How to handle a jetlag
8 TIPS How to STEP OFF THE PLANE REFRESHED
Even though I find it the winter wonderful (not on the slopes by the way, I've never been on skis), I still always want to go to the sun. Christmas at home with family, then I fly out to a warm tropical destination. I'm not the only one who prefers to end the year this way. Liesbeth just booked a ticket to Rio de Janeiro (seriously, an hour ago, she's still dancing on her chair). By the way, she is going during Christmas and also celebrates New Year's there. When she returns, I will pack my suitcase for a round trip Thailand and Josselin has also been surfing the internet for days for a little trip.
Okay, all fun and games, we really have nothing to complain about, but if you spend more than 8 hours on a plane, you usually suffer from jetlag. And that's what I want to talk about today. Tips on how to leave the plane refreshed and get rid of jetlag as quickly as possible. Here they come:
– One of the causes of jetlag is dehydration. The air in the cabin is dry and the air conditioning doesn't help either. So make sure you drink more than you normally would. On most flights, you can ask for as much water as you want, so do that.
- Be careful with caffeinated and alcoholic drinks: they cause your body to lose moisture. Sorry for those who are afraid of flying, but that means no drinking before you board.
– This is quite tricky, but to get used to your new day cycle, you can start adjusting your sleep rhythm about 4 days before departure to help your biological clock. If you're traveling west (New York for example), go to bed an hour later than usual every night. If you're traveling east, for example to Thailand, go to bed 1 or 2 hours earlier in the evening, and also get up a bit earlier in the morning than normal.
– I understand that you want to sleep during a flight, but it's also important to move. So be careful with sleeping pills. I was knocked out for 12 hours once (okay, it was really a pill for elephants) and I woke up with the biggest calves you can imagine. And this lasted about two weeks until it was completely over. Try to walk every two hours and do some stretching exercises here and there. a stretch exercise to do. Usually, you will find a card with exercises in the pocket of the seat in front of you on long-haul flights.
– If possible, opt for a daytime flight. Then you can end the (short) day with a good night's sleep. Night flights arrive in the early morning. It's best to rest for a few hours, and then get up and stay awake until it becomes night in the new time zone.
– It often happens that people eat a lot before the flight because the meals on the plane, what can I say, are not really great. So don't eat them. Your digestion works slower to adapt to new circumstances. And a heavy meal combined with slower digestion is not okay.
– Moisturize your skin and body well with moisturizing cream. When you're up there in the air, everything dries out quickly and it also helps keep your body fitter.
– Lastly, if you arrive late in the evening and it's still day for you, just dive into the disco right away, drink until the sun comes up, and then see what happens next.
Bon Voyage!
