After flying from extremely north of the United States, from Maine to Yokosuka, Japan, you can imagine the jet lag I have experienced. After arriving in Japan 21 days ago, it was fairly easy to adjust to the time change. Although, upon return from Japan yesterday morning, my internal clock has felt extremely altered, as I have gained thirteen hours to my day, losing thirteen hours of sleep.
Due to this, these five tips have been helping me over the past couple of days, and I am noticing great results.
1. Work
Working has been the best therapy for the jet lag I have experienced. It not only keeps me sidetracked, but it also helps develop a daily schedule where I am able to get back to my routine without giving in to sleeping at opposite hours.
2. Schedule plans within the day
I have tried my best to schedule plans throughout this week for each day, and most of these involve visiting friends. As I have missed my friends tremendously over the 19 day Japan visit, I have much more motivation to visit them and determination to hang out with them rather than give in to my drastic drive to sleep.
3. Drink a lot of water!
water. Traveling is exhausting, and after my twenty-six hours of travel time to come back home, water has been a life saver. It helps refresh you, and think clearly throughout the day. Trust me, this is needed with jet lag.
4. Continue your usual activities
As I have a few commitments outside of work that I participate in, including writing for the Odyssey, I have noticed that making sure I complete these tasks with jet lag has been very important. It has helped fill spaces within my day so I do not have that drive to sleep, and keeps me occupied from the crazy symptoms of jet lag.
5. Go to bed at a standard hour
I have been making sure I am in bed by 11 p.m. each night. This way, I have time to lay in bed and fall asleep, while also getting back into the rhythm of a healthy sleep cycle. With jet lag, you might find yourself waking up much earlier the next morning anyway, so it is good to go to bed at a decent hour so you can get as much sleep as possible.
Traveling can be so much fun, but staying away from jet lag symptoms can be very difficult with long travels. With these few tips, I am noticing myself recover very quickly. Due to this, I would highly suggest each of these be followed for a speedy recovery to a normal sleep schedule.
Happy travels!
