Beat that Jet Lag!

By Stefanie Michaels

      Traveling is my passion. Jet lag is not. After all, we all want to look gorgeous and put-together as we step off the plane and greet our foreign friends. Red-eye aside, what's worse is that every time I travel and the time changes, so does my internal clock! I've spoken with doctors, herbalists, traveling business women and men, yoga gurus, you name it. Everyone has an opinion on what to do, and what jet lag is.

Lets look up JET LAG in the dictionary.

Jet'lag/, n. -- a temporary disruption of the body's normal biological rhythms after high-speed air travel through several time zones. jet' lagged'/, adj.

OK, this isn't anything we haven't heard before, or experienced, right? So, from a medical standpoint. What is jet lag?

"Circadian rhythmus" are our bodies natural time clock. It runs on a 24 hour basis, like time. Now that's convenient! If you travel to Arizona from Los Angeles, you're OK. Jet lag doesn't really kick in. But as you approach the rest of the country, and as the time change grows, your body's timer stays either ahead or behind.

How do we combat this? Like I said, I have consulted several people and have put together some simple tips, including my own, to help you stay as "lag free" as possible.

Find out the time change ahead of time. I try to adjust my sleep habits about a week before I leave. I start with either going to bed a half hour earlier or later and work up. This may put a cramp in your social life, but my motto is pay for it 50% now, than 100 thousand percent later.

You may find out last minute, that you will be leaving on the next red eye for an emergency business meeting. Take a cat nap one half the time on your flight, but wake yourself up or have the flight attendant wake you. I have been told to "caffeine out" or "have a drink" for sleep, but I find that it only makes matters worse. You swell, dehydrate, or worst of it all, constipation! Try herbal remedies at last resort.

My favorite flight is a red eye. Sometimes it is uncomfortable to get complete rest "en aire," but I find that my favorite beanie bag neck pillow really helps (the ones that are shaped like the letter "U" and my matching eye mask)...it's true! MATCHING LEOPARD! It helps. I also change, (see my former travel tips), drink plenty of water and chamomile tea. The cabin is usually dark and quiet. If the plane isn't full, you can always find some extra seats to lie down on and stretch out. Most people aren't aware of this travel secret and flights aren't as booked. AH HA!

You know what airplane food is like. Although some may tout it, YUCK! OK...just "plane" (haha) and simple YUCK! I always try to order ahead of time, a low sodium, vegetarian meal, or bring my own aboard. There has been studies about whether you should eat or not to eat. Basically, there isn't much proven in either opinion. Try to remember what you feel like after you eat lightly, or a heavy pasta meal on the ground. Pretty much, it's the same in the air. Pasta will slow you down and make you tired, because it is a carbohydrate. Chicken and vegetables are protein, which feeds your system to give it energy.

Here are a few natural Jet-Lag-beating aids:

1. Melatonin. We naturally have levels of this substance in our bodies. When the levels rise in your body, it promotes sleep. Taking additional Melatonin, in gelcap form, raises the levels in your system, hence nighty-nite. Again, to me, this is a last resort because, like caffeine, it messes with your time clock.
2. Vitamin B12 for energy. Potassium and Vitamin C are important at any time in someone's diet and on the plane it is especially important to replenish your system due to altitude, immunity and overall well being.
3. Aromatherapy. Consult your local herbalist or vitamin stores as well as places that specialize in aroma therapy. There are smells that help awake you and your senses and calm you and your senses, such as lavender and citrus, for example.
4. Water! I cannot express this enough. Learn it, love it, live it! Drink it by the gallons, mist it on your face (I use "Evian" face misters), towel your neck. Just do it! Plain and simple.

I am a big advocate for staying mobile. Exercising is crucial for me. I find it helps me rejuvenate tired muscles or crimps from sitting way too long in the plane. I'll simply get up and walk the isles, or step to the back of the plain and stretch. Once I've deplaned, I look for hotel stairs and a safe park or street to walk or run.

Try to get into the light. Please don't sleep your lag away! The key is to stay regimented. Get out doors and let the light rejuvenate you.

Once you get to your destination. PLEASE NAP! I find that, myself included, most of us are so excited to be elsewhere that it's go, go, go. Not good! It may feel OK when you are there doing your thing, but trust me... when you get back home, you'll be exhausted, possibly sick, and needing a vacation from that vacation.

Take short naps. Don't close your drapes and sleep long stretches of time. If you sleep 8 hours, then set your alarm or wake-up call 8 hours later during sleeping hours only. Sometimes, the more you sleep, the harder it is to shake jet lag. When I came back from Italy, I literally slept for three days, only getting up for an hour here or there to use the restroom and eat. Excess sleep becomes a nightmare!

So, there you have some "jet-lag-away" tips. Let me know which ones work for you and if you have any additional ones, please let us know and we'll post them!