Can You Reduce Jet Lag On Holiday Flights?

A large number of medical health experts have found that passengers on airline flights usually experience a worse bout of jet lag when flying to their vacation destinations from east to west. Generally, the more time zones their flights cross when they travel from east to west, the more severe the symptoms of jet lag will be. Although, airline passengers will only experience a milder bout of jet lag when their flight is going from west to east.

Airline passengers can fly north and south, or south to north, for thousands of miles without experiencing jet lag. But as soon as the pilot of the airplane starts flying in an east to west direction and crosses more than one or two time zones, they can experience jet lag.

Airline passengers will not usually experience the symptoms of jet lag until they exit the plane at their vacation destination. That is the time when the passengers’ biological clocks will start to make internal adjustments inside their bodies to coincide more closely with the local time at their destination. If they travel across one, or even two time zones, their bodies can usually adjust very quickly. However, if an airline passenger is in poor health or not feeling well before the flight, jet lag can compound the problem. In general, you should allow one day to recover for every time zone your air flight crosses.

The following suggestions may help you lessen the effects of jet lag when you fly.

If you can, try to catch a flight that arrives at your vacation destination in daylight hours. When you land, immediately fit in with the new time zone and do not go to bed. If you’re feeling tired and want to take a little snooze, do it in a well lighted place.

In the evening, when your tired, go to sleep in a darkened room. The darkness will help prepare your brain for sleep.

Try to avoid looking at television or computer screens as they are bright and have high frequencies that can easily over-stimulate your brain.

Until your jet lag symptoms subside, do not consume alcohol or any drinks such as coffee and soda that contain caffeine, as it can disrupt your sleep.

To help you adjust to the time zone at your destination, you may want to consider taking a melatonin tablet or capsule (as many air travelers do) in the early evening (your time). You might still have to take a melatonin for the next three or four evenings in a row before you go to bed in this new location to help you readjust your biological clock. If you not taken melatonin before, you should ask your doctor or local pharmacist for more information in regards to the suggested dosage.

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