Yesterday was Daylight Savings "Spring Forward” and I’m not going to lie, I’m really missing that one extra hour of sleep that I should have gotten last night. It’s reminding me of the jetlag I’ve had when I traveled to visit our teams in Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam). Talk about time change, that’s a full 12-hour difference! New times zones, or even just a little time difference like we’re experiencing now I the US, mess with our natural circadian rhythms -- that handy internal clock that tells you when it’s time to be tired and sleep and when it’s time to wake up. Over many years of traveling, I’ve put together a pretty solid list of tips and tricks that keep me up and running even when a time change has gotten me stuck in a rut.
Here’s what has helped me the most…
The Night Before: Get More Sleep Than You Think Necessary
Before a really long flight, or before a time change via daylight savings, I always like to take a night of self-care to get the optimal type and amount of sleep. I use a silk/satin pillowcase and an eye mask - (I’ll bring the same eye mask on my flight if it’s an overnight) This way, I’m sure that my body will be fully rested before a change. A stressed out and tired body will always react to time and location change worse than a rested one! So, before my early bedtime, I’ll make sure to dim the lights, put my phone away, and take a relaxing Epsom salt bath.
The warm water and relaxing smells calm my muscles and my mind and begin to wind me down for the night. After my bath, I write in my journal and read a bit: a peaceful novel, health book or something inspiring, something that doesn’t stimulate my mind too much and makes me groggier. Finally I set my alarm for a later time than usual. With more sleep and a more restful night, I feel like I can take on anything!
That Morning: Staying Hydrated & Internal Essential Oils
You’ve heard this before folks, but I swear, drinking more water always makes you feel better during the day. However, when you’re traveling or jetlagged, or just tired in general, remembering to drink as much water as you should can be really hard (phone alarms can help for this!).
During the Day: Staying Awake
Need more help you staying awake? As much as possible, get outside in natural sunlight.
As you can see, most of these “tips” are really just maintenance of routine and ritual. Sticking to/getting back into the routines that you've developed helps associate certain times and actions with either staying awake or getting to sleep. And even though it seems like you’ll never feel like yourself again, jet lag or time-change lag really does pass. By next week we’ll be marveling at the longer days and getting out to enjoy them.
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