7 Craziest Yet Helpful Methods To Beat Jet Lag

No matter if you’re going overseas for a business trip or on a vacation; you want to make maximum use of your time away from home. Unfortunately, jet lag can steal a couple of days from your trip, making you feel zoned out, chronically tired, and sleepy. And while there’s simply no way to avoid jet lag completely, there are things you can do to minimize the effect.

To help you enjoy your trip and minimize jet lag, here are 7 unusual but effective tips for you to follow:

1. Try an Anti-Jet-Lag Diet

Considered the best diet plan to beat jet lag, the Argonne diet was studied for its efficiency in minimizing jet lag. The diet was invented by scientist Charles Ehret who claimed that the circadian rhythm is partially controlled by nutrition and he believed in using food to manipulate your body’s circadian rhythm. It essentially involves eating a protein-rich breakfast and caffeine in the afternoon to stimulate wakefulness. A study that was published in Military Medicine even found that those who adopted the Argonne diet had reduced jet lag symptoms.

2. Find a Jet-Lag App

Consider Jet Lag Rooster – an app that can help you adjust your sleep schedule before you even take off. The app helps you prepare for your big trip by adjusting your circadian rhythm to your destination time. Another app to consider is Entrain which was developed by researchers at the University of Michigan and the app helps you adjust to the new time zone before you even get there. Stop Jet Lag is another jet-lag-fighting app, but that you have to purchase. The app helps create a more personalized approach to your specific situation and provides a range of advice that can help you combat jet lag.

3. Caffeine is Your Friend

Let’s face it, no matter how hard you try, chances are you’ll have trouble staying awake during the first few days of your landing. While your body is coping with jet lag, you can make use of caffeine to help keep you awake when you most need it. A systematic review on the role of caffeine in improving concentration found that it improved all aspects of cognitive functioning that was challenged by either shift work or jet lag. However, you need to schedule your caffeine-containing beverages carefully. Make sure to avoid caffeine six hours before you plan to go to bed and make use of caffeinated drinks in the hours you need to be most active.

4. If you’re Desperate – Try This High-Tech Gadget

Although a bit pricey at just around $300, Re-Timer frames were found to be effective in minimizing jet lag as well as improving other sleep-related problems. The frames utilize light therapy to help manipulate melatonin production. They emit a calming green light, and you need to wear them only 50 minutes at a time to reduce the burden of jet lag. A study published recently in Sleep and Biological Rhythms even confirmed that the Re-Timer frames were an effective way to delay the circadian rhythm in healthy subjects.

5. Practice Before You Leave

Maybe the safest and easiest way to avoid jet lag is to pretend you are already at your destination. Try going to bed an hour later or earlier than you normally would and move one hour more with each new day. Adjust your eating schedule as well as the food you eat also plays a role in the hormonal regulation of your circadian rhythm. Jet lag, after all, is always caused by shifting through time zones and does not occur when traveling south-north and vice versa. To prepare your body for what’s ahead, start manipulating your circadian rhythm up to 7 days beforehand.

6. Fly a Couple of Days Earlier and Purchase First Class

Sure, this option will cost you more in flight tickets and hotel stays, but if you try saving money on these things, you’ll be missing out once you get to your destined place. Booking a first-class seat will ensure that you get some sleep in a comfortable lying position. Arriving earlier than your planned schedule will give you time to adjust to the new time zone. The investment will be worth it, and it’s good to keep in mind that these are the same methods employed by CEOs and other business people.

7. Sleep in a Cooler Room

Our body’s circadian rhythm is controlled by many different things such as light and hormones, but your body’s core temperature also plays a role in this. Once you get to your hotel room, make sure to keep the room cool when you’re trying to nap or sleep. By lowering the room’s temperature, you’ll also be lowering your body’s core temperature and this is bound to induce sleepiness.

To reduce the burden of jet lag, it is important to take necessary measures such as adjusting your sleeping schedules and watching what you eat. If the tips listed here don’t appeal to you, you can also try out supplements like Pruvit Keto-OS to help your body recover while you’re dealing with the consequences of trans-Atlantic flights.

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