Beat Jetlag with Rejuvenators

But before we proceed, here is an insight into what jet lag is:

What Brings About Jet Lag?

Dehydration, stress, and inadequate sleep are the top culprits when it comes to jet lag, according to most travellers.  Yes, these factors contribute to jet lag, but ultimately, the medical experts have singled out the misalignment of circadian rhythms as what really causes jet lag.  For instance, your body hopes to sleep when there is no light exposure; reduced body temperature, high leptin levels, and low ghrelin levels.  But instead, it finds itself in an environment where food, light, and warmth are abundant.  This is a case of a distortion in the norm, your body is getting something clearly different from what it expects, and this causes problems.

There is an inbuilt clock in our bodies, which determines cycles and how long they last. Also, a master gene exists in our body, which is responsible for the wake and sleep cycles. The gene – Lhx1 – is the key regulator of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is found in the hypothalamus of the brain.  Since each body cell functions according to a cycle organised as organised by the SCN.  Thus, each cell in the human body is assigned to different functions, based on the time of the day.  While some eliminate cortisol to wake us up, others regulate body temperature or release digestive enzymes.  In the event of distortion in this order, there are adverse effects on the body or jet lag.

1. Stay Grounded

You don’t have to pay to get this done, plus it is straightforward.  Grounding yourself means you should connect with the earth, and feel the earth surface with your bare feet.  You are probably wondering how this can help you curb jet lag.  Well, here is how:

Antioxidants are great sources of oxygen, and their abundance means free radicals in the body are easily neutralised.  When these free radicals are not neutralised, they can be damaging and even lead to inflammation. This is the logic behind the intake of vitamin C, as an anti-oxidant, to aid quick recovery.

The feet is one of the places where profound free negative ions are found in the body.  Thus, these negative ions neutralise the positive ions that accumulate in the body while on the plane.  However, these negative ions are acquired from the earth itself.  So, the more you touch the ground with your bare feet, the more negative ions you acquire and the more neutralisation you achieve.

So, when next you get off a plane, take your shoes off and locate the nearest field, beach or anywhere natural where you can get a good dose of negative ions.

2. Expose Yourself to Sunlight as much as possible

In addition to being simple and free, this tip is one of the most effective you can apply to combat jet lag.  The moment you get off the plane, expose your face and body to natural sunlight, through your eyes.  If you landed in the night, ensure you do this first thing the sun comes up in the morning.

When light cycles are disrupted in the body, it contributes significantly to the realisation of jetlag, because the body fails to get the usual light/dark cycle.  While travelling a long distance, there is bound to be a discrepancy between the life cycle of the environment and that of the body.  But with morning or daytime sun, the discrepancy is resolved, and you can conveniently sleep when it is night time.

Just ensure that you are maximally exposed to sunlight through your eye and body.  Best results are obtained when sunglasses are not used.  And you can combine it with the point discussed in (1) above – standing on the beach or grass while looking at the sun!

3. Ubiquinol is good as a supplement

Ubiquinol, a bioactive form of CoQ10, is known for its ability to hunt down free radicals in the body while aiding the optimal functioning of the mitochondria.  While on the plane, the body is subjected to enormous stress, including being exposed to radiations at high altitudes.  Thus, when you take ubiquinol as a supplement, the effect of the accumulated stress is lessened.

About 200mg of Super Ubiquinol is fine and must be taken post-flight.  Avoid fake Ubiquinol supplements and do not take more than the specified dosage.

4. Visit a Spa/Bath House

One of the best means of achieving a quick post-travel recovery is having a great session in a hot pool and bathhouse.  Once you touch the ground, endeavour to look for the nearest bathhouse or spa.  If there are no local bathhouses in your destination, you can as well settle for a sauna, irrespective of whether it is the infrared, steam or dry type.

While there is no scientific proof to back the claim of saunas and spas beating jet lag, a long hot soak is known to offer some significant level of comfort, which is deserving for anyone that just got off a long flight.

5. Cold Soaks

Yes, I have recommended a visit to a bathhouse, but the real deal at such places is the hot/cold contrast.  When you get to that bathhouse or spa, go for a 15 minutes session in the heat, and immediately switch to the cold for a 5 minutes session.  Do this three times consecutively, in the space of an hour.

In places where no hot sauna or spa offers hot, cold contrasts, another option is to jump into some cold water you can find around, so far it is safe.  It is highly advisable that you have more cold showers when you travel, even if it is just for five minutes.  And on landing, you can go straight to the beach for an ocean swim.  With this, you have completed grounding, exposure to sun and cold in just an attempt.

Do not consider this as additional stress, rather, see it as a means of alleviating that stress accumulated over the journey.

6. Keep Your Hands Upside Down

One of the implications of staying at a spot in a confined space for so long is the formation of blood clots.  Disturbingly, blood clots are mobile enough to find their way to the lungs, and the effects are quite disastrous and even fatal.  Likewise, impaired oxygen flow and circulation to every part of the body leads to that tiring and exhaustive post flight situation.

To keep the circulation optimal, the best option is going for a good walk, but hanging upside down is also a nice alternative.  You can do this with the aid of an inversion table, as well as making a headstand against the wall.  The same effect is achievable by rebounding on a mini trampoline.

7. Massage, Compression, and Normatec

Obviously, your organs and muscle tissue have missed out on some good oxygen and nutrition while you are on a flight.  Thus, to get back to your best, there is the need to replenish the lost nutrients.  Apart from circulation, another way of beating jet is compression.  Yes, massage does a great job, but the effects of compression boots are far more reaching.

If you can get to wear a pair of these boots after a long trip, you will be amazed at the level of ease your swollen ankle will experience over a short period.  In no time, you will become agile and fit, without any visible signs of a jet lag.

