8 ways to cure jet lag

It’s one of the side-effects of travelling to wonderful places: our bodies can take a while to adjust to the different time zones. And, unfortunately, research shows that the phenomenon of jet lag can affect us even more as we grow older. Scientists aren’t quite sure why, but some aspects of jet lag – especially the sleep disruption – have been shown to hang around for longer once we have more of our own miles on the clock. So while you might have planned to head out exploring as soon as you land, your brain and body are telling you to crawl into bed. Next thing you know, you’re wide awake at 3am and wishing you could get back to sleep before dawn.

‘Travelling across multiple time zones puts both a physical and mental stress on our bodies, as our internal body clock can’t keep up with the sudden shift,’ says Dr Hana Patel, sleep expert at Time4Sleep.

‘Our body clock stays in the time zone we have travelled from, so essentially we need time to recalibrate to the new time zone,’ she says. ‘You may notice physical, mental, and behavioural changes as our bodies move through and recognise different times in the day. Our bodies react to these changes by sending signals to feel drowsiness at night and alertness during the day.’ That’s why you can end up feeling wired at night and sleepy in the daytime.

Eventually your body clock will adjust, but you can speed up the process by doing what seasoned travellers do whenever they’re jet-setting across the globe. So, here are eight expert-approved ways to cure that groggy feeling…

1 GET IN SYNC

Your body clock might be telling you it’s bedtime in the morning, but the sooner you can get into your usual routine the better.

‘Try to adjust your sleeping and eating schedule to the local time as soon as you can,’ says Lee Dobson, travel expert and co-founder of travel company Travel City. ‘This means resisting the urge to nap in the middle of the day, or eating at odd hours.’

2 EAT HEALTHILY

It’s common to crave carbs when you’re tired, but you’d do better to munch on healthy snacks. ‘Making sure you have a variety of nutrient-rich fruits that also provide hydration is really helpful,’ says Dr Federica Amati, nutritional scientist and scientific advisor for supplement brand De-liver-ance.

‘Nuts contain magnesium, fibre and complex carbohydrates that can maintain energy levels without causing an increase in blood glucose levels or insulin response.’

3 STAY HYDRATED

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