Sleep While Traveling

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From the article: Jet lag happens because the body’s internal clock is thrown out of sync and produces symptoms, including lack of sleep, drowsiness, and impaired mental and physical performance. “Most of the time, our sleep habits are changed when our bio rhythm is disrupted,” explains König. “There’s a greater likelihood of this happening when we travel due to a new environment, a change of time zone, or sleep disturbances. To combat this, it is very important to schedule enough sleep time and ensure the typical sleep duration remains the same. When changing time zones especially, one should adjust themselves immediately to sleeping in the new time rhythm, which can be aided by taking melatonin at bedtime.” You might be wondering what I do. First, I try to arrive in my new country early enough in the day to walk, get some fresh air and sunshine, and have a light meal with some wine. I generally do not have a problem falling asleep after a long flight. But I often wake up at odd hours on the first night or two. When I awaken at an odd hour, I simply take a melatonin tablet or a low dose sleeping pill. On my first full day, I try to replicate my daily routine back home, which is very busy in the morning, easy in the afternoon with perhaps a short nap, and off to an early dinner. In summary, my simple solution is: exercise, fresh air, lighter meals.

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