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| Thanks "Grayunit" for the inspiration... |
Jet lag is a strange thing. I don't understand why, but it affects me differently on different trips; the one consistency being the effects peak on the third day and then quickly disappear. In general it bothers me less than when I first started traveling long distances. Perhaps I just accept the disrupted sleep patterns and grogginess at midday now, or maybe my body had developed some resistance to the effects. But even after years of frequent travel across multiple time zones, sometimes it still hits me hard. Not that this is all bad - even though I often feel brain-dead around 2:00 in the afternoon, for the first few days I am incredibly productive at 4:00 in the morning!
I have yet to come up with a sure fire strategy to minimize the effects. Some things do help, albeit inconsistently. Here is what I have tried so far:
- Take a nap on arrival. If your schedule permits, this can offer some relief. 2 or three hours of napping and then going to sleep at a normal local time can help, but I will still usually be wide awake at 3:00 AM
- Drink lots of water on the flight. For those of us who live below 10,000 feet, the air in the cabin of an airliner will be unusually dry and dehydration can result. Drink lots of water to counter this and you should arrive feeling better.
- I am undecided whether it is better to sleep on the plane or stay awake. I have tried both but I think I need more data. Unfortunately, I can only sleep on a plane if I sedate myself - two double bourbons do the trick nicely, but they also add to the risk of dehydration. I will keep working on this...
- Drink coffee throughout the day after arrival. This one is a must for me.
If I ever figure this out, I may write a book...
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