Jet lag is a condition that most travellers suffer from at some time or another. While the effects are not permanent, they can be extremely unpleasant and may take up to a week to get rid of. Typical symptoms include extreme fatigue, insomnia, irritability, indigestion or nausea, headaches, and a general feeling of being disorientated.
The effect of jet lag is generally worse when travelling eastwards, and when you cross a greater number of different time zones. Some people say that you can expect the effects of jet lag to last as long as the number of time zones you cross. So, for example, if you are travelling through five time zones, you can expect to suffer for five days. But not everyone agrees.
Fortunately there are a few natural remedies that you can use to minimize jet lag and recover from it more quickly.
One way to adjust to jet lag before it happens is to consciously alter your body clock and its biorhythms. You will need to do this both before you leave and once you arrive at your destination. First establish what the time difference is between your place of departure and the place you are flying to. Let's say that you are flying from New York to London and the difference will be five hours. Since London is ahead of New York, five days before you are due to travel, go to bed an hour earlier than you normally would. The next day go to bed two hours earlier. The day before you are due to travel, go to bed five hours before the usual time. This way your body will be ready for bed at the right time when you arrive.
Of course that's all very well if you find it easy to get to sleep. But not everybody can sleep on demand, so to speak. If this is the case, do NOT consider taking sleeping tablets. Sleeping tablets are only likely to make your symptoms of jet lag even worse. A more natural option for adjusting sleep pattern comes in the form of synthetic melatonin. Many people find that if they take small doses (no more than 3 mg) of melatonin half an hour to an hour before they are due to go to sleep (or want to go to sleep), they fall asleep easily. It doesn't make them feel particularly drowsy, but it is does help them sleep naturally.
Natural melatonin is a hormone that is manufactured by our brains. And natural melatonin has a very important role in terms of our biorhythms, particularly the circadian rhythm that determines the body's pattern of waking and sleeping every 24 hours. It is only produced when it is dark, which is how it helps us to sleep. Now when people travel long distances, across time zones, they find themselves either being exposed to additional hours of light, or fewer light hours. It stands to reason, therefore that the normal production of melatonin will be affected. For this reason a melatonin supplement may help people suffering from jet lag to readjust. Travelers should consult a professional before taking melatonin.
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