56. Getting over Jet Lag when Jet Setting

There’s one question that I held back from last week’s FAQ episode, and for good reason—it deserves a whole episode of its own! Join me as I take a deep dive into the secrets of mitigating jet lag, sharing my tested strategies honed through years of jet setting around the globe. From sleep strategies to in-flight hacks, tune in for these valuable tips that will help you arrive at your destination refreshed and ready to seize the day.

Resources Mentioned:
Jet Lag Rooster

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Transcript

Hey there, jetsetters. Welcome to episode number 55 of jetsetting with me. It is I, Michele, your hostess, and the OG memory maker of Makin' Memories Travel. Last week, I did a frequently asked question episode, a mailbag episode, so to speak, and I saved this one question for this week so that I could do a much more thorough answer. The question came from one of my spin buddies who heard me talking about my recent experience, how we went to Mexico in the week following our daylight savings time. Now I always have a harder time with the spring forward time change than I do with the fallback, which is usually pretty common because we lose an hour of sleep. So just as I was getting used to it, about a week into it, I flew east, but to Mexico where they don't do daylight savings time. So, immediately, I got to, quote, catch up on my hours of sleep, but then coming back, it meant I was basically doing daylight savings time all over again.

And so my friend asked me how it is with my travel schedule that I managed to mitigate my jet lag. And I have a really rough schedule coming up starting travel. You're going to hear this the week that I start travel through basically the end of June where I will be hitting multiple time zones. I'm currently in the central time zone. I will be heading east. I will be coming back central time zone, then within a day heading east again, then I will be back in the central time zone heading overseas, back in the central time zone, but then taking yet another trip. So it's really important to me to mitigate my jet lag, and I think I've caught it down pretty much to a science. So according to the Sleep Foundation, jet lag is commonly associated with international plane travel, but it can arise on any flight that goes east or west.

Usually, you have to go across 3 or more time zones, but for me, just one time zone, and I will feel some jet lag. It frequently causes sleep disruptions, which can throw your body's internal clock out of sync with the day and night cycle at your destination. And I have really, really finely tuned circadian rhythms. It's very rare that I need an alarm clock. So for me, this happens frequently. So the best thing to do is to start with a jet lag plan. So when I'm booking my flights, especially internationally, I look for red eye flights so that I can sleep during my normal nighttime hours, wake up, have breakfast, and immediately get on the time zone of the destination where I am going. Coming back, those daytime flights that leave in the morning allow me to stay in the sunshine and hopefully awake all day long, so that when I arrive, I can most easily adjust back to my time zone.

Preparation to alleviate jet lag actually begins right here at home before you even leave on your trip. So you wanna start to avoid your jet lag by gradually shifting your circadian rhythms in the 1 or 2 days that lead up to your flight. So then you'll be more easily adjusted to the time zone at your destination when you arrive. So try a revamped sleep schedule along with strategically timed light exposure, and even some melatonin supplements can help you adjust your circadian rhythm. You don't wanna do it all at once when you're at home, but by 3 hours at a time, if you're traveling overseas, is a good way to do it. And also, try your best to alleviate stress, which before a trip is particularly difficult because I know we're all stressed about packing, getting to the airport on time, making sure we have enough time, checking our luggage, TSA, the whole bit. So travel is stressful, and I always do say pack your patience. But as much as you can mitigate that and alleviate that stress, things like checking in online, weighing your bags before you go, getting global TSA pre check, global entry, all of those things that you can do to alleviate so that you can sleep easier because stress does impact your sleep.

I'm pretty sure we all know that. And make sure to pack pleasant sleep on your flight in mind. Things like a sleep mask, ear plugs, travel pillows, blankets, comfortable clothes, especially socks, because you're probably gonna wanna take your shoes off on a long flight. You might want noise canceling headphones. Be sure you've downloaded a white noise app on your phone, and, of course, take a charger so you can use that white noise app. Some people even take a small light box or a headgear that will help you cancel out blue light or a light on the plane or that you can use at your hotel as you begin to adjust. And they're like sunlight lamps, and you can find them if you do a search on Amazon under seasonal affective disorder lights. Some people even choose to pack a dental kit and a change of clothing so that you feel neater and you can wake up and refresh yourself if you're taking an overnight red eye type flight.

Many of these things are featured on my Amazon storefront, which is linked in the show notes. I do get a very, very small commission if you buy, but, really, it's just so I can point out the things that I use. Another thing to look into is bringing healthy snacks and opting for lighter meals on the plane a couple days in advance. Some airlines, it's as much as 30. You can go in and request a special meal, which may help with this. Jet lag can often increase gastrointestinal issues. So the healthier and lighter meals that you can eat while you're traveling, the better. This is a big one.

