Putting Jet Lag to Rest

You’ve got a big day planned, with non-stop adventures scheduled morning to night … too bad you accidentally slept until 6 p.m., and the only new culture you experienced was the late-late-night TV in your hotel. That’s jet lag for you — the one piece of travel baggage you can’t check.

Luckily, jet lag is a travel hiccup you can take care of in advance. Here are some quick and easy tips to make sure you’re awake enough to live your dream (instead of just plain dreaming).

• Don’t (always) sleep on the plane. Arriving to your destination tired isn’t necessarily a bad thing if your plane lands in the evening or at night. Alternatively, if your plane lands in the morning, you should sleep on the plane, and may consider using over-the-counter sleep aids.

• Realign your cycle the week before your trip. Better to experience the negatives of jet lag on your own terms instead of having them interfere with your limited travel time. Set a couple clocks to the time of your destination and get up or go to bed two or three hours later/earlier than you’re used to.

• Don’t be afraid to nap.  Missing out on some afternoon plans may make your evening plans more worthwhile. A well-timed nap can re-energize you and improve your mood, even one as little as 10 minutes. Just be careful of big naps late in the day —  they will just make your jet lag worse.

When dealing with jet lag, the trick to is control when you experience the sleeplessness so it doesn’t happen unexpectedly. So brew a fresh pot of coffee, because the late night programming is better here, anyway.