Lifestyle

Tips for Healthy Plane Habits

Having Jet Lag While on the Plane Some other approaches to mitigate jet lag can depend on the direction of travel. After all, if you travel… Trista - March 25, 2020

Where you travel can affect how best to deal with jet lag. Shutterstock

Having Jet Lag While on the Plane

Some other approaches to mitigate jet lag can depend on the direction of travel. After all, if you travel east through multiple time zones, you’ll feel like you’re losing time. But if you go west through numerous time zones, you’ll feel as if you’re gaining time.

If you’re traveling west, try to stay up as late as you can when you get there, since it’s easier to stay up later than it is to try and shorten your body’s natural rhythms. Also, a few days prior to traveling, try going to bed and getting up later. If you’re going east, try to sleep on the plane while it is night time at your destination. Upon arrival, avoid sleeping during the day, since that will extend the amount of time it will take to adjust to the new time zone. Also, where if you’re heading west you should try to stay up later before leaving, if you’re traveling east, try to go to bed and wake up earlier before travel.

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It can take several days to a week or two to adjust fully to a new time zone.

Dealing With Jet Lag At the Destination

When you arrive at your destination, there are further steps that can be taken to aid your adjustment to the new time zone. The first step is to do what you can to get into the local routine as soon as possible. Spending time in daylight generally can also help you adjust due to the exposure to sunlight. Also, if you’ve traveled west, try to be outdoors during the morning and indoors during the afternoon. And if you’ve gone east, try to be outdoors during the afternoon and indoors during the evening.

Finally, the level of adaptation that is necessary or desirable depends on the nature of your trip. If you will only be at your destination for a brief amount of time, then it’s probably a better idea to avoid adapting to the new time zone and stay on your local time. Additionally, if you’re traveling for a meeting, you could either arrive early to better adapt to the new time zone or schedule your session for a time that would coincide with when you’d be awake in your normal time zone.

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