Lengthy air travel could best be described by a Salvador Dali painting.
His masterpiece, “The Persistence of Memory,” depicts four clocks melting in the desert. Time surely is bent out of shape when you travel across multiple time zones: sleep studies have indicated that it takes the human body a full day to recover from every time zone you travel through. While that 1:1 ratio may not be feasible for your travel itinerary, there are many things you can do to beat jet lag as quickly as possible.Sleep: The Nectar of the Traveler
It seems so simple, but getting a good night’s sleep before your journey is easier said than done. The anticipation of your travels, stressing about the details and last-minute packing all contribute to travelers who are sleep deprived before they even board the plane.
When you work your travel preparations into your regular schedule, you can take the first step in preventing jet lag: the aforementioned good night’s sleep.
In addition to altering your schedule as little as possible, the National Sleep Foundation suggests to shift your sleep schedule gradually a few days before your trip in order to put yourself on the time zone of your destination. For eastbound trips, this means getting up and going to bed earlier; for those going westbound, later.
Once you’ve arrived at your destination, turn your bedroom into a sleep-inducing environment; the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School recommends a quiet, dark and cool environment (of 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit) with heavy curtains or a blackout shade, in addition to pulling out an eye mask. In cases where noise is extreme, ear plugs or a white noise is in order whether carrying a dedicated white-noise machine or using a free white-noise app available for download.
Tips to Beating Jet Lag
Let the Sun Shine
The reason traveling across time zones puts our biological clocks out of whack is that it messes with our circadian rhythms—the 24-hour cycle that naturally tells our bodies when to sleep and when to rise. Thus, we may feel like the middle of the night is the middle of the day, or vice versa. Natural light helps to keep the body on schedule, so getting out into the daylight will reset its clock. Don’t hole up indoors: Get out into the sun and start exploring, even if it’s just getting the lay of your new land.
Morning or overnight trips—or anything that gets you to your destination while it’s light out—will also help to keep your internal clock on track, by mimicking a regular waking and sleeping pattern.
Model Airplanes
In addition to drinking eight ounces of water for every hour you spend in the air, a new crop of jetliners now help you combat dehydration right in the cabin. Both the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 are leading the charge in expelling the humidity generated by the passengers and crew on board, creating optimum levels for more comfort and less fatigue. And, thanks to the LED lighting and advanced air-conditioning technology, you’ll leave your flight feeling refreshed rather than distressed.
Embrace the Stopover
For those who are debating whether to schedule a stopover or soldier through for the long haul, keep this in mind: A stopover will help your body better adapt to a new routine. It may also save you money on your flight, as well as give you the opportunity to explore new cities, sometimes for free. If your stopover is only a few hours and you can’t leave the airport, take a walk around the terminal and release some endorphins.
Get the Blood Pumping
The effect of exercise on jet lag is nothing new: In 1987, a University of Toronto researcher put a group of hamsters through an eight-hour time change; afterwards, half of them ran on an exercise wheel, and half of them slept. The group that exercised adjusted to their new environment in a day and a half; it took the sleepers more than eight days to adjust.
You don’t have to be a runner or a bicyclist to take advantage of the benefits, just get out and keep moving. If you have a regular exercise routine, stick to it. Be sure to exercise no later than three hours before you go to bed, however, lest the hormone that is supposed to reduce stress—cortisol—does the opposite and keeps you awake.
Become a Teetotaler
You don’t have to abstain forever. Just on the day leading up to your flight and during air time. You may think that having a drink or two will help you relax on the flight, but the opposite is true—it will dehydrate you and wreak havoc with your sleep cycle.
It’s also best to avoid coffee and other caffeinated beverages six hours before bedtime. The University of Michigan puts this as the high end of the spectrum in which the effects of caffeine last: increased heart rate, body temperature and blood flow to the skin among them.
