There are actually a few of these out there, including the Argonne Anti-Jet-Lag Diet, but the Mayo Clinic says no anti jet lag diet has been proven to work. Still, I find just avoiding heavy meals and loading up on salads with a source of protein for the first few days after arrival helps me beat jet lag.
This is probably the single most important thing you can do. If you’ve been sitting on an airplane for 14 hours and you aren’t sucking down water, you are going to feel terrible when you land. Pack your own water bottle and ask the flight attendant to fill it up for you so you can sip between meals.
Getting as good night’s sleep is possible on the airplane and it’s one of the best ways to combat jet lag, especially for multiple time zone. You want to stay awake upon arrival, so if you’ve slept this is easier. If you must resort to pharmaceutical intervention, try popping a sleeping pill right after dinner and aim for at least six hours of straight sleep.
This is one I swear by. There is nothing worse than checking into a hotel in another country and realizing the pillow is either too soft or too hard for your comfort. It kills a good night’s sleep pretty quickly. Instead, travel with your own pillow. This way, no matter where you end up, you’ll sleep OK.
I try to get at least 10 hours of sleep the night before I leave for a trip. This helps my body feel refreshed.
I make sure to take extra immune system-boosting vitamins the week before I leave. I also travel with Emergen-C and make sure to take it on the road as well to stay healthy.
Even if you’re on a flight that still serves free alcohol, limit yourself to one or two drinks max. I find one drink helps me relax on the plane so I tend to allow myself one. Drinking too much will interrupt your sleep pattern and contribute to jet lag.
The National Sleep Foundation reports that sun is a powerful stimulant for regulating the biological clock. So get outside. You don’t need to sunbathe, although this is always fun. Just walking around your new locale will help regulate your body.
Some of my friends swear by adjusting their bedtime for a few nights before they travel to sync up with the destination they are headed to . When they arrive they’re already on the correct time zone.
I tried the adjust-your-bedtime method before a trip to Europe and found it just made me even more confused. I was exhausted before I even got on the plane. Instead, I swear by Ambien. If I’m on a long-haul flight I pop one to sleep through the flight and then I take it for the first two nights in the new time zone. Never take sleeping pills for more than a few days at once, however, or you risk getting hooked.
If you eat right, get enough sleep, and exercise before you travel, your body has a much better shot of naturally beating jet lag than if you’re worn down.
When you get to your destination you will be exhausted and tempted to nap. Try to stay awake to sync up with the new time zone. You can go to bed early the first night, but not at 10 a.m.
On the airplane try to do some quick exercises to keep your blood moving — you can do this while standing in line for the toilet.
In the same vein, just sitting around inside the hotel and watching TV, even if you stay awake, doesn’t help with the jet lag. You need sunlight to help regulate your body to the new time zone.
If all else fails and you just can’t sleep, have a drink. You’ll end up nodding off or passing out and forget you are jet-lagged in the first place.
