I've been at my desk at 6 am the past 2 mornings,
so I guess there's something positive to say about jet-lag.
I'm not one who does well with a lack of sleep. I'm prone to headaches and those come easily when I haven't slept enough. I've also been told from people close to me, that I'm not my usual delightful self when I'm tired. I'm not exactly sure what the mean, but...
A lot of my travels have been short, quick trips for work or for play where I've needed to be alert for meetings or making the most of my trip in a new city.
I've found a few things that really help me when it comes to jet lag.
1. get on the new schedule as soon as possible - this includes sleeping and eating. If it's morning in my arrival city, I eat breakfast, no matter what time it was when I left home. When I go to sleep at night, I set my alarm for early the next morning and actually get up. {The getting up part is hard for me.} During our trip to Paris, the first night I woke up around 4 am and couldn't get back to sleep. Instead of getting out of bed and in front of a screen {TV, computer, internet - which I think disrupts sleep}, I laid in bed and read. After about an hour, I knew I had to get more sleep if I wanted to by out the whole next day. I turned off the light and started slowly counting backwards from 100 - it sounds silly but it worked. Every time my mind wandered, I'd go back to counting. I ended up getting to 76, and the following night to 88.
2. get into the sun - our body natural acclimates to the sun. In winter I naturally sleep in a bit and in summer I tend to wake a bit earlier. Rather than taking a nap when I arrive, I get outside as soon as possible and walk {and walk and walk}. This has probably been the most helpful for me when traveling.
4. drink water - It's only taken me a couple decades, but I'm finally a firm believer in all the hype about water. It really is the miracle cure - fatigue, weight loss, aging - it really does it all. During our trip, I woke up with an awful headache one morning. I drank a bottle of water and within 30 minutes my headache was gone. Staying hydrated for me, especially when flying as been a huge help.
5. move - I think one of the reasons getting outside in the sun when I arrive always helps me, is because I'm moving. Walking around a new city and exploring is always one of my favorite things to do. On the day I arrive, I usually don't have anything planned so getting out and walking around helps me start to get to know the city and tires me out so I have a better chance of sleeping that night.
6. eat fresh - I always try to pack a few snacks for the plane ride, especially now that so many domestic flights are over-charging for sub-par food. Also, I've found that the less salt I eat on the plane, the better I feel when I get there. My feet are prone to swelling and turn into little sausages when I fly {I won't torture you with a photo.} - cutting down on salt definitely makes it easier to slip my shoes back on when we land. {I've had a problem with this before. So embarrassing.} I try to pack a couple a pieces of fresh fruit like an apple, banana or tangerines {not easily squishable}, raw almonds and/or a Kind or Luna bar. I've found that eating lighter on the plane helps a lot so I try not to eat out of boredom during long flights.
7. sleep when needed - I always try to sleep on the plane as much as possible. During the trip, if I need an afternoon nap, I let myself have it. I may let myself sleep for an hour or so but I always set my alarm and try not to let myself sleep much more than that.
What are your best techniques for jet-lag?
Happy travels and hope your weekend's lovely!
LMF
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