( can I just say that I wrote this about 3 months ago but waited to publish..then I published it and realised that ^^ that youtube song was there… Don’t know how that happened. ITS SRANGELY FITTING… Listen whilst you read.. tehe)
My experience with Jet Lag
I’ve always been quite lucky with jet lag and have never seemed to suffer that bad on outbound visits… Even if I have been tired or felt a little off, I have always been far too excited to go out and explore. I am so motivated by exploring that I’ve just powered on through. If you are not so lucky as me and your jet lag is more than unbearable then this post is for you. Because if you’re anything like me, you will want to be out there and not sleeping at 2pm after a terrible nights sleep!
Why do we experience Jet Lag?
Your body is your temple, and like a temple your body runs in a certain way and to certain times. And so over the 24 hours in the day our bodies are programmed to eating, sleeping etc at particular times. We have peek times for concentration- generally around 10am and peek times for exercise – around 5pm. So when we travel at high speed through time our bodies get a little confused thus resulting in several symptoms such as tiredness, heaches, loss of appetite, bowel problems and loss of memory… Okay maybe some of those are a little extreme, but I’m sure everyone experiences some tiredness.
West is Best, East is Beast.
Yes, generally speaking, travelling back in time has fewer side effects. We are much better at having a longer day than a shorter one. When we travel east and forward in time, although we should be going to sleep because its 10pm our bodies are still on 3pm time,… problem.
best ways to combat Jet Lag!
Before the Flight
1) As all travellers know, you need to be flexible and open minded. Although travel opens many minds, somethings stick. Food times are a certain one. However not being so rigid with these patterns is a great advantage before you have even started.
2) If at all possible, try and adapt to times before you go. If you can set your alarm for 3 hours later then thats great! Just start a couple of days before and this should help.
3) As tempting as it may be to stay up all night before an early flight, it is always far more beneficial to get a proper nights sleep before you travel.
4)When travelling east: If you can, fly during the day. . So if you take off at 12pm and are on a 12 hour flight to Hong Kong you will arrive at 7am HK time. You then have the whole day to explore and won’t have to go to bed- because its not yet time. ( because of the speed of the flight v the time difference, although it was light when you took off, it will be dark by the end of the flight meaning time to sleep onboard the plane.
5)When travelling west: If you can fly at night. If you take off at 8pm and are on a 12 hour flight to San Francisco you will arrive at 12am ( midnight). Although most likely you will sleep on the plane, you won’t be all that comfortable so you’ll arrive in San Fran just in time to go to bed.
On the Plane
1) Be aware of the trolly service, drinking too much alcohol or coffee can either lead to being very much awake when you should be sleeping and alcohol, vice versa. Both can also make you incredibly dehydrated, cause stress and increased tiredness ( after the caffiene has done its bit). So, instead…
2) DRINK WATER.. this is actually something I strongly believe in for everyday life as well as on planes. We do not drink half of enough.. but anyway…STAY HYDRATED. You’ll feel so much better
3)Move around. I know planes are not the most exciting of strolls but just getting up 2 – 3 times can get blood moving and avoid any other nastys such as DVT.
4) As soon as you step aboard and buckle up set your watch/phone etc to the time at your destination. Mental prep is everything.
5) Avoid taking sleeping pills unless you use them on a regular basis- they really won’t help assist in avoiding jet lag at all.
Arrival
1) Eat in line with the new time zone..even if you end up having dinner at breakfast time…
2)When travelling east, get as much daylight as possible.
3)Sleep as much as you normally would in 24 hour day.. If this means having a short nap, do it- your jet lag will pass much quicker.
4)Get some exercise.. not anything major but a walk or something.
For me, Jet lag is always at its worst on inbound flights. Although I am always happy to be home, its just not so exciting and my motivation levels are pretty low. However because I am not in such a rush to see everything, a slower recovery doesn’t bother me that much.. unless I have to work.. thats a killer.
Hope you enjoyed this post and remember that you can connect with me on instagram @katevictoriaphotography and on snapchat kategoesglobal
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