You caught a red-eye flight and arrive at your destination feeling like a zombie. Or maybe you’ve returned home but can’t adjust to your routine sleep schedule.
Either way, jet lag is no fun. But there’s a reason why we encounter it and it knocks us off our feet.
“The human body has a circadian rhythm and that goes with the 24-hour cycle of daylight. Air travel allows us to cross time zones faster than our internal clock – it produces a rash of symptoms from insomnia to decreased appetite, constipation and tiredness,” Dr. John Fleetham, a University of British Columbia professor and vice-president of the Canadian Sleep Society, told Global News.
“Jet lag happens when your body clock is out of sync with the environment. Our circadian rhythms line up with our environments but if you fly to Russia and you’re 12 time zones ahead, what your body’s feeling won’t line up with the environment,” Dr. Jay Olson, a McGill University psychiatry professor, said.
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At 4 a.m., your body’s temperature cools off and you’re drowsy or deep in sleep. If it’s 4 p.m. in Russia and you’re grappling with those feelings, it doesn’t make for easy travel.
Olson created an app called Jet Lag Rooster that creates a plan to help you fight jet lag, simply by plugging in your starting point and final destination.
He said it’s created plans for over 250,000 people, some of whom wrote to tell him it worked for them.
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In the meantime, here’s a look at 10 simple tips to combat jet lag.
Adjust when you go to sleep and when you wake up
Get strategic with your bedtime and when you set your alarm clock, the experts say.
“Start shifting your body clock before you fly and continue shifting it after you land. Some people start shifting three days in advance, some try even a week before,” Olson said.
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It could be as simple as pushing your bedtime 30 minutes to an hour later or earlier to get closer to the time zone of your destination.
Wake up earlier or sleep in a bit more, too. This is the gradual way to ease into the time awaiting you at your final destination.
Rely on light…
The most reliable factor that’ll help your body shift is light exposure during daytime hours.
“It can be bright light from sunlight or sometimes people buy a portable light box that you shine on yourself. It can help you sync with the environment,” Olson said.
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The timing of light exposure matters, too – bright light later on in the day will keep you up, for example. Meanwhile, flooding your hotel room with natural light could help you stay awake during daytime hours.
“Try to get bright light in the afternoon and avoid bright light until bedtime. But natural light is the best physiological way to adjust,” Fleetham said.
…and power naps
Fleetham suggests “strategic napping” – siestas of about 30 minutes or less – go a long way. They may be all you need to tide you over without worsening your situation.
“Just make sure it’s not within hours of your normal sleep time,” he said.
Change your clock
Some people adjust the time on their phones, laptops, and watches once they get on the plane so they’re already adjusting to their new time zone. Just looking at the time and seeing it’s time for dinner, or to hunker down for bedtime may be enough to signal your brain to prep for it.
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The jury’s out on whether this tactic works, though.
“I don’t think this has been studied specifically but it’s a small simple thing that might help but certainly can’t hurt,” Olson said.
Melatonin and other sleep aids
Melatonin is dubbed the “sleep hormone” and it’s what your body secretes to help initiate and maintain sleep. By daytime, your body secretes less melatonin until it’s “almost non-existent.”
“You can use it to help reset your sleep cycle to help get over jet lag,” Fleetham said. It’s more useful to take it when travelling east, he noted.
Sleeping pills are much more potent. They’ll have a carryover effect of drowsiness when you get up, too.
Watch what you eat and drink
What you eat and drink and when you choose to dine are important, Olson said.
“It affects your body when you’re digesting meals and throws your body’s internal clock off,” he said. Still, light exposure is higher up on the list, he said.
Either way, try not to take in too much caffeine or alcohol and stay hydrated, the experts say.
Take a cold shower when you land
You could feel icky and gross after a long-haul flight. Change out of your travel clothes and take a shower – it’ll freshen you up while waking you up when you land.
“There’s no conclusive research but some people swear by a warm or cold shower. It’s possibly true, possibly not,” Olson said.
Limit your distractions
When you’re on the plane, it’s hard to get to sleep between sharing an arm rest to announcements from the flight deck.
Arm yourself with headphones, an eye mask and warm, comfy clothes to help you settle in and make the most of the flight.
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Follow sleep hygiene just like you would at home, too: that means turning off screens — from your smart phone to the TV in front of you — to try to focus on getting sleep.
At your destination, follow these principles, too. Close the curtains to help your room stay dark in the morning if you’re adjusting to a new wake-up time, and wind down when it’s time for you to go to bed.
Plan ahead
Believe it or not, the simple act of being prepared for travel can help with the entire process, Olson said.
“The more people plan their flights, the less travel fatigue they get. They know about their transportation for when they land, they know where they’re staying. Those little details help people feel less fatigued,” Olson said.
Travel fatigue is not quite the same as jet lag. Travel fatigue is that tiredness that sets in when you fly – even if you’re staying in the same time zone.
Use Jet Lag Rooster
Olson’s program has helped more than 250,000 people from 98 per cent of the world’s countries, he said.
Plug in your trip details and how early you want to start your adjusting. The program will explain when to start moving your bedtime and when to zero in on natural light.
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