Traveling is a time of stress, delays and over packing! All of this is enough to make you cranky, especially if you’re unable to get any sleep in the midst of it all!
To help with your holiday cheer, HERE are some tips to beating jet lag.
1- Melatonin
Melatonin, a natural hormone also sold as a supplement, regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Levels rise after dark, peak overnight, and then fall in the morning. In some studies, taking melatonin has been shown to help fight jet lag.
2- Lavender oil
In a small 2005 study conducted by psychologists at Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn., lavender was shown to act as a mild sedative, promoting deep sleep and leaving the people who took it feeling more refreshed the next day.
3- Pycnogenol
People who took 50 milligrams of Pycnogenol three times a day for a week, starting two days before their flight, had substantially fewer symptoms (including fatigue, insomnia, and mental slowness) than people who took a placebo.
4- Prescription sleep medications
Short-acting sleep medications such as Sonata or Ambien can be helpful when traveling west to east (especially on transatlantic flights).
5- Soak up the sun
Getting as much sleep as possible the night before will help, and so will getting some sun. “To keep awake, get bright light early in the day by turning on a bright lamp or taking a walk in the sunshine,” says Dr. Schenck
6- Get ahead of schedule
If you’re flying east, you might go to sleep an hour earlier than usual each night for a few days before your flight. If you’re traveling in the opposite direction, stay up later than you normally would. (This is generally only useful if you will be at your destination for more than two days.)
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