How to Combat Jetlag

We’ve all heard of jetlag, and probably all experienced it at some time.

It’s essentially an imbalance - a mismatch between your internal biological clock and the new time zone that you’ve just arrived in.

So what’s the best way to think about jet lag?

And more importantly what are the tools and tips you can use to minimize the impact of jet lag – both during the flight and the first few days after you arrive.

Well the first thing is to recognise our limitations. When we arrive in a new time zone we can’t acclimatise instantaneously.

The sleep expert, Matthew Walker reckons that for every hour that you lose it will take one full day in your new time zone for you to reset and fully acclimatize.

So for example…

When flying from San Francisco to London.

London is eight hours ahead of San Francisco. So when you arrive at Heathrow Airport the clock may say 12 noon, but, internally for you, your body clock is still set to eight hours in the past.

Your body still thinks it’s 4am in the morning. So you’re going to feel pretty miserable. That’s the initial impact of jetlag.

You’re right in the middle of a circadian trough.

And you’ll find that you will have to stay in London for eight days before you’re in rhythm and back in step – where you’re not tired during the day, and not awake at night.

• RESET YOUR CLOCKS
  As soon as you take your seat on the plane, reset your watch and your phone to the time in the destination you’re travelling to.
  That way you’re already starting to think in, and operate on, the time in your destination.
  And that’s going to help you manage the rest of the trip.
  
  
  
• SLEEP DURING THE FIRST HALF OF A LONG HAUL FLIGHT
  Most people do it the opposite way round which is natural.
  But it’s much better to have a quick meal, then put on an eye mask and try to fall asleep. Stay away from screens and pull down the blinds. Make it as dark as you can and see if you can get yourself to sleep.

This is the time, perhaps 45 minutes before you want to fall asleep – when it will help to take melatonin.
Your body naturally makes melatonin – the ‘sleep hormone’ - but you can also take it as a supplement to trigger sleepiness. 

Try to sleep in the first half of the flight. So you wake up more refreshed.

Now you won’t get a full night’s sleep on the plane – which is OK. Because this sleep deprivation will help you to fall asleep more naturally on the first night.

• STAY AWAKE FOR 12 HOURS
  As a general rule of thumb you want to try to have 12 hours of sustained wakefulness between the point when you wake up from your sleep on the plane and the point when you expect to go to sleep at night in your new time zone.
  
  Why do you need at least 12 hours? Well you need to build up enough sleep pressure to fall asleep and stay asleep the following night.

• AVOID CAFFEINE AND ALCOHOL ON THE FLIGHT
  Both of these can disrupt sleep at the best of times, but they also make it harder for your internal clock to reset. So stick to drinking water on the flight and try to avoid caffeine and alcohol altogether.

Having problems sleeping happens to all of us at some time, but adjusting to a new time zone can make the effects worse.

So here’s some additional advice to combat jetlag in the first few days in your new destination.

• WAKE UP AT A STANDARD TIME
  Try to keep to a regular ‘going to bed’ and ‘waking up’ schedule. It will help your body to get back into a natural sleep-wake cycle.

• EXPOSURE TO EARLY MORNING LIGHT
  It’s always important to get exposure to daylight in the morning, but it’s especially important under conditions of jetlag.
  The morning light will help you to reset your body clock. So try to get at least 20 -30 minutes of daylight as soon as you can after waking.

• EXERCISE IN THE MORNING
  All types of physical activity are essential to helping your body recover and acclimatize. And again the earlier the better.

• DON’T WEAR SUNGLASSES IN THE MORNING
  When you’re out in the morning don’t wear shades. Make sure you get the full impact of the daylight.
  Why?
  Because the daylight will reduce the amount of melatonin that your brain is releasing.

Melatonin levels naturally decrease in the morning in response to light – and rise at night in response to darkness, preparing your body for sleep.

By using daylight you give yourself the best chance of strategically blocking that melatonin which will make you feel more awake during the day.

• DO WEAR SUNGLASSES IN THE AFTERNOON
  Conversely in the afternoon, DO wear sunglasses. Because now you do want to start to encourage the release of melatonin to help you fall asleep in the evening.

• AT NIGHT, USE MELATONIN SUPPLEMENTS
  To help you fall asleep at a regular time for your new time zone take a melatonin supplement. Melatonin will cue your sleep-wake cycle, signalling to the body that it’s time to sleep.

And deeper sleep means better rest and better recovery.

How does Melatonin help you to sleep?

Your body naturally makes melatonin, but it’s also available as a supplement.

Known as the ‘sleep’ hormone it helps you fall asleep by calming your body before bed. It won’t knock you out by itself – it just let’s your body know to relax and fall asleep easily. 

Melatonin levels naturally rise at night in response to darkness and decrease in the morning in response to light.

Strong evidence suggests that taking melatonin supplements before bed helps you fall asleep more easily — while increasing total sleep time.

And melatonin can also help counteract jetlag.

What’s the best way to sleep when jetlagged?

You might want to think about taking melatonin to help your body get to sleep and stay asleep while you’re still jetlagged. 

Try taking a melatonin supplement 45 minutes before you want to sleep at night if your body isn’t feeling ready for bed. You can even take it in the early morning hours if you wake up too early and want to continue sleeping. Especially if you’ve travelled west.

Will taking melatonin cause morning grogginess?

Our Elite Sleep Gummies with melatonin are carefully formulated to support your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle – without causing morning grogginess.

Featuring three calming nutrients that promote restorative sleep so you wake up refreshed and fully recovered.

Nobody is immune, so what’s the best way to combat jetlag?

Firstly, allow one full day recovering for every hour that you’ve lost.

Here are the tools and tips you can use to minimize the worst effects of jet lag – both during the flight and the first few days after you arrive.

On the flight

• RESET YOUR CLOCKS - Reset your watch and your phone to the destination time.
• SLEEP DURING THE FIRST HALF OF A LONG HAUL FLIGHT - Have a quick meal, put on an eye mask and try to fall asleep.
  45 minutes before you want to fall asleep –it will help to take a melatonin supplement to trigger sleepiness.
• STAY AWAKE FOR 12 HOURS - To build up enough sleep pressure to fall asleep and stay asleep the following night.
• AVOID CAFFEINE AND ALCOHOL ON THE FLIGHT - Stick to drinking water instead.

On arrival…

• WAKE UP AT A STANDARD TIME - To help your body to get back into a natural sleep-wake cycle.
• EXPOSURE TO EARLY MORNING LIGHT - 20-30 minutes of morning light will help you to reset your body clock.
• EXERCISE IN THE MORNING - Essential for helping your body recover and acclimatize. 
• DON’T WEAR SUNGLASSES IN THE MORNING - The daylight will block melatonin - making you feel more awake during the day.
• WEAR SUNGLASSES IN THE AFTERNOON - To encourage the release of melatonin.

AT NIGHT, USE MELATONIN SUPPLEMENTS

To help you fall asleep – and stay asleep throughout the night.

And deep, undisturbed sleep means better rest and better recovery.