Best ways to overcome jet lag and make the most of your travel in any country

Guest Blogger Sandy Kingsley is the owner of Inspired Exploration

Learn about our Adventure to India planned for October 2016 led by Sandy Kingsley

Memories of arriving in Delhi for my first time are a little blurry. I originated in Denver and arrived in Delhi a day and a half later, flying in coach, alone as my friend and I were flying on different airlines. Our host in Delhi met me at the airport, we collected my friend, and went back to our host’s guest house (which actually was a guest room in his home) to take an early morning nap. Those things I remember. It was disorienting, arriving in a foreign airport after well over 24 hours of travel, loosing 7.5 hours to the time change, exhausted yet filled with anticipation of a cultural adventure. After a nap, late lunch, and killing time with our hosts at a local market in their small suburb outside of the city, we were driven to the bus station. I have a recollection of the craziness of the bus station, and feeling overwhelmingly grateful that our host was there to navigate us through the chaos. It was all feeling very surreal, and then we boarded an overnight bus to Himachal Pradesh. When I say overnight bus, I don’t mean this was a luxury sleeper bus — it was a basic Indian bus, with piercing music blasting over the speakers all night long as we and all the Indian passengers tried to sleep upright in our seats.

Needless to say, when we arrived at the northern bus station met by our next round of travel guides, my travel partner and I were delirious with exhaustion. International jet lag, overlapped with an overnight Indian bus ride, and add in our first experience at a 2am Indian-off-road-truck-stop — I think I might call that Jet Lag-Super-Sized. Yet two days and the Pakistan-India earthquake of October 2005 later, we were somehow ready to begin our five day trek.

Even a shorter flight to another time zone can lead to jet lag. If you follow the traditional rule of thumb – the 1:1 ratio – meaning you allow yourself one day to recover for every hour of time difference that you experience, then you just may miss your entire trip! Travel in and of itself will throw your vata dosha out of balance—vata dosha is the subtle energy that governs movement—and can leave you susceptible to dehydration, insomnia, sluggish digestion, anxiety, spaceyness, jet lag…the list goes on. Here are a few tips to help you to minimize your jet lag (and a vata imbalance) and your re-orientation time.

Fly first class!! OK, I know this is not an option for most of us with flight costs what they are, but sleep is a must. Flying overseas in a fully reclining seat, with private space and a lovely travel packet equipped with a sleeping mask and earplugs is as close to a cure-all for jet-lag as it comes. However, if that is not an option for you this time around, continue on for more tips!

Bad news for diligent yogis and Ayurvedic practitioners, or anyone who has their body well-attuned to a set schedule. Normally, going to bed by 10pm and waking up before 7am is a good thing, yet in long-distance, new time zone travel, jet lag is bound to hit you the hardest. Before leaving on your journey, perhaps even a day ahead of time, reset your watch to the arrival city time. Do your best to begin sleeping and awakening to that time, even if it is only moving a few hours closer to the new time.

Don’t drink caffeine before your flight, especially if it is night time in your destination location, but all around bad for vata dosha too. To help relax your mind while strengthening digestion and improving circulation, drink peppermint tea instead, or consider taking a ginger or cinnamon capsule. Essential oils will also help to calm the vata dosha. Some people take melatonin or an antihistamine to induce sleep – consult your doctor on this first.

While on the flight, there are several things you can do. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol and caffeine. …But alcohol is free on some overseas flights…! I know!!….so one drink won’t kill you, keep it in moderation. Deepak Chopra recommends that during your flight, you drink an amount of water that equals half of your weight in ounces. For example, If you weigh 160 pounds, you would want to drink 80 ounces of water. (chopra.com)

Get up and walk at regular intervals to stretch and improve your circulation. If there is room in the aisle, practice a few yoga poses (warrior II, triangle pose, and tree will all help you create more spaciousness from your cramped seat while engaging and reinvigorating your muscles). In your seat you can practice shoulder rolls, neck stretches, and a spinal twist.

Come prepared. Even if you are not sitting in first class, you can bring along your own personal care kit and keep it handy in your carryon bag. Include the basics: a toothbrush and toothpaste, comfy socks, eye mask and ear plugs. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes that breathe. Wash up before “bedtime” and once you wake up, to create some sense of “normal” routine.

Bringing a light-weight neck pillow will provide support for your neck while you sleep. I also like to slide the pillow or a blanket behind my lower back when I am awake for a more comfortable alignment in my lumbar.

Free App! Jet Lag Rooster is a free app that helps you lessen the effects of jet lag. JetLag Genie and Jet Lag App are two others with some additional features, and you pay a nominal fee for them. They all create a personalized suggested schedule for sleeping, eating, waking, etc. I will be trying one of these on my next trip – but I cannot yet speak from first hand experience.

Upon your arrival, spend 20 minutes out in the sunlight which will help your body reset its natural time clock to coincide with your new surroundings. Adopt the local time as quickly as you can, avoiding naps if at all possible. If you do need to nap, limit it to 2 hours maximum, and set an alarm to be sure you get up.

Continue to stay hydrated and enjoy your journey!

Sandy Kingsley is the owner of Inspired Exploration – Travel to Delight the Heart and Senses, a yoga teacher, and a curious, life-long learner. She just returned from a trip to China and Tibet, and will be taking a group of “Inspired Explorers” to India in October of 2016! She teaches Gentle Vinyasa on Tuesday nights at Elemental Om, Symmes studio.