Ward Off the Dreaded Jet Lag

Jet lag can derail the best-laid vacation plans. Our bodies are simply not designed to rapidly travel across multiple time zones, but these useful techniques can help minimize the irritating effects.

Start planning before your departure. Start going to bed sooner or later a few days prior, depending on which way you will travel. Every little bit helps when jet setting across time zones.

Avoid alcohol during your flight. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. Dehydrating your body with alcohol or insufficient water will wreak havoc on your system.

Pick your arrival carefully. Try to schedule your flight so you arrive at your destination in the evening. This allows you to get the sleep your body so badly wants after a long trip without throwing your internal clock off even further. Unless you slept through your entire flight this technique can be extremely effective.

Get plenty of vitamin D. Sunlight is like medicine to a weary body. Spending your days indoors sleeping off your jet lag will keep your internal clock from resetting and will keep you sluggish and disoriented.

Avoid medications. While they are sometimes necessary and can definitely induce sleep, sleep aids don’t induce a natural sleep state, which can further contribute to the grogginess and sluggishness associated with jet lag.

Listen to your body. Nap if you need to but keep it to a minimum. Sleeping the day away can be awfully tempting when your internal clock is off, but you won’t be doing yourself any favors. It is important to adjust to the local time as quickly as possible.