Jet Lag Coping On Arrival At Your Destination

W ith the best preparation       head just when you least expect    in the world before           it.                                leaving home, and having                                         taken a few simple precautions        If your destination is in a time   during your flight, you will          zone that is behind the time back  inevitably suffer the effects of      home it is often claimed that      jet lag, unless you also continue     taking a nap as soon as possible   your "no jet lag" plan once you       after your arrival is helpful.     arrive at your destination.           This is, however, not advisable,                                         unless you really feel that you    Here, however, we need to sound a     cannot press on without some       word of caution. One common           sleep. If this is the case, try    problem with jet lag is that, for     to take only a short nap lasting   many people, the true effects of      no more than about thirty or       jet lag are not immediately           forty minutes. The best cure for   apparent and it may take a day or     jet lag, and its associated        two to "catch up" with you. In        insomnia, is to press on to the    addition, the excitement of           normal bedtime at your             arriving at your holiday              destination and, thereby, to       destination, or for an important      immediately begin the process of   business meeting, may also tend       adapting your internal body clock  to mask the symptoms of jet lag.      to its new environment.                                                                                     So, if you arrive at your             If you arrive at a destination     destination feeling like a            that is ahead of your home time    million dollars and throw             then try to sleep through as much  yourself into your holiday or         of the night as possible, even     business activities - beware! Jet     though your body still thinks      lag will almost certainly creep       that it's the middle of the day.   up and hit you on the back of the     Here the use of natural remedies   such as herbal teas, as well as a     attention to your diet. Eating     warm (but not hot) bath,              and drinking to excess is often a  aromatherapy or relaxation and        normal part of any holiday or      meditation exercises can be           business trip, but try to avoid    extremely helpful in triggering       over-indulging in the first two    the body's natural sleep cycle.       or three days after arrival. In                                          particular, limit your intake of   Light also plays a very important     such things as caffeine and        role in reducing the effects of       alcohol, as well as other          jet lag and you should try to         stimulants.                        expose yourself to as much                                               daylight as possible during           Finally, don't neglect your        normal waking hours. If you           body's need for exercise. Taking   arrive during the day avoid the       regular daily aerobic exercise     temptation to sit and rest in         for at least twenty minutes (even  your hotel room or lounge and get     if that's only a brisk walk back   out and about in the daylight         to your hotel rather than a taxi   until it's time for your normal       ride) is an important part of any  evening routine.                      plan to cure jet lag.                                                                                       You should also continue to pay       Copyright 2005 Donald Saunders     About the Author: Donald Saunders is the author of a number of health-related publications including "Jet Lag - An Alternative Approach" which can be found at http://help-me-to-sleep.com/jet-lag/jet-lag-remedy.html For further information on jet lag, and other sleep disorders, please visit http://help-me-to-sleep.com Source: www.isnare.com