Four Things You Can Do to Help Deal with Jet Lag

You get on a plane bound for somewhere in Europe. Perhaps you're at an East coast airport, and it's somewhere around 8pm. The plane takes off and it takes you about seven hours to reach your destination. That means you arrive at three o'clock in the morning, right? But, no, you've already had dinner AND breakfast, and someone is trying to convince you that it's really eight o'clock a.m. You should be ready to go, but of course you're dragging. You've got a bad case of jet lag, but you've also got a meeting to go to at noon! Here are some tips to help you survive that jet lag.

As soon as you get on the plane, take a couple of melatonin tablets. They will start to put you at ease so you can get some sleep on the flight. If melatonin doesn't work for you, you can consider another natural sleep aid or even an allergy type medication that contains an antihistamine or some other kind of mild sleep medication you know works for you. Your jet lag will be worse the next day if you get no sleep or rest at all on the plane.

Have your dinner, but don't eat heavy. Make sure you have a little of everything, especially some carbs. They are good for inducing a sleepy feeling. But don't have coffee (even decaf has a little caffeine) and perhaps just one glass of wine or other alcholic beverage. You want to avoid jet lag by being as comfortable and rested as possible; you don't want to be hung over or dehydrated.

Try for a window seat, and once you've had dinner and used the rest room, prop yourself against the wall with an inflatable pillow you've brought yourself and a nice shawl or blanket. Put on an eye mask and put some soft earplugs in your ears. The cabin lights will lower, and there will be enough white noise that you should be fine to doze or maybe even sleep. Tell the flight attendant or your seat mate that you don't want to be woken up, even for breakfast. They can't fool you into thinking it's time for eggs and bacon three hours after you had dinner! Freedom from jet lag is worth a lot more than a free piece of toast!

Make sure you're awakened about an hour before landing so you can adjust yourself and get to the rest room. Take care of your personal needs, stretch, and pat some cold water on your eyes. Now's the time you might want to seek out a cup of coffee and a glass of juice if it's available. And make yourself a promise to nap for only a half hour or so once you find your hotel. You won't avoid jetlag by oversleeping. Wait and go to sleep at the regular bedtime for the place you're visiting, and you should be over any residual jet lag by the next morning.

Sources:

Web MD Sleep Disorders
Satin Bed Sheets