With an increasing number of jobs involving travelling across continents, it is important to know how to fall asleep with jet lag to avoid short spells of sleep deprivation symptoms and help you recover an alteration in time zones.
Jet lag is when a persons encounter alterations to their regular sleep pattern, resulting in it being out of synchronisation with their surroundings and new destination. It is extremely common in modern times with the amount of professions that involve travelling from country to country that have different time zones. The most usual type of job that incurs jet lag related sleep problems is piloting and air stewarding. Many airline companies have set strict regulations in place to help reduce staff sleep disorders, especially with the responsibility of flying an aircraft.
Jet lag is referred to as desynchronises by health industry professionals, can last up to several days whilst the individual is unable to adjust and realign their sleep patterns to the rest of their environment. Not only does jet lag cause short term sleep deprivation, but it can also impact a person’s hormone levels and appetite.
Funnily enough jet lag only occurs when travelling trans-meridan distances such as horizontal across the globe other than vertically (north to south or vice-versa). Many people who are not regular to sleep pattern alterations often need to know how to fall asleep easier with jet lag than those who endure it on a regular basis such as shift workers in the travelling industry.
Symptoms of jet lag include constipation or diarrhoea, which is common in the disruption of any regular bodily routine not just crossing time-zones. People can endure headaches or mild migraines, irritability, grogginess or being disorientated. Anxiety or depression can be quite normal but the most common symptom of jet lag is sleep deprivation causing symptoms of tiredness, sleepy during the day, mentally tired doing regular day-to-day activities and feeling chronic fatigue.
There are plenty of ways to fall asleep when suffering jet lag and these are often easily obtainable and easily done. There are also several methods to help prevent the condition before any long distant adventuring. Here are a few things to help combat and prevent the problem:
A week up to travelling, depending on the time difference of the destination (in front or behind) change your daily routing by one or two hours earlier or later. I.e wake up one hour earlier to try and ease your sleep pattern into the new time zone. (be aware this can cause anticipation throughout the night and cause sleep deprivation so try not to think too much into it)
If you are going to the other side of the world (UK to Australia) then see if it is possible to book a night to sleep in a room half way through the journey for example if you are going via Malaysia.
When you reach the destination, try and last as long as you can without sleep throughout the first day to then go to sleep at the destinations bed time to help fall asleep in synchronisation with the rest of people there. You will feel extremely tired and sleepy throughout the day so try and avoid driving as falling asleep while driving if obviously VERY dangerous!
There is mixed views on how to fall asleep with jet lag using remedies and therapy and if these methods and treatments are effective for everyone. The majority of sleep enhancing herbal and prescription drugs contain a chemical called Melatonin which is naturally produced by the body throughout certain times of the day and promotes the feeling of sleepiness and tiredness. The body tends to produce more of this chemical when a person is in a dark environment. Overdosing on sleep medication containing this chemical can promote depression, drowsiness and the inability to function properly throughout the following day. It is also recommended that people who suffer mental conditions, hormonal conditions and pregnant women avoid taking this sleep treatment.
Therapy to help fall asleep easier with jet lag can also be affective. Sleep enhancing therapy that includes using light lamps can help when used at the appropriate times of day. Using low lit light lamps at night can promote sleepiness and experts believe this stems from our natural senses to moonlight stimulation that has evolved over the centuries.
Another said way to fall asleep is fasting. Fasting for up to 15 or more hours can force the new body clock into motion and this can be done by avoiding the meal on the plane and just have breakfast at the destination you are travelling to.
If you suffer other sleep deprivation symptoms as a result of situations other than jet lag then check out other articles on how to fall asleep easier on this website as there is plenty of advice and submitted content on people sleep related conditions and disorders. If you would like to submit your own sleep deprivation story or have your own methods on how to fall asleep easily then please send all stories to howtofallasleep@gmail.com or fill in the contact form by clicking ‘Submit your Sleep Story’ in the menu on the right.
























