We get up early to be at the airport, willing to sacrifice a few hours of sleep to arrive at our destination sooner. With the way airplanes are now configured, unless you are 5'2" you will be unlikely to find a comfortable position to take a nap. Your plane touches down and you want to see all you can see, but there is one big problem, you are tired... very tired. Commonly known as "jetlag," it really has to do with our circadian system, our internal clock that tells us when it is time to get up and when to go to bed.
Jetlag experts have concluded that it can take up to one day per time zone you have crossed to get back in rhythm. If you travel halfway around the world, your body usually gets back in sync within seven days.
So what can you do to help ease the tired feelings when traveling for business or pleasure? You can lessen the effects by acclimating your internal clock to your new time zone a few days in advance. Start by changing your bedtime and wake up time by one hour, and then increase it if you plan to fly a great distance. While this will not eliminate the tiredness, it will lessen the effects of a lengthy time in the friendly skies. It is not recommended to take a sleeping pill on a long flight "to catch up" as it is important to frequently get up and stretch to reduce the possibility of blood-clotting that can arise from long-distance flights.
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