Easy Ways to Reduce or Prevent Jet Lag

Crossing several time zones can be a fun and exciting experience, but it will take its toll on your internal body clock. Your body may have adjusted to dozens of cues from your home environment, and these affect your sleep patterns, your eating habits and even your levels of concentration and focus. Your body clock naturally resets itself to a new environment, but the change can leave you feeling disoriented, fatigued and with limited energy. Here are some simple ways to reduce or prevent jet lag so you can enjoy your trip with ease:

1. Eat the right foods at the right times. Eating light, balanced meals on your travel day can help keep your body healthy so it can synchronize better with the new destination. Try and eat healthy proteins such as turkey later in the day; these types of foods contain L-tryptophan, an amino acid that can help you get to sleep faster.

2. Take a shower to wake up. If you find yourself nodding off in the middle of the day, take a cold, refreshing shower so you can increase circulation and revitalize your senses.

3. Head to bed at the new 'bedtime.' It's easy to want to wait until you truly feel sleepy before heading to bed, but making sure you hit the pillow at your regular bedtime in your new time zone will help you adjust to the time much more easily.

4. Skip the alcohol. Alcoholic beverages can quickly throw off your body clock and make it harder to adjust to the new time zone. Avoid alcoholic drinks on the flight and your new destination so you can

5. Stretch during the flight. Keeping your circulation going during a long flight can help keep you healthy and avoid chronic fatigue. Stretch your legs, arms and back on a regular basis so you can keep your energy levels up.