Top 5 tips to help prevent jet lag and make you vacation healthy

In order to reduce the impact of jet lag when you’re travelling, it’s important to manage your sleep patterns, eat healthy, exercise and keep yourself well-hydrated.
You’ve been planning a holiday for eons now. The thought of getting away from the boredom of daily life was an opportunity you wouldn’t miss for the world, but if you’re taking a vacation abroad, there’s more than one thing you need to careful about, especially jet lag, that is a likelihood every time you travel from one time zone to another.
There’s a bright side to everything, though. You could learn how to own this one too through simple dos and don’ts that make your holiday a productive one to cool your heels off and get back to work with full gusto!
The key to avoiding jet lag, even before your trip begins is restoring all your energy through good night’s sleep. Remember that, most your woes can be cured by sleep. So, make it your friend and start the prep right away!
Andrew Thomas, in his article on Inc.com says, “… jet lag is an interruption in your circadian rhythm. Managing and adapting your sleep patterns are crucial to reducing the impact of jet lag on your productivity while traveling. The other tips will help prevent or alleviate the other causes of jet lag – helping you have a healthy and productive trip.”
Read on for the Top 5 tips to prevent jet lag by preparing well in advance:
Water
Whether or not it’s the upcoming holiday, it’s always important to stay well-hydrated for normal functioning. If you are, however, going to be spending long hours on a plane, you need to ensure you don’t get dehydrated. Prep yourself by training your mind and body to have more water and once you’ve set out on the trip, have a glass of water (at least) every hour of your flight to avoid jet lag. Water can be substituted with green tea or juices. Alcohol and coffee are best to avoid as these are known to dehydrate your body.
Keep yourself busy during the day
Keeping yourself amply engaged during the daytime will obviously mean that you turn in sooner at night than your usual time since your body needs to repair yourself in the hours you’re asleep. Remember, the later you go to bed, the wearier your body feels as it hasn’t had enough time to rejuvenate. This practice will also keep you engaged on your holiday when you can get more done during the day, like fun activities, adventure sports, walking around the town to explore, visiting museums etc.
Exercise
It’s always a good idea to get up from your desk every hour, at least, to stretch your legs and open up the muscles in your body. Try and walk up the stairs as many times as possible and avoid the use of escalators, elevators, and travellators (an experience of each of these are of course, necessary, but to keep health on your side, it’s the stairs that’ll aid you). While these are simple hacks, they are likely to go a long way since it’s one of the easiest things that will go a long way.
Avoid heavy meals
Too much of anything is bad enough, and if your meals comprise junk food and sugary drinks, you’re likely to feel sluggish all the time. Since you’re preparing yourself to avoid a jet lag, switch the unhealthy option for a healthier snack, and avoid filling yourself up a lot at one go. Don’t let bad food choices take away from a healthy lifestyle and a much-awaited vacation.
Become the explorer as soon as you land
You’re in a new place! Use each minute to get acclimatised to the new surroundings and get to know your location better. Maybe take a look at the itinerary and check with some locals about what you could add to the list and do more in a limited time! This is of course relevant if it’s still day where you are and can soak up the sun while you explore.
Additionally, watching TV or being exposed to any kind of blue light will only make your eyes and brain more tired, in turn leading to sleep evading you for a while.
Wish you super vacation! Make the most of it to take care of your physical, mental and emotional health.