Winter Travel: Coping with Jet Lag

Are you traveling by air over the holidays? Even the best travel plans can include unwanted side effects such as jet lag. You can help prevent and lessen the effects with these simple steps:

1. Drink plenty of water. Keep yourself well hydrated throughout the flight.
2. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, and limit your sugary drink intake - these beverages can send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster ride.
3. Food is harder to digest at high altitudes so eat lightly during the flight and avoid the high-salt, high-fat entrees the airlines and airports tend to serve.
4. Get up and stretch now and then to stimulate your circulation and dress comfortably. Learn more about stretching here.
5. When you arrive, expose yourself to as much natural daylight as you can. Light is the most powerful influence on the timing of your body’s internal clock.
6. Consider melatonin. You can take 2.5 mg of melatonin sublingually at bedtime for one or two nights to significantly reduce jet lag, regardless of the direction of travel.

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