Jet lag is the unfortunate side effect to jetting off on a fantastic holiday and can make coming back from your travels even harder! The symptoms of jet lag include:
- Difficulty sleeping at night and waking in the morning
- Tiredness or exhaustion
- Trouble staying awake during the day
- Poor sleep quality
- Difficulties concentrating
While there are no cures for jet lag, we have compiled a list of some tips to help you out!
Our Tips:
If you are only traveling for a few days it is best to stay on UK time. Especially if you are traveling to a similar time zone, such as within Europe. This will save you from having to deal with the effects of changing your routine when you get home.
Before you travel, if possible start to adjust your schedule to the time zone you will be heading into. Think ahead to the time zone you are entering, start waking up earlier if they would be awake before you and changing your eating times to be more compatible with their schedules. Even slightly adjusting your body to the time difference will reduce the effects of the jet lag.
Make sure to adjust your time schedule as soon as you can when you arrive at the destination to make the transition quicker for you. If the time zone is behind yours, don’t be tempted to head to bed early. If you stay up until a reasonable time for the new country, you will be more likely to sleep through the night. Likewise if you head forward in time zones be sure to set alarms to avoid oversleeping too late.
If you are struggling with insomnia during your trip and cannot get used to the new sleep times, try a sleeping tablet. Only use this method when you truly have to and do not try to rely on these every day of your trip as they will lose effectiveness after some time and can be addictive.
Get outside as much as possible during the first few days of your trip. The sunlight and sunset changes will help signal to your body that it is time to wake up and sleep, this will help to adjust your sleeping habits.
Usually, it takes a few days to adjust to the new times, but you should be back to normal after a few days. If you’re worried about this or any other condition we talk about on this blog, don’t hesitate to speak to a doctor. With the GP Service you can talk to a registered Doctor in just 30 Mins!