Limit alcohol. I know lots of us like to have well, not me. But many people like to drink at the airport while they're waiting for flights, or if there's a delay, they go head right to the bar. You want to limit alcohol and stay hydrated, which means that you need to drink more water. And, of course, the more alcohol you drink, the more water you need to drink in order to stay hydrated. So it's best to cut out or limit alcohol in flight and after arriving. It reduces the overall quality of your sleep. And of course, it also adds to gastrointestinal issues.

So if you are you know you're gonna have to have a glass of wine on a plane, or you really want to have mixed cocktail on your way to Vegas, try some of the free drinking supplements that you can take that will help mitigate those gastrointestinal issues for you. And also, don't overdo the caffeine. It can burst your alertness in the short term, So use it in moderation. Too much caffeine can leave you jittery. It may linger in your system and make it difficult to sleep. So definitely don't use caffeine after a certain time, like usually 12 noon, especially on your first day. And, again, stay hydrated. Airplane cabins, especially that recycled air, can induce dehydration, So make sure that you're sipping water before, during, and after your flight.

Now as soon as you get on the plane, try to forget your old time zone. It's time to reset your watch. Your technology will likely update when you land, but if you have a manually set watch or travel clock, set those to the new time zone as soon as you depart as you're sitting on a plane. If you arrive at your destination and you are feeling exhausted, a short nap of 20 to 30 minutes can help you with that. But don't ever let any nap or rest exceed 90 minutes. That is a full sleep cycle. And that way, if you wake up at 91 minutes, you're going to be groggy. Jet lag will interrupt your internal cycle in part because your exposure to light changes when you travel and you change time zones.

So if you take a quick nap and then you wake up, getting outside in the sunshine can wake up your body. It can reduce the release of the melatonin hormones that make you sleepy. So walking, my family, we always like to take segues. When we flew into Auckland at New Zealand, we were able to walk around in the morning, and then we did find ourselves taking a nap, about a 20 minute cat nap once our hotel room was ready. Make sure that your sleeping arrangements while you travel are comfortable and facilitate good sleep. So make your sleeping space as comfortable as you can. Be sure to check that thermostat in your room to make sure you can set it for a comfortable cool temperature overnight. This is actually my favorite thing to do while traveling because my husband keeps our usual temperature in house a little higher than I would like, especially being a 55 year old woman who is at that time in her life.

So I love it in the hotel room when I can, like, make it a freezer in my sleep space. Ensure that the phones and clocks in your room won't ring or beep while you sleep, and you can ask a hotel receptionist to put a do not disturb on your phone and then set an alarm for wake up calls only. Make sure to pack comforts from your home to make you sleep better, that white noise machine or a travel fan or even making sure that you have really comfortable pajamas or if you have some slippers that you wanna bring, anything portable that can travel with you that can help you sleep and other lightweight comforts. You might have a favorite throw blanket, a familiar scented lotion. I actually have a travel size of my essential oils that I bring with me to help with that. Again, physical activity has beneficial mind and body effects. So do your best to work in physical activity. I gave some suggestions about that earlier where you can take walks in the city, walk around your cruise ship while you're exploring the ship, maybe even use the stairs instead of the overcrowded elevators on that first day.

And as I said earlier, my family, we always like to try a segue in a new city. So that's a great first day activity. But the same token, don't over schedule that first day. Leave room in your schedule for that quick cat nap, and you may find yourself going to bed early. So you can try a meditation app like Calm, or you can listen to an audio book or a podcast. Nothing that's gonna keep you awake and alert, but something that's going to help you calm so that you can go to sleep at a reasonable hour, your first day in your new city, and then wake up on your new city's time schedule. You can try a jet lag calculator. I will list this in the show notes.

Some airlines have them, but one that is well known is jetlagrooster.com. And in it, you put where you're flying from, where you're flying to, and the departure date and time, and the arrival date and time, and your habits. Like, you usually go to sleep at 10 PM, and you wake up at 6 AM. And then it will show you how to start shifting your sleep schedule after you arrive, after departing on the plane, and up to 2 days before you depart. So that's very helpful. You'll receive an hour by hour plan for sleeping and seeking sunshine as well as when to avoid that sunshine. And as I said, certain airlines also have those apps. Several airlines, especially those Qantas where you're flying to Sydney, they all also have blog articles on how you can reduce your jet lag as does WebMD.

It's really, really easy to find these tips, and I will be sure to link to a few of them for you in the show notes. And that is all for my final question and the fact that I did last week. And with that, jetsetters, I will talk to you soon.