Jet Lag Survival Guide: A Flight Attendant’s Tips and Tricks to Avoid the Time Zone Blues
Jet Lag occurs when you cross time zones during your travels. It ultimately disturbs your normal sleep schedule, affecting your mood and ability to mentally or physically get through the day. As a flight attendant, Jet lag is a common challenge. Therefore, I have created this Jet Lag Survival Guide for effective jet lag remedies and time zone adjustment strategies to manage travel fatigue during our demanding schedules. Whether I end up in Paris or Rome, overcoming jet lag is important. Without these tips and tricks, jet lag can and will negatively affect your vacation.
Your body has its own internal clock and is synced to your original time zone. Jet lag disrupts your circadian rhythms due to frequent travel across multiple time zones, impacting your sleep schedule, energy levels, and overall well-being. Ultimately it is the fatigue you feel when crossing different time zones.
For example, if you fly from New York to Barcelona, you may land at 6 am but you are ready for bed because it is only 12 am in New York. Your body wants to go to sleep as people in Spain are just waking up.
Here are Some Tips and Tricks
Pre-Travel Preparation:
Start Early
Your sleep schedule before your trip is just as important as during your trip. Begin adjusting your sleep schedule several days before your departure. If you’re traveling east, try going to bed and waking up an hour earlier each day. If you’re traveling west, shift your sleep schedule an hour later each day.
Exposure to light
Natural light exposure helps regulate your body’s internal clock. This Jet Lag Survival Guide wants you to spend time outdoors during the morning if you’re trying to advance your sleep schedule or in the evening if you’re delaying it.
Limit Screen Time
Reduce exposure to screens (phones, tablets, computers, TVs) in the evening, as the blue light emitted can interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep.
Adjust Meals
Gradually shift your meal times to match the schedule of your destination. This can help reset your body’s internal clock and aid in adapting to the new time zone.
Stay Hydrated
Proper hydration contributes to overall well-being and can help regulate your body’s systems, including sleep. Drink plenty of water and limit caffeine and alcohol intake, especially in the hours leading up to bedtime.
Consistency
Aim to stick to your adjusted sleep schedule even on weekends or days off leading up to your trip. For this jet lag survival guide, Consistency is key to reinforce your body’s internal clock.
In-Flight Strategies:
Avoid Caffeine or Alcohol
Both options cause you to become more dehydrated, ultimately affecting your body clock.
Set Your Watch
Set your watch to your destination’s time upon boarding. This will help you to resist the urge of sleeping if it is daytime at your destination and keep your body’s pre-flight preparation consistent.
Sleep on the Plane
Especially if it is a long-haul flight it is important to try to sleep on the plane. I have found that playing classical music on noise-canceling headphones really helps me to block out all the noise from the plane. I also found that wearing an eye mask helps me sleep because light exposure becomes very minimal.
In-seat Exercises
Perform gentle stretching and in-seat exercises to improve blood circulation and prevent muscle stiffness. This can help reduce discomfort and keep you feeling more awake when it is still daytime at your destination.
Upon Arrival
Natural Light Exposure
Spend time outdoors during the daylight hours. Natural light helps reset your body’s internal clock and regulate the production of melatonin, a hormone that influences sleep.
Stay Hydrated
Continue to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, as dehydration can exacerbate feelings of fatigue.
Don’t Stay Inside
Go out and explore, plan light outdoor activities that expose you to sunlight, and keep your mind off how tired you actually are.
Avoid Long Naps
While a long nap can be refreshing, try to limit your nap to 20-30 minutes. This can prevent you from oversleeping and disrupting your nighttime sleep. This is my hardest one to do because once I take a nap it is hard to get back up. Try to avoid it if at all possible.
Have Patience
Even with these tips and tricks, it may take a few full days to adjust and it’s okay to give your body time to adapt. When I went to Seoul, even though I wanted to go to sleep right when I landed at 6 pm, I decided to go out and get some food and walk around the new city. By doing this, my body adjusts very easily to the new time zone.
Overall it is important to take care of your body and mind when traveling. If you embrace these tips it will help minimize the effects of jet lag and make the most of your adventures. As a flight attendant, I know that this is hard but be consistent and stay patient and your body clock will get adjusted!
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