3 Natural Jet Lag Remedies for Travel
As we hop timezones, work nights, or party into the night, our natural “biological clock” gets warped. Jet-lag is the bane of every traveler that just wants to experience a new culture during the short amount of time they get to experience it. Jet-lag can destroy those memories and make it feel like another trip is “just not worth it.” Or it can make work-travel a waking nightmare.
That biological clock is a 24-hour clock called our circadian rhythm, influenced by sunlight. That rhythm influences sleep and is measured by body temperature changes, plasma, hormones and more.
Jet-lag, whether on your next travel or during a lifestyle change is a real and discomforting condition. Keynotes of jet-lag are disorientation, indigestion, irritability, restlessness, anxiety, fatigue, sleeplessness, sometimes nausea, general un-wellness and “the blahs.”
A lack of deep rest depresses the immune system making a person more susceptible to an inevitable “airplane cold.” Using alcohol and caffeine to trudge through it actually makes the whole problem a lot worse.
Old-time travelers made slow treks or voyages across the seas and would have time to adjust to time changes. But hopping a plane and crossing timezones to enjoy exotic all inclusive holidays has changed that.
That’s why this first “remedy” is about adjustment and is in your control. Best of all, it’s free and doesn’t require a trip the store.
1) Pre-travel sleep adjustment.
Before you travel, incrementally adjust your sleep time by 1-2 hours each night leading up to travel. If you are traveling to a timezone that is three hours earlier than your own, you might start three to four days ahead of travel and begin by going to bed one hour earlier and waking up one hour earlier. You can start as many days ahead of time as you like to get used to your new timezone.
What if I can’t adjust? That’s where the next remedy comes in.
2) Melatonin
By now you may have heard of this wonderful “knock-out” supplement. It’s actually a hormone and your pineal gland produces it to help with your circadian rhythm. It’s the ultimate sleep NOW remedy. BUT, it should be used with some caution.
Naturopaths caution the regular use of melatonin because your brain produces it and the more you use it, the less your brain will produce it. In that sense, it creates a dependency. But during jet-lag, it’s the perfect time to use it for badly needed rest and adjustment. Especially since it directly influences the circadian rhythm. And of course, never, ever take it if you have to drive somewhere. Seriously, it can knock you out.
Only .5 – 1 mg is necessary for results although some people go up to 3 mg or more as those supplements are readily available. Too much melatonin can cause nightmares, but using just a little to fall asleep while traveling can help with deep rest and staying on that region’s schedule. Source Natural’s formula is strong (it takes 20 minutes to work) and includes relaxing herbs like Valerian and Passion Flower.
3) Homeopathic combinations
A lot of people swear by No-Jet-Lag tablets. They contain homeopathic potencies of: Arnica, Bellis perennis, Chamomilla, Ipecacuanha and Lycopodium.
According to naturopath, Cathy Wong, this remedy is missing an important homeopathic: Cocculus Indicus for when you’re “too tired to sleep.”
That’s where King Bio homeopathic spray comes in. Their “Jet Lag & Shift Change” formula contains:
Cocculus Indicus, Colchicum Autumnale, Gelsemium Sempervirens, Juniperus Communis, Kali Phosphoricum, Kali Carbonicum, Nux Vomica, Phosphoricum Acidum and Passiflora Incarnata
Homeopathic combos are great – they work so well together and this way, you don’t have to buy them all separately, which can be expensive.
Do you see how different the ingredients are for each? Feel free to try them both, even together. King Bio spray is safe for babies, too. Coincidentally, both of them help with other travel possibilities like indigestion, gas, diarrhea, soreness, anxiety and dizziness. You don’t have to take a drugstore with you on your trip – save room in that suitcase for travel keepsakes.
Using these three methods together can cut your jet-lag time in no time at all.
