Seven Ways to Beat Jet Lag
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Work out whether to snooze or not
If you’re flying east, you’re going to land at a later point in the day than if you fly west. East, therefore, means you will be sleeping sooner than you’re used to and west means you will be sleeping later than usual.
- When flying west, sleep on the plane to top up your energy and help you make it to bedtime when you land.
- When flying east, don’t sleep, because you’ll need to be hitting the hay sooner than usual anyway.
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Lights out
Planning to sleep on the plane is all well and good, but what if you can’t? A blinding above-the-clouds view of the sun can ruin the best laid plans to sleep on the plane. Luckily you can use Sun Flight to work out which side of the plane you should book your tickets for. Enter your flight number and the app tells you which side of the fuselage will be facing the sun for the journey.
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Create sleepy conditions
If you have decided that sleep on the plane is the best thing for you, you’ll need to optimise your chance of sleeping. Three tried and tested tips are:
- Skip that waiting lounge coffee.
- Get a window seat so you won’t have to move for people throughout the flight.
- Bring a blindfold and noise-cancelling headphones, or earphones.
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Melatonin
For some people, melatonin pills work wonders. Melatonin is a hormone your body produces to regulate its sleep cycle. It is usually released by your body before the night time, so taking it when heading east will make your body think it’s night time sooner than usual, helping you get in synch with the local time.
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Road trip
Just like acclimatising during an ascent to high altitude, travelling by car instead of plane will stop you getting jet lag as you adapt a little each day of travel. If you hate jet lag, why not make that East-West Coast trip a US road trip instead of a flyover?
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Make adjustments on both ends (i.e. before and after you fly)
Speaking of acclimatising, you can minimise jet lag by trying to get into the rhythm of your destination a few days before you even arrive. That way, when you do fly out, you’ll already be on the right sleep schedule.
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Embrace it
If none of the above works – just embrace it. So you’ve arrived at JFK wide awake at 2am? Great! It’s an opportunity to try out some of New York’s famous late night diners that you might have otherwise never have gotten to see.
For more expert help with all your travel needs, contact Simplexity Travel Management today on 0203 535 9290 or email corporate@simplexitytravel.com.