3 Effective And Easy Tips To Cure Jet Lag

Jet lag can’t be cured with a magic bottle but it can be prevented with simple steps.  

Do you know what desynchronosis is? It's the medical term for jet lag, a temporary sleep disorder that's caused by moving through several time zones in a short period. The more time zones you cross, the more tired and sleepy you will be. Jet lag usually results in disturbed sleep, daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating and functioning, and even stomach problems.  

Studies have shown that for each time zone crossed, it takes 1-2 days to recover. This is because moving through time zones causes the internal body clock or circadian rhythm to be disrupted. 

“cues such as light exposure, mealtimes, social engagement, and activities regulate our circadian rhythm” says Allison T. Siebern, Ph.D. at the Stanford University Sleep Medicine Center. 

The only way to recover from this is to give the body time to adjust to the new time zone. 

Tips To Cure Jet Lag Before Your Trip

There is no fixed cure for jet lag, but its effects can be reduced by taking a few precautions before traveling. 

Get your body used to the new time zone by changing your eating and sleeping timings. 

If you're journeying east, try sleeping an hour early a few days before your flight. 

If you're going westwards, try sleeping an hour later than you usually do. This would help your body adjust better to the time zone of your destination.

Another way to mentally prepare yourself is to set your watch to the new time zone. It's also best if you get a good night's sleep before you travel and take short naps on the flight. 

Tips To Cure Jet Lag During Your Trip

As soon as you get on your flight, change the time of your devices (phone, laptop, tablet, and even your watch) to the new time zone. It will help you adjust to your new timings. 

Take a nap in the first hours of your flight.

Many people nap in the latter half, but it leaves you feeling groggy and worse for wear. If you slept in the first half of your flight and stayed awake for the next 12 hours until your bedtime at your destination. You will fall asleep faster because of the temporary sleep deprivation. It can also help you adjust to the new time zone better. We recommend napEazy® pillows for your long-haul flight because of the added comfort it brings. You can change your sleeping posture as you nap and even listen to music as you doze off.

Make sure you have small meals instead.

For example, carbohydrate-rich food can make you feel heavy and tired. 

Rice, potatoes, pasta, and burgers will increase your need for sleep. So it's a better choice of food while traveling eastwards. 

If you're traveling west, you can have lighter, more protein-rich food like meat, fish, or eggs. This will give you enough energy to stay awake and not feel sleepy. 

Avoid large amounts of caffeine or caffeinated drinks. Alcohol is also inadvisable. Wine might help you sleep, but the effect is only temporary as it causes dehydration and makes jet lag worse. Caffeine will disturb your sleep pattern and increase the possibility of fatigue. 

Drink more water and fresh juice. 

Remember to use the restroom as often as you need to, and stretch your legs with a short walk down the aisle. 

Tips To Cure Jet Lag After You Travel

Try not to sleep after landing at your destination. If it's daytime there, it would take your body longer to recover from jet lag. 

You can schedule your flight so that it's night-time when you land, and you can get a good night's sleep before you start the day. Your body will still need a few days to recover as it adjusts to the new time zone. 

Another option is to take a connecting flight that stops in another country so that you can get some rest and time to recover before traveling again. 

Staying out in the sunlight will help to reduce fatigue and sleepiness. Natural light and fresh air will help your body since the airplane would be dry and cramped. 

Pro-Tip To Cure Jet Lag

While all these are conscious ways to avoid the paralyzing effects of jet lag, there is one simple yet effective method called earthing. 

When you reach your destination, take off your shoes, and stand on the grass (sand or mud) for 30 minutes. It's simple, the free electrons from the Earth are transferred to the body, acting as natural antioxidants that cleanse the body. 

When traveling by air, almost 42,000 feet off the ground, our bodies absorb the positive energy in the atmosphere created by chemical reactions in the Earth's ionosphere. This 'positive potential' causes inflammation and imbalance that aggravates jet lag. 

That's why Earthing is necessary, the negative potential from the Earth will cancel out the effect of the positive potential, giving you immediate respite. 

The concept of Earthing is explained by 

Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman in his lectures on electromagnetism. 

There are further studies conducted by other experts, including the California Institute of Human Sciences, to strengthen this claim. 

Y travel blogs, co-founders Caroline and Craig Makepeace have also written about Earthing as their secret to beating jet lag. There's little worry about now when you're traveling, as long as you take a few simple measures to beat jet lag.