usually the the only day you have to worry about this.  The following days, your body will start to be hungry at local meal times.

Give a Little Grace to Your Travel Companions

The day you arrive at your destination, tempers are on a short fuse.  Everyone is tired, possibly hungry and grumpy.  Try to laugh at mistakes and irritability instead of getting upset.  Everyone will feel refreshed after getting a good nights sleep and be ready to explore the world together.  If you’re traveling with children, know that the arrival day will be the toughest day.  We still talk about the “Meltdown in Munich” that our daughter experienced on her first trip abroad.  We laughed it off that day, and have laughed about it many times since. Did she really lay on the floor kicking her legs or is that just part of the legend?

 

The first few days of your trip, you might feel a little off.  Continue to drink lots of water, eat meals that you know feel good on your body and exercise lightly (walking around the city and to the local sights).  Before you know it, you’ll be feeling your normal self.

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