8 Ways To Avoid Jet Lag

Before you read the five sleep tips that Marcel offers, I want to offer 3 bonus tips – the one that always works for me.

1. When I must take a morning flight that takes me across more than five time zones, I purposefully stay awake the night before the trip as much as possible.

I often stay awake all night.

Pulling off an all-nighter completely disrupts my sleep schedule, which is exactly what I want to do!

By the time that I board the plane in the morning, I am so utterly exhausted, that I fall asleep on the plane. When I arrive at my destination in the morning and I am relatively well-rested unlike most of my passengers.

2. What if you must take an evening flight over many time zones and arrive in the evening?

In that case, I stay awake all night on the plane!

While most of my fellow passengers are sleeping, I’ll watch movies or work on my PC to stay awake as long as possible. By the time we arrive at our destination, I’m a zombie. And because it’s the evening, I arrive at the hotel and sleep soundly.

3. Don’t be afraid of going to bed at 8 pm.

The natural clock of most humans is about 25 hours. Therefore, left to our own devices, our sleep schedule naturally drifts to going to sleep later and later and waking up later and later.

That’s why it’s so hard to get up on Monday morning! You drift on Saturday and Sunday by waking up later and later each day. That’s why you get so little sleep Sunday night.

Knowing this, if you’re exhausted when you arrive in Paris at 4:00 pm, avoid napping.

Instead, drink caffeine, go for a walk, or do whatever you have to do to stay awake until 8:00 pm. Force yourself to stay awake a few more hours.

Yes, it’s possible that you’ll wake up at midnight, but give your body a chance to fall back asleep by avoiding screens. I like to read myself back to sleep.

If you’re utterly exhausted at 8:00 pm, you’ll probably sleep until 4:00 am or even later. 

If you’re not used to waking up at 4:00 am, try it. You might like it. If the sun rises also early, it’s the best time to get photos because few tourists are around and the light is perfect. 

Go for a brisk walk or run.

Bakeries also wake up early and you can get fresh warm bread at 6:00 am.

Or if you feel weird leaving your hotel at 4:00 am, then catch up on your social media and emails until 6:00 am.

Yes, you’ll be tired when 9:00 pm rolls around, but that’s fine because you’re on a 25-hour clock.

So in a few days, you’ll recalibrate your schedule to whatever time you normally like to sleep at.

I’ve gone to bed at 6 pm and woken up at 3 am. It’s great to be productive went the rest of the world isn’t. Enjoy it. You can let your natural body clock drift yourself to your preferred sleep schedule.

OK, now here are 5 more tips from Marcel.

Guest article by Marcel Schreyer

The human’s internal cardinal rhythm is responsible for the sleep-wake cycle. Some people sleep only once a day while others sleep multiple times during the whole day.

Everyone follows a different sleep schedule or pattern. For instance, there is a monophasic sleep pattern and a polyphasic sleep pattern. When a person takes naps during the day, it means that a person is following a polyphasic sleep pattern. A monophasic sleep pattern refers to a person who sleeps only at night.

However, your sleeping pattern can be disturbed with a new work schedule or timing; moreover, traveling can also affect your sleeping routine.

You need to do certain things to keep your sleep schedule intact while you’re on the road.

 Planning a trip can be worrisome, which is why you might not be able to pay much attention to your sleep.

One must know that sleep provides rest to your body. Whenever you plan for a trip, you should be aware of your sleep schedule. Sound sleep during traveling can reduce tiredness and exhaustion. Therefore, this article is going to discuss five ideas that can help you to follow your sleeping routine while you are on a trip.

1. Take Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin is responsible for the sleep schedule.

The pineal gland releases melatonin before bedtime. The production of melatonin can be disturbed when you are traveling. Therefore, one cannot stick to a sleep schedule during a trip.

