As a seasoned traveler, been traveling overseas for 25 years now wow! I have had my fare share of jet lag, and oh man can it put a cramp in travel plans!
So now I prep for my overseas long haul trips, with these tricks to over come jet-lag as quickly as possible. I live in LA so traveling back to Australia to see my family happens relatively often, here my tips for that and coming home or eastward bound:
Traveling West – Bali/Australia/Thailand etc
1 – Stay up as late as possible the days leading up to your departure. I mean late, like 6am if possible.
2 – Once on the plane, stay up as looong as you can. Then sleep as long as you can before arrival.
3 – Then when on the gound YAY! you arrived!! Now, go to the beach, go swim, yoga, run, exercise, or even just simply take a walk out in the sun!
4 – DO NOT nap, don’t do it!!! Go see the beautiful place to came to see and get some sunshine whilst doing it, and turn yourself around.
5 – Stay up as long as you can the first day! You can do it!!!
Then repeat until you don’t feel like your trying to wake up at 3am and go to bed at 6pm anymore 🙂
I know that sounds torturous, and it does suck, but it will turn you around much faster than if you give in to your normal timezone.
6 – If you HAVE to sleep, hey it happens, babies cry on 14 hour flights for 12 hours sometimes and not the strongest of earplugs can help stop it.
So if you have to nap, make sure you wake up, make it a 1 sleep cycle max(120mins) then go outside legit and stay up super late. I use an app called Power Nap that helps to wake you up in a soft way and with light, don’t snooze!!
Traveling home? same digs, except reverse it.
Go to bed earlier and earlier,
go to sleep immediately on the plane, most of the time help with some prescribed help or wine is best 😉
then stay up as long as you can in daylight hours when youre home, and try to get up as early as you can the following day.
Main key in this is to see as much sunlight as possible the first few days to turn your circadian rhythms around to the new timezone as quickly as possible.
A former flight attendant once told me to take your shoes off and stand in the grass, not sure if that works, but worth a go in my book! I’m going to try it this December when I’m home in Sydney for the holidays this year.
Travel safely and DRINK A LOT OF WATER ON THE PLANE, like stupid amounts! Dehydration helps to extend jet lag so stay hydrated my friends 🙂
– Bon Voyage!
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