Jetlag - How To Get Over It 🛫
When I was 14 years old I experienced my first Jetlag. We flew out to New York and it was my first time leaving the European continent. One week later we flew further to Los Angeles and my sleep rhythm was a total mess. Ever since I struggle with these different time zones. I personally tried to stay awake until its night time in the country I was staying but it´s easier said than done...
There is nothing worse about a vacation than stepping out of the plane and feel exhausted or coming home from a fantastic journey and going back to sleep instead of showing off your vacation glow. I have determined that many of the Steemians are travelers by heart and are flying around the globe more often than "normal" people. Jetlag is such a big problem when you hop out of the plane and need to catch some meeting right after. The schedule is sometimes very busy that we dont have enough time to sleep at times we would like to take a rest in order to get into the new time zone. But I have figured out some great tips and tricks to get over this bad feeling.
If you are are interested, just keep reading
Go Grab A Juice
Grab yourself a 100% natural juice. It will hydrate your body plus its nutrients might boost your immune system too which would be a double win!
Get some Vitamin B and C
Vitamin B-12 helps the body to be energized and vitamin D keeps sleep-promoting melatonin levels in check! You can find a great amount of vitamin B vitamins in fish. So I would recommend eating some fish and catching some sun rays in order to get some vitamin D ( wearing SPF! ).
Avoid Caffeine And Alcohol
This is a must when you want to get rid of the annoying Jetlag. Caffeine and alcohol arent the best way to stay awake. They are both stimulants, they also contribute dehydration which will exacerbate your Jetlag. Try to avoid the espresso and vodka before your body´s clock has reset.
Take Melatonin
Melatonin, also known as N-acetyl-5-methoxy tryptamine, is a hormone that is produced by the pineal gland in animals and regulates sleep and wakefulness.
You can also find melatonin in supplements and taking these before you go to bed in your current timezone can help your sleep/wake cycle synchronize with your new location! I am normally not into taking supplements and I havent tried out melatonin yet but I read great articles about it and I think it is worth a try.
Stretch!
Yoga is known to relieve stress and boost your energy. I will put some Yoga poses below that will guide you so you can use it as a pre- and -post-flight activity. Do not worry if some poses do not work for you. Stretching takes time and you can see any results after a few weeks. ( I will write a whole article about it trying out different Yoga poses soon! )
You can also find some cool pre-flight stretches right -> here
Find The Light
You want to reset your circadian rhythm! First you need to increase your exposure to natural light. Natural really gives you a lot of energy and this is exactly what you need if you feel the Jetlag. Morning sunshine is the best source of natural light so make sure to be awake when the sun rises!
Hydrate
I have already mentioned drinking juices but your body needs a boost of H2O so always take a bottle of water with you. Drink water before- , during- and after the flight!
Sleep On The Plane
I know that not everybody is made for sleeping on a plane. But it will definitely help you to gain some energy. If you have any problems to fall asleep I really recommend lavender oil.
Rub 2-3 drops of lavender oil in your cupped palms, then use the inhalation method to draw the scent all the way into your amygdala gland (the emotional warehouse) in your brain to calm the mind. Then, rub on the feet, temples, wrists (or anywhere) for an immediate calming effect on the body.
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Your body is the only suit you have in this life so treat it right to get the best results possible. I do not talk about the look. Health is so important and you shouldnt mess with it.
I would definitely love to hear some feedbacks from you when you have used some of those tips while traveling to another timezone. I will definitely take you with me on my next trip and these tricks will be definitely essentials.
Enjoy the night 🌙
Love, Soldier
As melatonin is all natural and normally produced within the body, it can't do much harm other than giving your body signals to get tired (when it shouldn't). Actually wondering if it's a good thing to use for a jetlag, it might confuse your body even more.
The problem that you are trying to solve is not that your body is not producing melatonin, it's that it is producing it at the wrong time. Melatonin is produced in a cycle pertaining to your bodies waking/resting periods. This is why you get jet lag, your hormones (melatonin is a hormone) are on daily cycles from the old location, that do not match up with the days from your new location. Supplementing with melatonin before going to bed will create a large spike in your melatonin levels and your body will see that as the peak of its melatonin cycle and reset accordingly.
That's a good explanation, and why I am wondering how good it is for your body to suddenly change your melatonin level. I don't think your body is made to suddenly change this behaviour so rapidly with supplements.
If you're taking it once in a while to reset your circadian rhythm then it wont cause any issues.
As it is a hormone I'd agree with you that it's not a great idea to flood your body with it everyday. Men have an especially dangerous side effect from overdosing melatonin, it increases another hormone in your body, prolactin. This is not a big problem in Females, but in Males excess prolactin can cause liver and kidney problems. Taking too much melatonin can also cause insomnia, the exact opposite of what you'd expect. And to top it all off most supplements have way to much melatonin in them. The recommended dose is less than 1mg, but I've found 10mg melatonin pills in stores where I live.
Friendly PSA: Do your research if you're going to put anything in your body, food, medicine, or otherwise.
I havent used it by myself but I read many good things about it for the use of get over a jetlag. Maybe it´s worth a try?
Great info about Jetlag. I have never experienced this I'll surely try when I travel outside my country. Thanx for sharing...
As soon as you´re in a different timezone, you will experience this feeling and its not the greatest!
Good tips. I have not experienced jetlag as I have not traveled long distance. Thanks for sharing.
Maybe you will in the future
Thanks for the Tips @soldier. Have a good day!!!
Thanks, you too!
Having bath and then sleeping. That's my solution. It worked pretty well.
Also a great idea, thanks for sharing
Thanks for putting this out. We should all try to listen to our bodies, it helps.
Much love back
Some very good tips for the regular travelers, though I'm not one of them but will definitely share with my friends who regularly do so!
Stay blessed!
I am pretty sure you will travel some time to a different timezone but sharing it with your friends would be a great idea :)
I will, though my pocket doesn't allow me to do so but I have plans of touring different parts of the world that includes Berlin as well.
Thanks for sharing these information about how to get rid of getlag, they are really something i can practise.
Good luck :)
Thank you.
Not travelled outside the country, but i m sure it will help me in future. Thanks for sharing.
It will! I am pretty sure you will go through the same feelings and using some of these tricks will keep you energized :)
Thanks
I find sleeping and avoiding caffeine does the trick just fine! I never knew sleeping helps, but it's something I do almost every single time I fly lol.
Crazy. Caffeine is my goto for jetlag and for me it seems to work fine as long as I'm hydrated.
But it´s definitely not good for your health!
Interesting. I need to do more research on caffeine :)
Me too! But I heard of some people who cant sleep on flights.
But it´s definitely not good for your health!