Jet Lag, Traveling and your Circadian Rhythm
Just about every traveler has experienced jet lag on one trip or another. Jet Lag is when the time zone you're in doesn't match up with your normal sleep cycle, or circadian rhythm.Your body knows when to wake and sleep by the day-night cycle in your home. When you fly several time zones away, it can take your body 3-4 days or more to resync with the local day-night cycle. In the meantime, you get sleepy during the day, can't fall asleep at night, and often this can have a serious impact on your enjoyment of the trip.
Here are some tips to help you get through jet lag with a minimum of fuss:
Start Cycling Before you Leave
Three to four days before you leave on your trip, set one of your clocks and watches for the new time zone. Start adjusting your own wake and sleep time to match that new time zone in gradual stages. Start thinking to yourself about the time of day in your destination.
Wear the Changed Watch on the plane
As soon as you get on the plane, have all your watches set to that new time zone. If you can, take a plane that flies at night. Bring along a travelers pillow, headphones and other items to help you sleep. That way when you wake up, even if you happen to sleep a few hours more or less than normal, you'll wake up to sunshine and your new destination.
Keep your Body Fed
Eat small, regular snacks and drink lots of water. Stay away from anything containing caffeine, including chocolate. You should have 8 glasses of water a day to keep your body working properly. Don't forget your daily vitamins!
Get Into the New Cycle
When it's daytime, go out in the sun a lot so your body gets those strong signals to adjust its clock. At night, use your headphones to block out sounds and help you sleep easily. Follow the other advice on this site to help sleep come to you.
Try to Reduce Stress
Finally, many times the excitement of being in a new location plus the stress of sleeping in a strange bed might combine to keep you awake. If you put something familiar on the bed beside you - maybe a photo of your family - and play a soothing CD or a white noise generator to block out the strange sounds of your temporary bedroom - these will help you settle in and get the sleep you need.
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