EXPERTS have revealed the big mistake people make that will only make jet lag worse.
They say the key is to train your body and mind for a new time zone.
Melatonin may help here, as it can lull your brain into thinking it’s night time.
Foods like tart cherries, bananas and nuts are rich in the chemical but they may not contain enough to be of much help.
Some people take it as a supplement where 1 to 3 milligrams of melatonin is taken two hours before bedtime in your destination and you should start taking it a few days before your trip.
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However, this comes with a big warning.
Jamie M. Zeitzer, a psychiatry and behavioural sciences professor at Stanford University, warns travellers to be careful taking the pills as the medicine is not regulated.
Zeitzer told the Washington Post: “You have to make sure that whatever you’re getting is from a reliable company, that it doesn’t have contaminants and that it has the amount it says is in it.
“Then, it’s a reasonable way to go.”
Another option is to use an app or website that will help create a sleep schedule based on the time zone in your arrival and departure points.
Zeitzer said: “If you have a complex travel schedule or are going very far, these apps actually help.
“The precision starts to matter because of how the circadian system responds to light.
“You can really screw yourself up by getting light a half-hour at the wrong time.”
Fasting may also help in the fight against jet lag or even help to avoid it completely.
A 2002 study found the Argonne anti-jetlag diet, where you feast and fast for several days before your trip, helped alleviate the condition in the members of the National Guard that took part.
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Clifford Saper, a Harvard neurology professor, and his associates at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, studied in 2009 how fasting impacted the circadian rhythms of mice.
Based on those findings, Saper recommends a 12-to-16-hour fast before and during your flight, which could suspend or “reset” your internal clock.
Neurologist and sleep specialist Chris Winter said: “Sleep is secondary to food.
“So, try not to eat a whole lot, and when you arrive back home or in Italy, wait until the first meal and then eat it.”
The experts say you shouldn’t try to force sleep if you can’t nod off.
Instead, you should do a quiet activity that will help calm your mind, such as meditating or reading a book.
Philip Alapat, assistant professor of sleep medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas said: “Watching a horror movie on an 80-inch screen is probably not the best thing to do at 2 in the morning when you’re trying to fall asleep, because you’re going to be activated from the adrenaline as well as the bright light from the screen.”
If you are in the midst of a thick jetlag, you should practice healthy habits, pamper yourself and don’t stress about it.
According to a study in Germany in 2012, stressing out about your jetlag will only make the situation worse.
Zeitzer said: “If you’re stressed, it’s going to be worse. If you’re not eating well, it’s going to be worse.
“If you’re not able to sleep in a comfortable environment, it’s going to be worse.”
It’s also important to remember that staying awake is easier than falling asleep.
Our circadian rhythm regulates our body’s 24-hour clock, comprising of sleep and being awake.
It’s mainly tuned to natural or artificial light patterns.
But habits and schedules also play a part, such as working hours, child-care requirements and rise-and-shine preferences and can impact on our exposure to light and dark.
When we travel to a different time zone, that internal clock gets disrupted and our body’s equilibrium is thrown out of sync.
Alapat said: “Some people are more susceptible to feeling really bad when jet lag occurs and others acclimate fairly quickly and are able to deal with the sleepiness and the insomnia.
“Your body can [adjust] to a different circadian rhythm given time.”
Ultimately, it is harder to force yourself to fall asleep when you’re not tired than to push through the exhaustion to stay awake.
Winter said: “When you’re traveling 12 hours to New Zealand or Thailand, it’s a very problematic place for your brain because it’s not entirely sure if you’ve literally flipped the clock.
“Twelve pm becomes 12am and that’s wildly disruptive for a lot of reasons.”
