Goodbye jet lag

Saumya Sharma

You’ve been planning a holiday for eons now. The thought of getting away from the boredom of daily life was an opportunity you wouldn’t miss for the world, but if you’re taking a vacation abroad, there’s more than one thing you need to be careful about, especially jet lag, that is likelihood every time you travel from one time zone to another.

There’s a bright side to everything, though. You could learn how to own this one too through simple dos and don’ts that make your holiday a productive one to cool your heels off and get back to work with full gusto!

The key to avoiding jet lag, even before your trip begins, is restoring all your energy through good night’s sleep. Remember that most your woes can be cured by sleep.

 

Five tips to prevent jet lag

Water: Whether or not it’s the upcoming holiday, it’s always important to stay well-hydrated for normal functioning. If you are, however, going to be spending long hours on a plane, you need to ensure you don’t get dehydrated. Prep yourself by training your mind and body to have more water and once you’ve set out on the trip, have a glass of water (at least) every hour of your flight to avoid jet lag. Water can be substituted with green tea or juices. Alcohol and coffee are best to avoid as these are known to dehydrate your body.

Keep yourself busy during the day: Keeping yourself amply engaged during the daytime will obviously mean that you turn in sooner at night than your usual time since your body needs to repair itself in the hours you’re asleep. Remember, the later you go to bed, the wearier your body feels as it hasn’t had enough time to rejuvenate. This practice will also keep you engaged on your holiday when you can get more done during the day, like fun activities, adventure sports, walking around the town to explore, visiting museums, etc.

Exercise: It’s always a good idea to get up from your desk every hour, at least, to stretch your legs and open up the muscles in your body. Try and walk up the stairs as many times as possible and avoid the use of escalators, elevators, and travellators (an experience of each of these are of course necessary, but to keep health on your side, it’s the stairs that’ll aid you). While these are simple hacks, they are likely to go a long way since it’s one of the easiest things that will go a long way.

Avoid heavy meals: Too much of anything is bad, and if your meals comprise junk food and sugary drinks, you’re likely to feel sluggish all the time. Since you’re preparing yourself to avoid a jet lag, switch the unhealthy option for a healthier snack, and avoid filling yourself up a lot at one go. Don’t let bad food choices take away from a healthy lifestyle and a much-awaited vacation.

It’s a new place: Use each minute to get acclimatised to the new surroundings and get to know your location better. Maybe take a look at the itinerary and check with some locals about what you could add to the list and do more in a limited time! This is of course relevant if it’s still day where you are and can soak up the sun while you explore.

Additionally, watching TV or being exposed to any kind of blue light will only make your eyes and brain tired, in turn leading to sleep evading you for a while.

For a great vacation make the most of it to take care of your physical, mental and emotional health.

(HT Media)