Jet lag can put a real damper on your travel plans, leaving you feeling sick or sluggish when you want be active and alert. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, jet lag can a major concern. It is important that you know the best way to deal with the problem. While there is no definite cure for jet lag, there are ways to prepare your body for your flight. You should not have to suffer throughout your entire vacation or business trip. Here are some tips to manage the effect of jet lag.
- Drink plenty of liquids but avoid caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine and alcohol cause dehydration and may disrupt the body's ability to have restful sleep. It is best to hydrate constantly with water.
- Get a little exercise. This improves overall physical condition and can lift one's mood.
- Adjust watch to destination's time and adapt to the local schedule. Try not to sleep while there is daylight. This will help reset the internal clock. This is advisable if one is to stay in the destination for a long period of time.
- Adjust sleeping habits, if traveling east, sleep earlier a few nights prior to the trip. If traveling west, sleep later. In flight, start synchronizing sleeping habits with that of the destination's local time. Sleep only when it is nighttime in the destination.
- Use medication but do not be dependent on it. Prescribed drugs may help to alleviate jet lag symptoms, but can be habit forming. It is best to use them for only a couple of days and then resort to behavioral adjustments.
- It is advisable to fast prior to the flight. Avoid greasy and fatty foods. Pack a light snack of fruits to curb hunger.
- Lastly make sure that you get up and move around while on a long flight sitting in a cramped position for hours at a time only adds to misery of getting jet lag and could also have some very serious implications.
Plan ahead and make sure that, as far as is possible, everything that you need to do both at home and at works is completed well in advance of your journey. In planning for your journey, clear as much as you can as early as you can and make specific time available in your pre-journey planning for plenty of relaxation in the days immediately prior to your departure.