Fighting jet lag: 5 things to try |
 How do you combat jet lag? Here are five methods that may help time zone-crossing travelers:
1. Shift your sleep schedule slightly before travel. If you’re about to embark on a trip abroad with a significant time difference, try going to bed closer to the time you would in your destination country. While not necessarily a practical option for most travelers, this can ease the transition once you arrive.
2. Stay up until a “normal bedtime” once you arrive. As much as you may want to hit your hotel and crash, pound some coffee and keep on trucking if you can. Staying awake until nighttime on the first day in your destination is once of the best ways to adjust to your new sleep schedule.
3. Keep naps brief once you arrive. If you absolutely cannot stay up until a normal bedtime in your destination time zone, take a nap, but make it a short one. Rest for two hours or less to refresh yourself so you can make it through the day, but avoid snoozing for too long. If you do, you’re more likely to be wide awake in the middle of the night and, consequently, fighting the symptoms of jet lag for longer than you would otherwise.
4. Pack your melatonin. This natural dietary supplement is widely considered to be an effective, safe substance for travelers to use for its sleep-inducing properties. While it doesn’t work magic (there are obviously much more powerful prescription sleep aids out there), its effectiveness is thought to be based on “good science” from numerous studies resulting in positive effects on jet lag symptoms. The general protocol is to take a dose before going to bed for help sleeping through the night in your destination.
5. Try a jet lag-fighting phone app. If natural remedies aren’t your bag, consider a tech-friendly solution in the form of a smartphone app designed to pepper your schedule during your first days in a new place with jet lag-fighting activities. Based on the idea that getting or avoiding light at the right time of day and finding time for light exercise will help alleviate jet lag symptoms, the new Jet Lag Fighter app released last month by Virgin Atlantic tells users what to do on arrival and at what time each day after they’ve input their flight departure and arrival information. While this app has been getting the lion’s share of the jet lag phone app hype these days, the Economist rightfully points out that there are at least three others out there right now, so you may want to try several to find the one that’s best for you.
Ready for your next battle with jet lag? Start searching for cheap flights now.
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POSTED BY LORRAINE - FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2010
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