Jet lag is awful. These suggestions can assist you to avoid having your trip ruined.

Nothing is worse than feeling out of touch with reality as you attempt to acclimate to a different timezone, especially if you're on vacation and anxious to explore a new location. Although everybody is unique, there are a few ways you can help yours adapt more quickly. Here are 12 helpful suggestions to avoid having jet lag mar your trip. 

1. Time your flight. Your first line of defence against jet lag begins even before you purchase your ticket: time your departure to cause the least amount of interruption to your routine. If you're travelling east, attempt to book an early-morning flight so you can quickly get used to the new time zone. A night trip can give you a few more hours to adjust to the time difference if you're going west. Also take into account the timing and location of any layovers, as they might be very beneficial or detrimental, depending on if your goal was to sleep on the journey, for example.

2. Sleep longer the night before your vacation. Getting enough rest before boarding the airline is one of the greatest methods to avoid jet lag. Don't let last-minute preparations for your trip and packing keep you up all night the night before you depart.

3. Before you depart, start getting used to the new time zone. To avoid making a sudden, severe shift to your routine, try to gradually adapt your sleep schedule in the days before leaving for your trip. Once you arrive at your location, you can speed up the process by even altering your body's rhythms by one or two hours before you leave.

4. Get plenty of water. Additionally, being properly hydrated can help you feel less sleepy.

5. Take a workout. After you arrive, just a little bit of exercise will help you wake up and get your blood flowing so you can keep going till your new bedtime.

6. Avoid alcohol, and limit your caffeine intake. Both of these can interfere with your sleep, aggravating jet lag. Caffeine can be a terrific way to jump-start a sluggish morning, but avoid drinking it too late in the day since it may further disrupt your sleep and make time zone changes more difficult.

7. Consume smaller meals. Stick to lighter stuff because heavy meals can make you feel sluggish.

8. Catch some sun. Your body's internal clock will function more normally if you are exposed to natural light. This is crucial in the morning and the afternoon when you start to feel sleepy.

9. Take it easy on your first day. It could be tempting to want to stay up all day and night once you get to your destination to maximise your travel time. But doing so will just make it more difficult to acclimate to the new timezone. Take it easy on your first day instead. Get a decent night's sleep on your first night by attempting to get to bed at a respectable hour.

10. Set an alarm for the morning and avoid taking naps during the day. Nothing is worse than spending the day in bed when you could be out discovering a new location, and doing so will prevent your body from adjusting to its new schedule. Set an alarm for the morning and make every effort to rise as soon as it sounds. And unless you know you can prevent letting it go past 30 minutes, resist the urge to take a nap in the afternoon. Avoid waking up from that "little snooze" at ten o'clock.

11. Try using melatonin or another natural sleep aid if you're having difficulties falling asleep at night. Although this supplement won't give you better sleep in general, it can make it easier for you to get to sleep and stay asleep.

12. Before you head home, follow these procedures once more. You should go through the process again when you arrive home, exactly like you did before you even went to get used to the new time zone. When you return home—when you'll already be feeling unhappy that your trip is over—this will assist to ease the adjustment and reduce the likelihood that you'll experience jet lag.

Conclusion

Jet lag is a common condition that goes away after a few days or weeks. The symptoms of jet lag can be difficult to manage in your first few days of traveling to a different time zone. There is no one, single, universal trick you can use against jet lag, unfortunately. The tips featured here will help you reduce the effects, but your symptoms won’t completely disappear. The most important thing in most cases is for you to stay awake and not be tempted to cozy up into bed. In two or three days you’ll be over your jet lag anyway, and you can plunge into your new adventures. Keeping a new schedule and managing your wakefulness and sleepy times with certain interventions may help reduce jet-lag symptoms.