Jet Lag 5 Pre travel Steps To Reduce The Effects Of Jet Lag

A sk any regular long-haul         insomnia induced by jet lag.       flyer about their                                                  experience of flying and        2. Ensure you are getting a        you will soon discover that           balanced and healthy diet.         everyone has a different "magic"                                         formula for overcoming or             Diet plays an important role in    avoiding jet lag.                     ensuring that you get a good                                             night's sleep and an appropriate   In reality of course no magic         balance of whole grains,           formula exists - and there is         proteins, fruits and vegetables    certainly no magic pill or            in your diet is essential.         tablet. There is, however, a                                             great deal that you can do in         Alcohol and caffeine are two       preparation for your departure to     elements of your diet that are     help you overcome or eliminate        particularly important in          jet lag and here are just a few       relation to jet lag and these      tips:                                 should be reduced, or eliminated,                                        in the run-up to your journey if   1. Maintain a consistent sleep        at all possible. If, however,      pattern.                              asking you to give up your twelve                                        cups of coffee each day is rather  If you are not following a            like asking you to cut off your    consistent routine in the days        right hand, then try to limit      and weeks before your journey         your intact to the afternoon       (going to bed and getting up at       between about 3 pm and 5 pm.       the same time each day) your                                             body's internal clock will be         Caffeine when taken late in the    disrupted even before you start       day tends to speed up your body    your journey and your flight will     clock, while taking it in the      simply magnify the effects of         morning has the opposite effect.   Taken during the middle of the        flying to a country that is four   day, caffeine has little or no        hours ahead, at your normal        effect on your body's circadian       bedtime the time at your           rhythms.                              destination will be 2 am. So, in                                         this case, you need to slowly      3. Take regular exercise.             bring your bedtime forward a                                             little bit (say fifteen minutes)   Regular exercise can                  each night for a week or ten days  significantly improve the             before your departure. This might  consistency, quality and duration     mean that immediately prior to     of your normal sleep cycle. Some      leaving you are going to bed at    form of daily aerobic exercise,       say 7.30 pm. However, when you     lasting at least twenty minutes,      arrive at your destination this    will go a long way to preparing       will mean that you are now going   your body for your forthcoming        to bed at 11.30 pm and that you    journey.                              have narrowed the four hour time                                         difference to just one and a half  4. Start to slowly adjust your        hours.                             bedtime.                                                                                                       5. Reduce stress in the days       You should begin to "manage" your     before traveling.                  body clock by gradually and                                              slowly adjusting your bedtime and     One often overlooked factor in     wake up time in the days before       the jet lag equation is that of    your journey, to bring these into     stress and much of this stress is  line with the local time at your      a direct result of the journey     destination.                          itself. How many times have you                                          found yourself running around at   If, for example, you normally go      the last minute trying to do 1001  to bed at 10 pm and you are           things at once?                                                                                             Plan ahead and make sure that, as     These are just a few examples of   far as is possible, everything        things that you should pay         that you need to do both at home      attention to when planning any     and at works is completed well in     long-haul trip and, together with  advance of your journey. In           other specific measures taken      planning for your journey, clear      both during your flight and        as much as you can as early as        following your arrival, will       you can and make specific time        considerably reduce the effects    available in your pre-journey         of jet lag, or even lead to no     planning for plenty of relaxation     jet lag at all!                    in the days immediately prior to                                         your departure.                       Copyright 2005 Donald Saunders     About the Author: Donald Saunders is the author of a number of health-related publications looking in detail at curing insomnia and managing other common sleep disorders. Drop by for more information on jet lag at http://help-me-to-sleep.com/jet-lag/ and to pick up your free copy of "How To Get A Good Night's Sleep" at http://help-me-to-sleep.com Source: www.isnare.com