After enduring hours in the air, crammed alongside a throng of fellow passengers, you’ve finally landed at your dream getaway. The day beckons with promise, and you’re eager to start exploring, but then it strikes – the jet lag.
This unwelcome companion of long-haul flights can seriously sour your holiday excitement.
Jet lag doesn’t just disrupt your sleep pattern; it can also take a toll on your mental and physical well-being. However, fear not, as there are several strategies to mitigate its impact, allowing you to bounce back quickly.
Travel expert and co-director of Cheap Deals Away UK, Dawn Morwood, shares her top tip for combating jet lag, which she refers to as her “time zone sleep trick”.
“Adjust your circadian rhythms, your body’s internal clock, gradually,” advises Dawn.
“You can do this by basically leaving your metabolism where it is. You stay on home time for as long as you can certainly on the plane, then adjust,” reports the Mirror.
To implement this, aim to sleep on the flight during your normal sleeping hours back home. For added ease, be tactical about your seat selection.
Dawn recommends: “To sleep on the plane while flying economy, you’re better off in a window seat. You only have a person who may disturb you on one side, you don’t have to move for others to use the bathroom, and you can rest your head against the plane wall.”
Opting for a window seat also provides better access to natural light, aiding your circadian rhythm – the sunlight from the window will naturally awaken you when necessary. In addition to maintaining a regular sleep schedule, Dawn offers other tips to minimise jet lag.
In addition to maintaining a regular sleep schedule, Dawn offers other tips to minimise jet lag.
These involve avoiding alcohol and caffeine as they can interfere with sleep, and not overplanning your initial holiday days.
By relaxing during the first few days, you allow your body to recuperate from the flight and adapt to the new time zone.