How to Fight Jet Lag (And Win!)

I told myself I’d start off this year right and get adequate sleep on a regular basis. And as you can probably guess it was the first resolution to be carelessly and gloriously tossed out the window. Within an embarrassingly short 48 hours, no less. It seems sleep just takes second place to everything else in life, be it work, friends/family time, exercise, hobbies… Yet everyone who’s had to pull an all-nighter knows how severely your faculties are compromised without a few hours of shut eye. Even just a couple hours’ less sleep turns me into a foul-tempered more-irritable-than-usual witch-lady with unkempt hair, under eye bags the size of moon craters, and that glazed crazed look in the eye that comes with over caffeination... like something out of a lovecraftian universe. It’s not a pretty sight; shout out to my research group for having to see it on a daily basis.

Particularly on vacation, no one wants that irritable-witch-lady to make an appearance. Unfortunately with international travel, jet lag tends to summon her and can really throw a wrench in some otherwise perfect travel plans. Sort of like this (warning: foul language. Emphasis on the F in foul). It’s pretty much an inevitable part of travel, so it’s best to just accept it, right? Just let me pack my witch’s hat and a broom and off we go...

No. NO! We don’t have to give in to jet lag! There is still hope, there are ways to fight it. There are ways to win.

Here’s our list of tips to help avoid jet lag. Join us, together we can defeat jet lag and put an end to travel marked by a jaw-dislocating amount of yawning.

1. (Figuratively) Hit the Ground Running: Book a red-eye flight that lands early in the morning, and don’t stop for your full first day before crashing on your first night. This is my favourite, fool-proof method to not experience jet lag. Note that arriving at night tends to induce the greatest jet lag; arriving early in the morning the least (I’m talking 5-6 am)
2. Gotta get up, and MOVE! Do vigorous activities at the times that you would normally be sleeping. For example: walk around a city/hike instead of taking a boat tour around the harbour where you risk nodding off. Keep your mind and body engaged and energized! Getting some time in the sun will help with this and to get your brain adjusted to your new schedule. I like to combine this step with step 1: as soon as I land in a new country, I spend the entirety of the day doing a rigorous hike or walking around the city.
3. Foooooood. Eat your meals at the regular times for your new timezone, even if you’re not necessarily feeling peckish. As soon as you wake up/are supposed to wake up, eat your breakfast/have coffee. Trick your brain with your stomach! You can even start to do this before your departure, if you want. Try to avoid coffee while in transit though, as it might make falling asleep when you’re supposed to more difficult.
4. NO NAPS. Been there, done that, and it’s not good. Some people suggest napping on the day of arrival if necessary, but I can tell you I much prefer to do some sort of physical activity. I find that napping, especially on the first day, tends to just confuse your body clock even more. Yes, it might not be the easiest to climb the side of a mountain on less than 8 hours’ sleep but, yes, it’ll be far far easier to adjust to the new timezone. Better to suffer for a few hours than for a whole week!
5. Make sure you get some sleep on the plane, especially on red-eye flights. Here are some tips for getting comfy and sleeping on a plane:
1. Bring something comfy for your neck, blanket or scarf to snuggle yourself in, and if you’re sensitive to light, something to cover face like hat or buffer or a mask.
2. Take your shoes off and put on thick warm socks. Try and make sure that taking your shoes off won’t knock out the chihuahua in the crate under the seat in front of you.
3. Set something below your feet under the seat in front of you, like a bag. It seems weird that raising your legs a few inches might make such a difference in your comfort but it really does help.
4. This’ll make me sound like an aged health and safety officer guy but: lumbar support. It’s never adequate on plane seats and my lower back inevitably ends up feeling like it’s on fire after a few hours. I find rolling up a scarf or sweater and setting it in lower back helps to relieve discomfort.
5. Don’t take your brain’s “aah I’m not tired” b.s. Remember that not sleeping is not an option, really devote yourself to trying to sleep.
6. Remember that dozing is better than nothing!
7. If you’re uncomfortable, get up and stretch before settling down to try sleeping again.
6. Stay thirsty, friends! By that I mean stay hydrated. Drink lots of water or tea. Try to avoid alcohol in transit since it dehydrates you. It’s not the greatest, but you can pub crawl all you want after you’ve landed.
7. Adjust your clock before leaving. This has two meanings. First, literally set your phone clock and watch to your new time zone after you’ve boarded the plane. Second, you can adjust your body clock/sleep pattern before leaving by incrementally changing your bedtime. This process may not even be feasible for most people, and I’ve never personally bothered with it, preferring to stick with the first two steps. There’s no doubt, however, that this last step is less of a shock to the system!
8. Self-medicate. If all else fails, drug yourself (Gravol, melatonin, etc…) to regulate your sleep pattern. This is not the best solution and can end up backfiring if, say, you take two Gravols before a 5 hour flight and end up groggy for the next 12 hours. Silly anecdote time: Kyla accidentally took too much Gravol once (not for sleep but for nausea, mind you) and ended up completely knocked out in the car for an entire day in Iceland. It’s an option but be mindful of what you can handle.

There you have it, these are our tips to avoid jet lag. Have you got any tried-and-true methods to prevent jet lag? If so, we’d love to hear them, please comment below!

Gen