Travel Tips: Jet Lag Remedies

Also called desynchronosis or "time zone change syndrome," jet lag is a temporary sleep disorder that people experience when traveling across different time zones. When experiencing jet lag, your internal body clock is disrupted, so you could experience insomnia, tiredness, and other fatigue-related conditions. To put it simply, this is a horrible, annoying condition that long-haul travelers crossing different time zones will most likely experience for days (sometimes even weeks).

There are ways on how to make things less painful, however. Here are some remedies that could make you get through the pain-in-the-butt symptoms.

Fight it!

Let's say you arrive in Vietnam from the United States early morning-taking naps is fine, but make sure that you don't do hours of sleep. Start walking around, and force yourself to spend the day active. You might feel like a zombie at first, but your body will thank you. You'll most likely be beat by evening, so you'll most likely have a good rest at night. There's a chance that you'll be up very early on the next day, but this is to be expected-things will get better in the coming days if you keep up the pace.

Change time zones early.

Adjust to your destination's time zone early. Depending on where you're headed, you can either sleep earlier/later a few days before your trip. This way, your body can gradually adjust to what's about to happen.

Consider sleep aids.

You can also consider meds like Ambien, Lunesta, and Melatonin. Take note, however, that this is only recommended to those who are going on long flights (around 10 hours or more). If it's less than this, you're better off doing things the natural way, as you could arrive at your destination groggy and generally feeling heavy. Make sure to consult your doctor before taking any of these meds-it's imperative!

Hydrate.

Over and above all these tips is one very simple remedy to help you get through the hassles of jet lag: water. Hydrate when you're up in the air, and hydrate when you arrive on your destination! Try to resist caffeine and alcohol during your long-haul flight, as they will only leave you dehydrated, and therefore useless. Sure, going to the toilet on the plane requires some effort (best if you have an aisle seat so you won't bother the person next to you), but your body will definitely thank you for it.