You can solve this problem with the help of a melatonin supplement since it is safe to use, and it can help you to fall asleep with ease. This supplement can be found in any pharmacy or drugstore. The next time you are on a trip, you should take melatonin with you because it will trigger the GABA receptors in your brain. These receptors stimulate dopamine and acetylcholine systems, which induce sleep.

2. Reduce light exposure

Light can disturb your sleep since light exposure alters one’s internal “sleep clock.”

Traveling to a new place can also change your sleep routine. For instance, if you’re on a trip to a country where the weather is always sunny, then you must wear sunglasses. When sunlight hits our eyes, specific changes occur in our physiology. Moreover, light makes our brain active and sharp. That’s why we can do a lot of activities during the day.

However, one mustn’t expose themselves to light after sunset. Avoid using smartphones, tablets, and laptops after dark. Researchers found out that light emitted by computers, cellphones, televisions, and tablet restricts the production of melatonin. As you know that melatonin is necessary for sleep, and suppression of this hormone can cause sleep disorders like insomnia.

Use fewer smartphones, laptops, and tablets on a trip. You should consider getting a quiet room for the stay. Moreover, turn off the lights in the room before bedtime. A dark room will help you fall asleep as soon as you hit the sack.

3. Arrive as early as possible

Arriving at a place in the evening can cause sleeplessness. You may not be able to fall asleep if you’re traveling in the evening or afternoon. That’s why you should plan your trip wisely and arrive at the destination as early as possible. Keep time zone differences in your mind as well, and then design the plan.

If you are going to reach your destination at night, then you mustn’t sleep on your way; otherwise, you will have trouble sleeping at night.

Staying awake for long hours can also help you regulate your sleep pattern. It is our advice to you that engage yourself in activities during the day. For instance, if you’re in a foreign country, then you can teach English during the day. Teaching English abroad is now possible with the help of TEFL certification, and you can avail this opportunity easily.

4. Tricks to fall asleep

Sometimes, your brain doesn’t let you hibernate because it is too occupied with thoughts. Calming your mind isn’t as simple as it sounds. Therefore, some scientists have introduced some tricks to calm your nerves to fall asleep. Some studies conducted over the years have also advocated these “tricks”.

Yoga or meditation: Yoga and meditation are considered two sides of a coin. It is said that meditation is part of yoga when a person focuses on their breathing and thoughts.

On the other hand, yoga requires physical exercise. You can do meditation by closing your eyes; however, yoga will make you do specific exercises. There are different yoga positions that you can practice, and each position has its benefits.

Doctors suggest that everyone should do yoga once a day. Yoga calms the mind and makes you peaceful. You can set a specific time in the day for yoga, and you can practice it while you are on a trip since it doesn’t require any particular place.

Furthermore, it can be practiced in a hotel room as well. Consider this trick because it will make you peaceful and sleepy in no time.

Listen to relaxing music: A study suggested that sedative music can improve sleep. There is Buddhist music, which is created with Buddhists’ chants. This music has been used as a sleep aid by many people, and a study considered it an excellent tool for sleep.

5. Scent your room with lavender

Lavender is used in many medicines and sedatives. It is an essential herb for sleep since its aroma can relax one’s nerves. A study conducted at Wesleyan University state that lavender can lower blood pressure, and it can induce sleep.

It also states that sniffing lavender oil before bedtime can increase melatonin. Furthermore, lavender has a lovely scent which will make rest instantly. You can also rub lavender oil on your forehead for better results.

Therefore, it could be said that you can stick to your sleep schedule even if you are traveling, but you will have to follow this information. This article is beneficial for a person who is planning a tour. Moreover, we have mentioned some studies and factual data to let you know that you can your sleep routine while you are on a trip.

Author Bio:
Marcel Schreyer is a French national, student of English Languages, in his final year at Stanford University. He is exceptionally passionate about writing his thoughts in words. He takes up writing projects in his leisure time to accompany his studies. He is multi-lingual and enjoys every bit of learning and teaching languages. He regularly writes his blogs at https://jimmyesl.com/blog/