Sleep disruption is not an uncommon thing when traveling. Below are a few handy tips on how to avoid this issue or keep it to a minimum.
1) Sleep Strategically
Make changes to your bedtime; move it at least an hour early or late, three days before the scheduled travel. Keep adding an hour with each passing day, meaning your bedtime schedule will be three hours late or early by the third day. According to Gamaldo, the body takes about a day per time zone to adjust. Therefore, this trick can help make the transition easier. Make sure you get plenty of good quality sleep before you travel, a Puffy mattress is a perfect place for a restful night’s sleep.
2) Go With The Local Flow
Try your best to sync up with the local schedule after arriving at your destination. If it is a place where the locals are awake and busy in the middle of the day, get wit the program. Try as much as possible to get enough sleep on the plane if you are landing during the day. If you are to arrive at night, do your best to be awake during the flight, then sleep when you are at your destination.
3) Adhere To The Two-Day Rule
If you have a two-day stay somewhere, do what you can to keep to your schedule. Gamaldo says that you probably will be heading back home by the time your body starts to adapt. Hence, she suggests requesting holding meetings or any obligations (if possible) during most of your peak waking hours as you operate when at home.
4) Let There Be Light
If you are scheduled to land in the early morning during your travel east, carry you a pair of sunglasses to help manage the light exposure. Try to get maximal light exposure during the late hours of the morning or early afternoon. It will help shift your rhythms closer to your destination’s time zone, Gamaldo says.
According to here, the objective is to recalibrate the clock when headed east so that time is closer to your bedtime when at your destination. Traveling westwards is less disruptive; thus, little need to considering the early morning light exposure. You can try to push your rhythm back a bit by going for a walk or eating outdoors.
5) Be Up And About
Gamaldo suggests taking a warm bath and then enjoying some outdoor exercises when you start the day. It helps alert the body it is time to get going. It helps increase the core body temperature, which triggers the circadian rhythm.
6) Take Melatonin
Hormone melatonin production tends to be higher roughly two hours before bedtime. It preps the body for rest. Therefore, your body might need a bit of help for this if you are traveling. Melatonin can be found in some over-the-counter meds. You can grab nonprescription sleep aids in up to 10mg dosages.
If your sleep schedule is off, these will help your body maintain its normal melatonin production. However, Gamaldo cautions that it is not a cure for jet lag. Research suggests light exposure during the day is a better natural way of resting your internal clock.