We all love to travel, to see new places, make new memories, refresh and rejuvenate ourselves. However, flight fatigue or jet lag that results from travelling across time zones can disturb our internal body clock and cause fatigue, anxiety, headaches, sweating, irritability, coordination problems dizziness, memory loss and insomnia. This can ruin a well-planned travel itinerary and put your family and friends at a disadvantage too.

Here are a few tips that can help you cope with jet lag

Exercise: A healthy and fit body will automatically ensure that you can better cope with the trying conditions of air travel. Get enough rest and exercise before you’re heading for a long journey. Your physical stamina and conditioning will allow you to deal with jet lag better after you land.

Get Medical Advice: If you are a patient with a medical condition that needs special monitoring, you need to check with your doctor well in advance of your departure.

Change Your Schedule: If you will be staying in the new time zone for more than just a few days, you need to adjust your body to it before you leave. For example, if you are travelling from India to the United States, you should set your daily routine back by around 2 hours three to four weeks before you leave. The next week, set it back by another hour, and so on and so forth. By doing this you will save your body the shock of jetlag

Avoid Alcohol: Refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages one day before, during and after your flight as it can cause dehydration, nausea and spoil your sleeping schedule.

Avoid Caffeine: Avoid caffeinated drinks before, during and after the flight as it can also cause dehydration and spoil your sleep cycle.

Drink Water: Airplanes are air-conditioned and being in one for too long can cause dehydration.

Stretch Your Legs: While seated during your flight, exercise your legs from time to time. Take a walk down the aisle. Every hour or two, get up and go walk around. Do not take sleeping pills and do not nap for more than an hour at a time.

– By Charmaine D’Souza

About Charmaine D’Souza
D’Souza, is a nutrition and health consultant with more than 25 years of experience in assisting clients who are interested in improving their health and general well-being through better nutrition and healthy changes in their lifestyle. Charmaine is a great believer in freedom of choice in healthcare. In order to have this freedom, one must have information about the different systems of healing. She also believes that the responsibility for health does not belong to doctors, nutritionists, fitness trainers, life coaches, health insurance companies or even the government. The responsibility for one’s health belongs to the individual.

Charmaine is the author of two nutrition books published by Random House India called Kitchen Clinic and Blood Sugar and Spice.