I’ve just arrived home after another successful Photography Expedition into the Arctic with another wonderful case of Jet Lag! (look for my trip report for Jewels of the Arctic 2014 coming in the net few days)
Jet Lag is something that effects us all. No matter how much you travel, jet lag is just plain hard to tame. And as an added bonus, the older you get the harder Jet Lag hits you.
Feelings of dizziness, stomach upset, fuzziness, inability to compute and deep fatigue are common symptoms.
So here are some quick tips for overcoming Jet Lag!
Prepare for Jet Lag!
- start adjusting your sleep hours for your target timezone a few days before departing. Reset your watch once you’re on the plane and adjust your sleep cycles accordingly!
- drink lots of water prior and during your flight. Aeroplanes are dry places. Keep those fluids up!
- avoid alcohol!
- eat lightly! Lets face it airline food is pretty terrible so don’t eat too much of it
A little preparation goes a long way and can really help reduce the symptoms of Jet Lag. So make sure you make the effort if time and your schedule permits!
How to overcome Jet Lag as quickly as possible
- stick to the hours of your new arrived in time zone!
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day naps are OK but keep them to 30 minutes max!
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keep hydrated
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get some natural sunlight. Later in the morning and the afternoon are better than early morning sunlight
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keep up the multi-vitamins!
Jet Lag hits us all to varying degrees. You really just need to keep at it. It can last from 1 day to a week.
Supplements
- melatonin hormone can be used to help get your circadian rhythm back on track
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other medications are available to help you sleep and stay awake
Whilst supplements won’t ‘cure’ Jet Lag they’ll definitely help alleviate some of the symptoms of Jet Lag.
After travelling from one end of the planet to another and a timezone shift of 10 hrs. Jet Lag has knocked me out once again but as I sit here looking through the frames I shot whilst on this last Photography Expedition I can’t hold back the smiles that keep on coming … between yawns that is!