For those of you who have traveled across timezones by plane before, you understand the draining nightmare that is jet lag. You might even be reading this article right now wide awake at 02:00 looking for the best ways to beat jet lag. We are going to run through what jet lag is and what you can do to prevent it or reduce the effect of jet lag.
Hopefully this article will get you excited about overcoming jet lag rather than serving as a cure for it…
What is Jet Lag?
Jet lag is defined as “extreme tiredness and other physical effects that a person may feel after a long flight crossing multiple time zones”. There are natural remedies and other prescription based products you can use to help counter jet lag. One of our favorite natural choices is to use CBD oil. Cannabis oil has been used in traditional medicines for decades thanks to its anti-anxiety, and sedative properties.
For more information on cbd oil for sleep in south africa follow the link.
Recover From Jet Lag | How Long Does Jet Lag Last?
Jet lag will vary from person to person and the amount of time zones that have been crossed to get to your destination. A general rule of thumb is that symptoms will persist for 1 to 1.5 days per time zone crossed.
You might be thinking, “can’t I just sleep on planes to prevent jet lag”. The answer is no. The reason why jet lag affects us is because our body’s internal clocks are set to the hours of sunlight in our home towns. The moment we start crossing over time zones we can be affected by jet lag.
If, for example, you are traveling from Johannesburg International Airport to John F Kennedy International Airport you are traveling 6 hours behind your original time zone. If you normally go to bed at 21:00 in South Africa you will be wanting to sleep at 15:00 in New york. If you normally wake up at 06:00 in South Africa in New York you will be wanting to wake up at 00:00.
Below we are going to describe our best techniques on how to overcome jet lag and how to prevent jetlag.
Tips For Jet Lag & How To Beat Jet Lag
Below we have ironed out our favourite tips and jet lag hacks. That will get you climatised and feeling fresh in no time.
- Always stay hydrated. This is rule number one and will help your body function. When the jet lag sets in you do not want to be feeling dehydrated at the same time. Naturally when flying we tend to drink less water, this can be due to us not wanting to get up and go to the toilet every 45 minutes.
- Once you get on the plane you should immediately forget the time of your home city. Change the time on your analog watch and travel clock to the time of the destination city. This will start getting your mind intune with the time of your destination.
- Try to sleep when it’s most appropriate to your destination time. Let us use the Johannesburg and New York examples again. When you are flying to New York from Johannesburg it may be night time in New york but it could still be bright sun shine on the plane. Want to know how to sleep on a plane during these hours?
We recommend having a sleeping mask with noise cancelling earphones. Along with your CBD oil for sleep and you will be able to drift away in no time. - Making use of CBD oil at least one week before your flight is recommended, this creates a build up of CBD in your system which helps relax nerves. We also recommend taking CBD oil 60-30 minutes before going to bed, this will also condition your body and mind to go into a relaxed state.
This will allow you to fall asleep easier when the sun is up while in the plane. For more information on CBD oil follow this link. We think CBD oil is the best way to beat jet lag.
- Once you have reached your destination you need to be active when there are hours of light, it is highly recommended to walk outside and get direct sunlight. This will immediately affect your internal clock as your body is now receiving vitamin D.
- Speak to your doctor about prescribed sleeping aids such as melatonin. These do help but can also have side effects. For more information on the side effects of jet lag melatonin follow this link
- Avoid drinking caffeine. These spikes of energy and subsequent crashes often make jetlag worse. But if you are like me, and your body runs off of coffee, I recommend drinking it during the working hours of your destination so that your internal clock can start to prepare. But do not drink coffee at least 4 hours before bed.
- One of the most important tips we can suggest is, once you are at your destination, set a wake up alarm so that you don’t oversleep. Over sleeping is easy to do and has negative effects when it comes to jet lag. And no matter how tired you are, try and sleep at night time, not during the day.
These are tips to help prevent jetlag and how to recover from jetlag.
Final Thoughts – Jet Lag Symptoms
Whether it’s a travel holiday to Sydney Australia or a work conference in New York you are going to feel the effects of jet lag. For leisure or business you need to be at your best, to enjoy the experience and make the most of your time at your destination.
We recommend using the tips for jet lag to cope with and even stop some of the symptoms associated with jet lag.
People get affected by jet lag in different ways and these are broad symptoms you could feel. We recommend talking to your doctor before taking any medication.
We wish you safe travels and journeys ahead and beating jet lag. If you are keeping it local take a look at our post on wine and hospitality at Saronsberg wine estate r Durbans distillery 031 award winning gins.
