Travel Insurance - Jet Lag - 5 Pre-travel Steps To Reduce The Effects Of Jet La

Jet Lag - 5 Pre-travel Steps To Reduce The Effects Of Jet La

Ask any regular long-haul flyer about their experience of flying and you will soon discover that everyone has a different "magic" formula for overcoming or avoiding jet lag.

In reality of course no magic formula exists - and there is certainly no magic pill or tablet. There is, however, a great deal that you can do in preparation for your departure to help you overcome or eliminate jet lag and here are just a few tips:

1. Maintain a consistent sleep pattern.

If you are not following a consistent routine in the days and weeks before your journey (going to bed and getting up at the same time each day) your body's internal clock will be disrupted even before you start your journey and your flight will simply magnify the effects of insomnia induced by jet lag.

2. Ensure you are getting a balanced and healthy diet.

Diet plays an important role in ensuring that you get a good night's sleep and an appropriate balance of whole grains, proteins, fruits and vegetables in your diet is essential.

Alcohol and caffeine are two elements of your diet that are particularly important in relation to jet lag and these should be reduced, or eliminated, in the run-up to your journey if at all possible. If, however, asking you to give up your twelve cups of coffee each day is rather like asking you to cut off your right hand, then try to limit your intact to the afternoon between about 3 pm and 5 pm.

Caffeine when taken late in the day tends to speed up your body clock, while taking it in the morning has the opposite effect. Taken during the middle of the day, caffeine has little or no effect on your body's circadian rhythms.

3. Take regular exercise.

Regular exercise can significantly improve the consistency, quality and duration of your normal sleep cycle. Some form of daily aerobic exercise, lasting at least twenty minutes, will go a long way to preparing your body for your forthcoming journey.

4. Start to slowly adjust your bedtime.

You should begin to "manage" your body clock by gradually and slowly adjusting your bedtime and wake up time in the days before your journey, to bring these into line with the local time at your destination.

If, for example, you normally go to bed at 10 pm and you are flying to a country that is four hours ahead, at your normal bedtime the time at your destination will be 2 am. So, in this case, you need to slowly bring your bedtime forward a little bit (say fifteen minutes) each night for a week or ten days before your departure. This might mean that immediately prior to leaving you are going to bed at say 7.30 pm. However, when you arrive at your destination this will mean that you are now going to bed at 11.30 pm and that you have narrowed the four hour time difference to just one and a half hours.

5. Reduce stress in the days before traveling.

One often overlooked factor in the jet lag equation is that of stress and much of this stress is a direct result of the journey itself. How many times have you found yourself running around at the last minute trying to do 1001 things at once?

Plan ahead and make sure that, as far as is possible, everything that you need to do both at home and at works is completed well in advance of your journey. In planning for your journey, clear as much as you can as early as you can and make specific time available in your pre-journey planning for plenty of relaxation in the days immediately prior to your departure.

These are just a few examples of things that you should pay attention to when planning any long-haul trip and, together with other specific measures taken both during your flight and following your arrival, will considerably reduce the effects of jet lag, or even lead to no jet lag at all!

Donald Saunders is the author of a number of health-related publications looking in detail at curing insomnia and managing other common sleep disorders. Drop by for more information on jet lag and to pick up your free copy of "How To Get A Good Night's Sleep".

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

Eurail Travel - A Way To Extend A Holiday To Europe
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. You can edit it to fit your publication. Most articles are improved by editing. If you can let me know when and where it appears it would be appreciated.You can effectively extend a touring holiday of Europe by several days and perhaps save money. To do it you need a Eurail pass and a little forward planning.This is how it works. With a Eurail Pass you can go from city center to city center in Europe in great comfort at a reasonable price.The key to this is the phrase 'city center to city center'. Consider Paris. The airport, Charles de Gaulle, is 23 km north-east of Paris. If you go by taxi in either direction it costs the national debt and ta...(more in Travel Insurance)

Is It Wise To Purchase Travel Insurance?
The best way to determine if, for you, it is wise to purchase travel insurance, is to consider the various emergency situations that could arise during your trip, determine the best guess for the cost of each, and see whether you can afford to pay for the worst case scenarios out of your own pocket. If the answer is no, then it is indeed wise to purchase travel insurance. Even if the answer is yes, however, money is not the only issue in determining the wisdom of travel insurance. Let's take a look at what can happen in your travels - the situations that travel insurance could have covered. You and your family take a delayed flight f...(more in Travel Insurance)