8. Avoid Artificial Light At Night

We have discussed light and its implications earlier in this piece, especially its role in re-syncing the circadian rhythms.  Having acquired an abundant amount of sunlight during the daytime, ensure that you restrict light once the sun sets.  Resetting your light/dark cycles is a tested and proven method of curing jet lag, and sleeping at the right time.

Once the sun sets and night is setting in, ensure that you are not exposed to artificial light as much as possible.  Even if you land at night, the same still holds.  Blue light exposure, especially, must be reduced to a large extent.  Avoid overhead lights and screen exposure.

You can put up blackout curtains and put duct tape over the bright LED lights around.  If you can lay your hands on blue blocker glasses, you can wear it also.  Just do all you can to ensure that your sleep environment is devoid of any form of light.

Lastly, you can sleep with an eye mask on. But once the sun rises, do not hesitate to reach out to the sun and get as much natural sunlight through your eye and skin.

9. Hyperbaric Chamber

This device is not common, but it is very effective.  If you are lucky to find a hyperbaric chamber and spend some time in it after your trip, you will be amazed at how helpful it could be in your course to recover from jet lag.  Distorted circadian rhythms are the biggest culprits of that weakness you experience after a long trip.  However, passengers get their oxygen circulation impaired easily due to the pressurised cabins in the plane.

Melatonin levels are significantly affected by this slight oxygen deprivation, especially after a long flight.  Hypoxia caused by cabin air pressure is one of the leading contributors to the adverse effects of jet lag. However, a hyperbaric chamber is very much capable of mitigating these effects.

When you touch down, endeavour to locate an environment with a rich amount of oxygen.  Free time of 30-60 minutes will go a long way in replenishing the body tissues with oxygen.

10. Schedule your Carbohydrate Consumption

The best time to eat carbs in the course of a trip is early in the evening (local time), and even when you do, avoid taking excess.  When you consume carb at the right time and in the right proportion, it aids in the production of serotonin, a melatonin precursor.  Thus, your body’s circadian rhythm is realigned with the local environment’s dark/light cycles.  If you arrived in the morning, delay eating until as late as possible or postpone eating carbs until the late afternoon.

When you take carbs too late at night, your insulin levels are distorted by bedtime, and this inhibits the release of leptin and growth hormones.

11. Consume Plenty of DHA Rich Seafood

Let us start by understanding the effects of jet lag on DHA.  DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid, and the only known sources are shellfish and cold water fish. There is a significant depletion in the DHA cell membrane, whenever there is jet lag.  While fish oil capsules are possible means of getting DHA, the best recommendation is visiting a local oyster bar for consuming a tin of sardines once you land.

12. Melatonin Consumption Aids Sleep

There has been extensive research on melatonin and its benefits, and it has been widely reported in the outcomes that melatonin can be remarkably effective in the prevention or mitigation of jet lag.  In reiterating the earlier points discussed in this piece, nothing beats the need to reset your circadian rhythm when trying to get over jet lag.  And the best way to go about this is to fix your light cycles, staying outside in the daytime, and sleeping in the dark.

You can achieve a good night rest for the first three days on arriving at your new destination by consuming the right dose of melatonin.  However, melatonin supplementation should not be seen as a long-term fix.  Instead, the priority should be how to get back your circadian rhythm to the regular cycles.

It is recommended that you take 1-3mg of time-release melatonin before going to bed.  Another good alternative is the Doc Parsely’s Sleep Remedy Formula.

13. Employ IV Therapy

IV treatments have become affordable in recent times; almost everyone can get them.  They are even easily accessible at most health and wellness clinics situated in cities.  In such clinics as well, you will most likely find such related services as hyperbaric chambers, normatec boots and infrared saunas are also found.

When you want to go for an IV therapy, the following doses are recommended:

–    a dose of glutathione, to reduce post-flight oxidation

–    B-vitamins, to provide support for the mitochondrial

–    extra saline, which aids rehydration

14. Take Your Coffee At The Right Time

Coffee contains caffeine, a substance that acts extensively on the circadian rhythm.  Thus, it can be used as a tool to keep the cycles in line as you journey through different time zones.  For instance, if you land in the morning, and you are looking to be out in the sun and stay up until night, then coffee is right for such a situation.  The caffeine will function as a stimulant and blocks adenosine receptors.  Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that works as a homeostatic sleep regulator.  It is produced as a by-product of cell activities.  It is known to accumulate during the day, and when it reaches a certain point, it brings about sleeping.

When you sleep and wake, the adenosine is eliminated, and the cycle reset.  Hence, caffeine is very good for you after a long and tiring flight on which you had little or no sleep. By taking caffeine, it inhibits the adenosine receptors, and remove that feeling of exhaustion that is caused by our lack of sleep.  Thus, it is right for realigning the sleep/wake cycles of the body whenever you find yourself in a new time zone.

While caffeine is good, it is best to consume in the morning.  With a half-life of six to eight hours, caffeine consumption close to bedtime will only cause difficulties in sleeping.

15. Quantlet Device Comes In Handy

The last on the list is the Quantlet Device, which has been tipped to revolutionise the health and wellness industry.  You can fit the device on your wrist, and it works by supplying light and cold to the ulnar and radial arteries.  The source of the light is the LEDs which emit IR light.  The supply consequently brings about vasodilation.  Vasodilation is achieved by an increase in nitric oxide levels (thus enhancing blood flow), reduction in oxidative stress (as accumulated on the flight), regulating the temperature to facilitate sleep (by resetting circadian rhythms), and replenishing the batteries present in each body cell.

You can do more research on Quantlet Devices to know more about the device.