Are you someone who loves to travel, but hates the jetlag that comes with it? Don’t worry, there are indeed some effective strategies to do away with it! While jetlag is natural and inevitable and happens to everyone, usually those travelling eastward, here are some ways to at least deal with it and minimize the effect!
It is a fact universally acknowledged, that sleeping the night before your flight is the toughest thing to do! After all, how can you sleep when you are in a state of extreme excitement, but also anxiety, especially if it is a morning flight and you are travelling alone? Thoughts about you not being able to catch your flight and oversleeping can cause you to be in a state of alertness! However, despite all this, do try to get a good amount of sleep. If you are worried, ask your friend who wakes up early to give you a call, set 10 alarms if you must, but don’t compromise on your sleep. Resting before your flight helps a lot in the process of limiting and minimizing jetlag.
Another very important thing to do is to make relatively less hectic plans for your first few days. That way, you will be able to give yourself ample time to rest and adjust to the new timings and kind of ease into it, without forcing yourself. This helps you then feel relaxed and carry out the rest of your trip smoothly. Otherwise, you end up planning in excitement and then not feeling up to it! However, be judicious in your planning!
This is very important to follow. Usually, to prevent sleep, we end up having excessive coffee. While coffee is good, in moderation, also know that having more coffee will prevent you from feeling sleepy and this might have the opposite effect on your jetlag. It is best to deal with it naturally, take rest when it is required and when you can. It just takes a few days to get over it, after all!
One more thing that you should ensure is to carry comfortable sleep-related things. This includes comfortable nightwear, perhaps earplugs or nose plugs which might facilitate your sleep. Another thing you should check for is the mattress and suitability. Though it may come across as you being a fussy guest, make that choice. These things will at least help you sleep better and make you more rested which is important when you are jetlagged. Not being well-rested can make you even more crabby and annoyed. However, this helps for sure.
Sometimes, jetlag lingers in the form of feeling lazy and tired, even when you are awake. Though trips are for relaxation, do some form of exercise to make yourself more awake and active, and also tired enough to fall asleep. It could be walking, something which inevitably happens when you are travelling or a nice swim after the day is over, if your hotel has one. This will help you keep your body active during this phase of jetlag.
One more thing that you could try to do, which will completely manage to cut your jetlag down, is actually to try and start adjusting to the timing earlier before you leave for the destination. That way, you don’t waste time when you are there. Start with setting the timing on your phone according to the place you are visiting!
