7 Tips for avoiding Jet Lag
I’ll never forget my first trip to Europe, for many reasons. But the jet lag was HORRIBLE and unforgettable. My then boyfriend (now husband) and I flew in and landed in the very early morning. We absolutely couldn’t stay awake the entire day and we took a somewhat desperate, but almost painful, nap in the afternoon and then struggled for three days to adjust before feeling any kind of normal. I never wanted to experience that again!
So, after spending more than a decade traveling constantly for work and for exploration, I finally dialed in a pretty great jet lag regimen with some trial and error. While people I know rely on alcohol, sleeping medication and a solid caffeine hit to help round out the edges, I have a tough time processing most of this and I end up feeling like garbage for days. Or worse, it could send my system into a flare.
My last couple international trips were relatively short (under a week) and I had to make the absolute most of my time away from my family. I simply couldn’t afford to spend days lingering and adjusting. Not only did I not have time to waste, but I’ve learned that the “rip the bandaid” approach is much more effective..
Here are my top tips for beating jet lag without sending your system into a flare:
Let’s file this under the “no kidding?” category. That said, I have found many people don’t realize that great jet lag pills even exist. I have tried a couple of brands and have found these to be my favorite. You take a couple upon boarding the plane, then one every two hours when you are awake (no need to take while sleeping). These tablets are homeopathic and don’t interfere with other medications or pregnancy (though always check with your doctor). I find these to make an enormous difference in reducing my headaches, vertigo, nausea and sleeplessness. On any flight over 3 hours or changing more than one time zone, I take them religiously.
2) Time Your Flight to (Try to) Sleep on the Plane
There’s a real art to planning travel times to work best with your circadian rhythms. While I won’t devote this entire post to this, I highly suggest you think through your “jet lag sleep plan” before you travel to give yourself the best experience.
If you are traveling East, say from Seattle to Europe, try your best to take an evening flight and sleep on the plane as much as possible. You’ll get a couple of hours of rest and land either morning or mid-day and only need to push through for part of a day until bedtime.
If you are traveling West, from Europe to Seattle, try to leave late-morning or mid-day and you’ll arrive by evening. In this case, plan to stay awake for most of the flight home so you are tired upon arriving.
3) Make it Quiet & Dark: Sleeping Eye Mask, Neck Pillow, Noise Cancelling Headphones & Ear Plugs
Number 2 is easier said than done because sleeping on a plane sucks! It doesn’t matter if I am lucky enough to have a business class seat, a bed or a basic economy seat - I have a hard time sleeping with all the noises, turbulence and especially the lights and commotion during a flight. This eye mask is incredible! It is very dark, has a nice little pocket for your eyes to actually move while you are asleep (this is key for REM sleep), and is super soft and comfy. When I’m traveling, I use this on both the plan and in my hotel rooms where there are always weird lights peeking through and disrupting my sleep.
The other hard thing about sleeping on a plane is relaxing your neck in a comfortable position. I’ve never had much luck with the curved neck pillows, but this weird little neck brace is the first thing I’ve ever found that doesn’t give me a neck ache when I wake up. You wrap it around your neck like a tight scarf and the metal brace holds your neck upright without much pressure.
I also wear ear plugs for an entire flight, even under my noise cancelling headphones. I know this sounds weird, but it cuts so much of the airplane mechanical sounds and helps your system calm down (great for both sleep and anxiety if you get worked up while traveling). I also find it helps reduce my flying fatigue upon landing by about 80%.
4) Take Your Supplements at “Night”
If your supplement schedule is anything like mine, you probably take many capsules in the evening that help to support sleep. In order to change your body clock, take those supplements just after you eat “dinner” and are ready to trick your body into nighttime sleep. When I leave on an evening flight to Europe, I eat a meal within the first hour of the flight, take my supplements and then prepare to sleep. When I arrive, I adjust my supplement schedule to the new time zone. This might mean I’m taking my supplements only 12 hours later, but it helps my body clock reset and prevents me from missing a dose.
What supplements help at night? I’ve shared some of my favorites here, but I find magnesium and calms forte to be the most supportive supplements for rest and digestion, especially while traveling. This will help keep your bowel movements on track, keep your travel anxiety down (if that is a concern for you) and also help you fall asleep and stay asleep. I have many friends who love melatonin, but I don’t have issues falling asleep so this isn’t a supplement I really need.
5) Avoid Alcohol
I know booze is often a very fun part of travel. Most people I know like to have a cocktail onboard in either celebration or to cut the air travel anxiety. While I’ve cut alcohol about 99% from my life already, it’s especially important to avoid alcohol on your flight and during your first day and night of travel. I probably don’t have to remind you that alcohol messes with your hydration, your sleep cycles and your blood sugar. If you feel you need it for flight anxiety, consider calms forte and/or magnesium glycinate as a healthier alternative.
6) Stay Awake Until Local Bedtime
This may be the hardest but most important tip. When you get on the plane, set your watch to the new time zone and start moving your brain into your new schedule. Think of your meals on your new schedule (example: it’s no longer lunch, but dinner). When you arrive, push through until at least 8:30 or 9pm before going to bed for the night. I do this by keeping myself super busy and avoiding laying down at all costs. No naps! If I start to feel a little woozy, I drink a little bit of green tea and the caffeine helps me to push through. Usually a nice meal out for dinner will distract me enough in the last few hours and then I hit the sack! This one hard day will make all the difference, I swear.
7) Reset Your Brain
I usually sleep “okay” on the first night in a new time zone. I might wake up after just a few hours of sleep (this is when taking calms forte again can be super helpful. DO NOT look at your phone! Try your best to avoid all light and use the eye mask to help keep your brain focused on nighttime hormones. In the morning, take a little 10 minute walk, ideally with sunlight getting into your eyes. This is often called a “circ walk” by neurobiologists who discovered that the angle of the sun in the morning (and late evening) is a critical part of our hormone triggers for our circadian rhythms. Simply head to a nearby coffeeshop for a cup of green tea and leave the sunglasses behind! I typically allow myself two doses of caffeine during my first day and one any day after. Since I’m typically caffeine free, this is a great natural tool to manage my energy while traveling and cut the headaches without drugs.
Repeat this evening walk just before dinner, around 5 o’clock local time. Fortunately many cultures have an evening stroll ritual, which is a perfect way to enjoy the culture and get your clock on track.
With these simple, but highly effective tricks, I’m able to adjust to a new time within one day and avoid the horrible headaches, dizziness and nausea. Best of all I have plenty of energy to enjoy my trip and don’t need to bog my liver down with pharmaceuticals that sends me into a flareup.
