Jet Lag! What to do?
On March 2, 2019 by Claire
Many people deal with jet lag in different ways, especially on long flights crossing many times zones. Some people find it’s best to get some sleep on the flight so they are somewhat rested upon arrival. Others try to stay awake the entire flight and throughout their arrival day until it’s night at their destination. While some even try to adjust to the time zone of their destination, a few days ahead of their flight. A few might even go for a “sugar high” which was a personal, odd experience, which I will relay to you later in this article.
I find it’s always better to be well rested before departing on any flight, although that doesn’t always happen. Then I personally find it better if I can catch a few hours of sleep during the flight. Staying well hydrated definitely helps me a lot. I also use homeopathic remedies for jet lag, as well as essential oils.
One thing that I have discovered to be useful is the Horary Point Chart (easily found on the internet). This is where you tap certain areas on your body, according to the points on the chart, which are different for every two hour intervals, according to the time zone of your destination. Some say this doesn’t make any difference to them at all, while some others say it helps them a lot. I also find that stretching before, during, and after a flight helps. But how one deals with jet lag, is their own personal preference, depending on what works for them.
After landing at my destination, with hopefully a couple hours of sleep behind me, I usually try to eat something, before napping for a couple more hours. Then I force myself to wake up and get through the rest the day. It usually takes me a few days to adjust to a new time zone. I don’t necessarily plan anything special for the evenings in the first couple days, if that would be the middle of the night or early morning regular hours for me. It isn’t much fun to be falling asleep at the theater during a play or at the Bolshoi Ballet!
So I allow myself enough extra days when planning my travel, to adjust to the new time zone and get over the jet leg. This makes the whole trip much more enjoyable for me.
One time, in Paris, a friend of mine met up with me. I was already adjusted to the time zone the day she arrived by air. Her technique for dealing with jet leg was different than mine. She decided to eat something, take a shower to freshen up, and just stay awake throughout the whole day. Then go to sleep that night.
I had wanted to go to a French café which was known for its dark African hot chocolate. So I thought, that would be a good day to go. We walked for a while, then hopped on a bus which was on the route to the café. There was a bit of a wait to be seated. We enjoyed looking at the “Belle Epoch” interior design of the building, as well as the beautifully enticing French pastries!
Finally we were seated and decided to order their special hot chocolate and pastry. Then we were discussing what other things to do the rest the day. I thought my friend might want to go back and take a nap, since she was looking very tired.
Our hot chocolate and pastries arrived on a beautiful tray with ornate china dishes. There was a big pot of hot chocolate for the two of us to pour into our cups, along with another pot filled with hot milk. We didn’t quite understand the reason for this other pot until we started to pour the hot chocolate into our cups. It poured out as if it was the thick coffee sludge left over when making a pot of coffee in the “old days.” The color of the chocolate was extremely dark! We looked at each other and just started laughing. Now we understood the reason for the small pot of hot milk! So we diluted our cup of hot chocolate with some of the hot milk, then proceeded to take a drink.
It was so strong, but yet very delicious. We both felt an incredible buzz almost immediately! It felt like I was drunk and I could not stop laughing. The laughter became contagious. At that point, my friend and I decided it was probably best to walk around as much of Paris as possible, for the rest of day. We needed to walk off our “buzz”. My friend knew that she would not be able to fall asleep whatsoever!
We walked past the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, over Pont des Invalides (Invalids Bridge), and onto Champs de Mars to see the Tour Eifel (Eiffel Tower)! We still had so much energy, after walking that much. Later we decided to walk on Rue Cler near Champs de Mars and wander along the food stores and shops. We weren’t hungry at all, but decided to buy some prepared food to take back to our flat, so that it would be there if we were hungry, later that evening.
We spent most of the day just laughing, and could not believe the effect that hot chocolate had upon us! Even now when I think of that time, walking around and enjoying the beautiful scenery of Paris, while “buzzed” from that, I still laugh.
I must now tell you, that when I went back to that same café, a few years later, the hot chocolate was no longer that strong. Even though a pot of hot milk came alongside the pot of hot chocolate, I did not need to dilute it as much.
So that was the most unique experience I’ve ever observed in handling jet lag! I suggest that whatever you have found is successful in dealing with jet lag, just continue with that routine. But if you’re still looking for ideas, you might want to try some of the things I suggested earlier. Bon voyage!
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cool story!
When I was 21, I flew from NYC to LA years ago. I was bumped up to first class and ended up getting wasted on the free-flowing drinks. I arrived in LA, my friend picks me up. He informs me we are headed to the Chinese Mann Theatre to see this new movie that just came out called Star Wars. I sat down, I remember hearing ” A long time ago, in a galaxy far away …” Then I passed out. That’s all I remember. Three years later living in Ct. They rereleased Star Wars. On a lark, I went to see it. I walked out of the theater grabbing anyone I saw yelling ” Oh my god! Did you see Star Wars ?” This, of course, three years later, after everyone in the free world has seen it. Finally, I said this to a group of friends. My buddy replies ” Hey Chris, did ya hear the Beatles broke up ?” That’s my jet lag story.