Friday, September 21, 2012

jet-lagged

I've been at my desk at 6 am the past 2 mornings, 
so I guess there's something positive to say about jet-lag. 

I'm not one who does well with a lack of sleep.  I'm prone to headaches and those come easily when I haven't slept enough.  I've also been told from people close to me, that I'm not my usual delightful self when I'm tired.  I'm not exactly sure what the mean, but...

A lot of my travels have been short, quick trips for work or for play where I've needed to be alert for meetings or making the most of my trip in a new city.

I've found a few things that really help me when it comes to jet lag.

1. get on the new schedule as soon as possible - this includes sleeping and eating.  If it's morning in my arrival city, I eat breakfast, no matter what time it was when I left home.  When I go to sleep at night, I set my alarm for early the next morning and actually get up. {The getting up part is hard for me.}  During our trip to Paris, the first night I woke up around 4 am and couldn't get back to sleep.  Instead of getting out of bed and in front of a screen {TV, computer, internet - which I think disrupts sleep}, I laid in bed and read.  After about an hour, I knew I had to get more sleep if I wanted to by out the whole next day.  I turned off the light and started slowly counting backwards from 100 - it sounds silly but it worked.  Every time my mind wandered, I'd go back to counting.  I ended up getting to 76, and the following night to 88.

2. get into the sun - our body natural acclimates to the sun.  In winter I naturally sleep in a bit and in summer I tend to wake a bit earlier.  Rather than taking a nap when I arrive, I get outside as soon as possible and walk {and walk and walk}.  This has probably been the most helpful for me when traveling.

3. plan flights accordingly - I try to book my flights so that I'm arriving at my destination earlier in the day.  This isn't always possible but if I can I try to book this way.  It really helps me with getting out in the sun when I arrive.

4. drink water - It's only taken me a couple decades, but I'm finally a firm believer in all the hype about water.  It really is the miracle cure - fatigue, weight loss, aging - it really does it all.  During our trip, I woke up with an awful headache one morning.  I drank a bottle of water and within 30 minutes my headache was gone.  Staying hydrated for me, especially when flying as been a huge help.

5. move - I think one of the reasons getting outside in the sun when I arrive always helps me, is because I'm moving.  Walking around a new city and exploring is always one of my favorite things to do.  On the day I arrive, I usually don't have anything planned so getting out and walking around helps me start to get to know the city and tires me out so I have a better chance of sleeping that night.

6.  eat fresh - I always try to pack a few snacks for the plane ride, especially now that so many domestic flights are over-charging for sub-par food.  Also, I've found that the less salt I eat on the plane, the better I feel when I get there.  My feet are prone to swelling and turn into little sausages when I fly {I won't torture you with a photo.} - cutting down on salt definitely makes it easier to slip my shoes back on when we land.  {I've had a problem with this before.  So embarrassing.}  I try to pack a couple a pieces of fresh fruit like an apple, banana or tangerines {not easily squishable}, raw almonds and/or a Kind or Luna bar.  I've found that eating lighter on the plane helps a lot so I try not to eat out of boredom during long flights.

7. sleep when needed - I always try to sleep on the plane as much as possible.  During the trip, if I need an afternoon nap, I let myself have it.  I may let myself sleep for an hour or so but I always set my alarm and try not to let myself sleep much more than that.  

What are your best techniques for jet-lag?  

Happy travels and hope your weekend's lovely!

LMF

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...