How to Get Over Jet Lag

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Traveling is a lot of fun, but it does have a few drawbacks. Among the most notable setbacks of traveling, especially if you’re going long distances or passing through multiple time zones, is jet lag.

What Is Jet Lag?

 

Jet Lag Disorder

Also known as jet lag disorder, jet lag is a temporary sleep disorder that affects anyone traveling between time zones. The term was coined by Horace Sutton during the sixties, when air travel over long distances was becoming increasingly common, which made people begin to notice that something felt off.

We all get to experience a jet lag to a small degree during the Daylight Savings Time- no jets required.

Why Does Jet Lag Happen?

Our bodies have an internal clock, often called the circadian rhythm, that tends to regulate our sleep and waking cycles.  

Jet Lag Symptoms

In theory, the more significant the time change, the more severe the jet lag symptoms. Sutton described the symptoms as akin to a hangover. However, jet lag symptoms do vary quite a bit from person to person. Your jet lag symptoms can be very different from your travel buddy’s jet lag symptoms– so remember to be kind to any companion travelers.

Common symptoms of jet lag include:

  • Sleep disturbances
  • Excessive sleepiness or fatigue during the day
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Stomach upset
  • Malaise
  • Mood changes

How Long Does It Take to Recover From Jetlag?

The answer depends on your individual ability to adapt to the time change. The following makes it more challenging to recover from jet lag quickly:

  • Older age
  • Flying East is more challenging, as you’re losing time vs. gaining time.
  • Long-distance travel is worse; the greater the time change, the greater the jet lag.
  • Frequency: The more you fly, the more likely you are to experience jet lag symptoms.

How to Prevent Jet Lag

There isn’t a surefire treatment to prevent jet lag and no surefire proven jet lag remedies. However, there are steps you can take during your trip to help decrease the effects.

  • Rest before your trip: Starting out rested helps you feel less tired overall even if you do experience a sleep disturbance during your trip.
  • Ease into it: Gradually adjusting your sleep and mealtime schedules before flying helps your body adjust at a slower pace.
  •  Hydrate: Dehydration can make the symptoms of jet lag more severe, and the dry cabin air is going to make you more dehydrated than normal, so you’ll want to drink plenty of water before, during, and after your flight. You may also want to avoid drinking too much caffeine or alcohol since those are common dehydrating agents.

 How to Get Over Jet Lag

There are a few ways for how to beat jet lag if you weren’t able to prepare yourself, try these jet lag remedies.

  • Check Your Light Exposure: Bright light communicates with our natural clocks and tells us that it’s actually morning. If you’re traveling westward, where things are a little “later,” exposure to light will help clue your body into still being awake. If you’re flying east, try to avoid exposure to bright lights to help your body adapt to the idea that it is bedtime. Keep in mind that if you are traveling somewhere with a difference of more than eight hours, your body may be a bit confused between morning and evening lighting- in which case you’ll want to avoid morning light if you travel east and evening light if you travel west. A pair of sunglasses is sure to do the trick!
  • Stick to your new schedule: Try to stay on schedule at your new location- avoid day napping so that you’re able to sleep at night.
  • Regulate your caffeine intake. While it may seem tempting to drink all tons of coffee when you find yourself in a new time zone, overdoing it on caffeine can further throw off your sleep schedule.

How to Deal with Jet Lag

If you are not sure about how to overcome jet lag or don’t want to deal with jet lag pills, the best thing to do is plan accordingly. If you’re traveling to a new time zone, give yourself a little bit of extra time to deal with the jet lag before you have to do anything important.

Eating healthy, drinking water, and moderating caffeine intake can help minimize the symptoms of jetlag.

Remember, jet lag is temporary and should go away on its own when your body adjusts to your new schedule. If your symptoms don’t seem to be going away, or seem very severe, you may want to speak to a doctor.

Melatonin for Jet Lag

When looking for how to recover from jet lag, you may come across jet lag pills, specifically jet lag melatonin pills. Melatonin is released naturally in your brain in response to night-time lighting. During the day, your body releases less melatonin.

The idea is that taking melatonin, jet lag or not, will help convince your body that it’s time to go to sleep, which is why some do use the pills as a way to alleviate jet lag symptoms

However, as with all medications, there are risks as well as side effects. Even though melatonin does naturally occur in the body, it carries the risk of side effects, including daytime sleepiness and headaches.

Melatonin is also known to interact with several medications, including certain birth control and diabetes medications. If you are taking medicines for another health condition, you should consult your doctor, or at the very least, a licensed pharmacist, to ensure that the melatonin won’t mess with that medication’s ability to do its job.

While jet lag can be annoying and unpleasant, there are plenty of things you can do to make the experience a little more bearable. But it’s a small price to pay for the experience of travel!

Takeaways

  • Anyone can have jet lag, though not everyone does.
  • Jet lag is worse the further you travel.
  • There is no one jet lag cure that works for all.
  • Adjusting your schedule ahead of time is a great way to prevent jet lag.
  • Staying hydrated can help lessen jet lag symptoms.
  • Melatonin may help with jet lag symptoms but should be used with caution.
  • If your jet lag lasts for longer than several days, it’s time to see a doctor.

 

 

 

 

 

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