Tired in the middle of the day, wide awake at 4 a.m. and days of feeling disorientated? Those among us who travel frequently know what jet lag can feel like. So what is it that makes you feel groggy and drained? And more importantly, how can you beat it?
Time Zones
Jet lag is also known as desynchronosis, which means time zone change syndrome. It is not actually caused by our body — it is a psychological condition that effects our functioning when we travel east to west, or the other way around, too rapidly for our minds to adjust. What really is being affected is our circadian rhythm, or body clock, as we usually call it.
This built in clock reacts to external occurrences like it getting dark at night and light in the morning. It not only regulates our sleep pattern, but also our eating habits and body temperature. So when you cross through time zones and the body can’t keep up with the shift in the light and darkness pattern, you get out of synch. The disturbance causes symptoms of jet lag. Some people are lucky and can adjust to a new time zone quite quickly — others take days to recuperate. Experiencing more and more jet lag? Sadly, this can be true as the older you get, the harder your body finds it to adjust and the more you will be affected.
Avoid the Alcohol Trap
There has yet to be a cure for jet lag that makes your body adjust to shifts in time zones and seasons straight away. Luckily, there are quite a few things you can do to minimize the severity of your jet lag.
First of all, hydration is very important. This means you have to drink plenty of water during your flight. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, as these will only dehydrate your body even more. It may be tempting to have a glass of wine or a beer when it is offered, but just remember you will be paying for it later. Drinking lots of water also has the positive side effect of making you get up to use the bathroom regularly. Moving around also helps you stay fit and it feels a bit silly walking up and down the aisle without a purpose. Also, being physically fit will give you the best advantage to beating the symptoms. So if you eat well and exercise regularly, chances are you will have fewer symptoms.
It is often said that adjusting your watch helps. This is true because it mentally prepares you for the time shift. Once you arrive at your destination, try and adjust to your new time as soon as possible. Yes, this may mean you feel worse and extremely tired the first day while you try and stay awake. But it also means you will have a better chance of being fit the next day. So try and avoid the 3 p.m. nap, however tempting it may feel, knowing you will have to deal with the pains of jet lag longer if you do.
Find the Sun and Stay Active
The best tip I’ve received on beating jet lag was from my yoga teacher. He taught me to “touch the ground” in each new city. When I arrive I always go for a walk to experience daylight and with every step I chant to myself “this is my place, here I belong.” This easy exercise helps me to feel connected and it somehow helps my brain to reconnect to the new situation, including the new time zone.
After this power walk, I look for a premium health club instead of the often depressing hotel gym. So the next time you experience jet lag, connect with a great health club, work out for an hour or so, join one of the intense classes such as indoor cycling, Zumba or BodyCombat and you are all powered up for a successful business trip.
Rob Does is the founder of GymAround.com. He can be contacted at rd@gymaround.com or via Twitter @rjfdoes.
