It was the time of winter when my sister visited India after a long time from the U.S.A. We were all happy but worried as her little kid was becoming too cranky. She, too, was not feeling well, so we took them to the doctor. According to the doctor’s advice, they were having jetlag as they travelled to India from a different time zone. He said that these symptoms would remain for some time, and they would soon recover.

What is jet lag?

Jetlag usually happens when we travel from one time zone to another. It happens because our internal body system is not able to cope with the change in a new time zone. The whole-body routine changes, that is, the sleeping time and awakening time.

Symptoms of jetlag

The following are the symptoms we might face when our natural circadian rhythm changes.

• Headache
• Fatigue
• Lack of appetite
• Mood swings
• Insomnia
• Difficulty breathing
• Constipation
• Diarrhea

If you are somebody who needs to travel to different time zones, below are some tips which can be tried to make the transition easy with fewer symptoms.

Tips to battle jetlag

Forget your old time zone.

As soon as you land in the new time zone, your clock and other devices will have an automatic time change, but something remains about the older time zone in your mind. You need to adapt quickly to the new time zone. Try sleeping when it is time to sleep in the new time zone.

Bedtime routines

It’s our tendency to fall asleep when we are tired. If it’s day in the new time zone, it’s better not to take a nap and go directly to sleep during the night. If your flight is scheduled to take off when it is night in the new time zone, try to sleep on the plane.Get a sound sleep by avoiding all the gadgets. You can get comfortable travel pillows and noise-canceling earphones to get a good sleep.

Check your water consumption

While travelling, we reduce our water consumption and suffer from dehydration. Perhaps we don’t want so many bathroom breaks, and due to that, we avoid drinking water. However, staying hydrated is critical because it aids in the treatment of many jet lag symptoms such as nausea and fatigue.

Purchase a bottle of water when you are done with the security check and keep drinking whenever you need to.

Expose yourself to sunlight.

When travelling east, it is possible that we feel sleepy during the day. This happens because our internal clock gets interrupted when we travel to different time zones. Expose yourself to sunlight. This will help you to keep yourself active throughout the day rather than feeling sleepy.

Take a hot bath.

For we Indians, bathing is one of the important activities of the day as it helps us remain active and fresh throughout the day. Try taking a hot bath when you land in a different time zone. This can help you get rid of tiredness and feel active throughout the day.

Exercise whenever you can.

It is difficult to keep sitting for a long time. Try doing some exercise whenever you get a chance to do so. Stretch your hands and legs, and stand up when it is safe to stand. Try walking if you are changing your flights in between.

Avoid alcohol

It is good to avoid boozing during travel and one or two days before travelling. Alcoholic drinks can change our body timings and make us feel sleepy during travel.

We only travel from one time zone to another when we have events or business to attend. Sometimes these tasks might get delayed due to jet lag. Try keeping some extra days in your hand to adapt to the new time zone.