Look For The Bargins To Do With Cheap Travel
You may have found the most informative help regarding cheap travel. When you're after better-quality information on cheap travel, you'll find it's complex separating quality information from inexpert cheap travel suggestions and help so it's prudent to know how to judge the information you are presented with. Low prices.Enter your search criteria just once, and find deals from major airlines and low cost carriersWhat follows next are a few tips which we sincerely believe you should use when you're seeking information about cheap travel. Please be aware that the advice we tender is only relevant ...(more in Travel Insurance)

Finding Travel Deals
If your vacation time is coming up and you are planning on making a trip, then you will need to make some plans. Perhaps you are going to visit family? Or, maybe you plan to take your family to see an attraction somewhere? Maybe you are going to visit another country? Regardless of where you plan to go, you can find great deals on getting there, staying there, and even enjoying your time at the location.Often times we want to take our children to see the things we saw when we were younger. It would be nice to see some new destinations as well. Either way, we want to do a lot but don't always have the funds. So, we are always in search for a deal. There are many out there to be had. Here are some quick ideas.Saving on airfare is all about shopping around. Compare the different offers ea...(more in Travel Insurance)

Travel Asia: Festivities And Fun
Travel Asia: Festivities and FunAre you planning to travel to Asia within the next year, and are looking for some fun festivities to attend? Well, look no further – we’ve researched some of the more...(more in Travel Insurance)

How To Become A Travel Agent In 24 Hours
The travel industry has been going through some significant changes over the last few years. Mom and Pop travel agencies are quickly being replaced by online booking engines like Orbitz or Travelocity.But there is one problem: 80% of all vacations are taken at the recommendation of a friend. Now of course this is a good thing, except that Orbitz and Travelocity don't have very many friends.The travel industry came up with a good hybrid solution: give the consumer a chance to partner with these big booking engines and become a travel agent themselves, with all the benefits and none of the drawbacks, so they can refer their friends and family and everyone wins. This new type of travel agent is known as an Associate Travel...(more in Travel Insurance)

Pet Friendly Travel Ďż˝ 10 Tips For Hassle-free Travel With
In the United States alone, over 60 million households have one or more pets. Pet owners in 15 million of those households travel with their p...(more in Travel Insurance)

The Lowdown On New Orleans Travel
The beautiful city cuddled around the curve of the Mississippi River, known for its cuisine, music and culture, is the metropolis New Orleans. This vibrant city summons many a visitors every year. Its more than a few attractions are cherished by tons of people across the globe.Getting Acquainted With the PlaceNew Orleans is quite an old city that has a profound sense of art and architecture, culture and people. Certain historic buildings like the U.S Mint Building and the Lousiana History Museum have always accepted attention of the visitors. The French Quarter is an eminent area in New Orleans. The Quarter speaks about the marvelous European architecture, history, legen...(more in Travel Insurance)

Travel Journals – Preserve Your Travel Experiences
Traveling is a great way to escape the rat race and experience new cultures and places. Alas, your experiences can fade with time. The best way to prevent this is to keep a travel journal for your trips.Travel JournalsTake a minute to give some consideration to your most recent trip. What stick...(more in Travel Insurance)

Cheap Travel Secrets
There are two ways to save money traveling. The first way is to get the best deals on the specific things you want. There is a limitation to this type of ap...(more in Travel Insurance)

International Adventure Travel Ideas
International adventure travel: Safaris, balloon tours, swimming with dolphins, bicycling down volcanos, trekking in the Himalayas, Walmart on Christmas Eve - the list is almost endless. This will not be a comprehensive listing of all the adventure opportunities out there. Instead, here is just enough to whet your appetite.My Own International Adventure TravelLong before hitchhiking across the country at sixteen-years-old, I had a taste for adventure. At fourteen, a friend and I bicycled 300 miles in a few days during one summer. At seventeen, I went international with my adventuring, hitchhiking from Michigan to half-way across Mexico. Over forty now, I no longer put out my thumb - not very often, a...(more in Travel Insurance)