Jet lag means you couldn’t sleep on your first night in Bali.

As a result, you felt sleepy and no energy, could not do any activities the next day. On the second night, you chose to take an anti-motion medication that had the effect of making sleep. You were finally able to sleep and feel more refreshed the next day. But why you have trouble sleeping? The answer is because of jet lag. Jet lag is one thing that is no stranger to you guys as a traveller who often does long-haul flights. It is a problem with temporary sleeplessness that could be experienced by anyone who had just travelled across several time zones. The more time zones we pass, the more likely we are to feel it.

The cause of jet lag itself is due to the presence of internal clocks in our body. This internal clock or circadian rhythm will indicate when your body must stay awake and when to sleep. Jet lag itself occurs because your body’s clock is still synchronized to the time zone of your departure, not the time zone where you want to go. The symptoms of people who experience jet lag include feeling tired during the day, feeling unwell, dizzy, anxious, difficult to focus, to memory problems, which is often experienced by people who travel far by plane and it is caused by our own biological clock.

Need to be underlined, jet lag is not the same as ordinary fatigue. While crowded cabins, uncomfortable chairs, and crying fussy children can indeed be a factor in air travel fatigue. However, jet lag is not the effect of these conditions. Conversely, jet lag is caused by human biological clocks that have become accustomed to one place, but become chaotic when in a new place because of the fast air travel. So that jet lag can occur every time a time zone is passed. But jet lag will be felt when there are several time zones involved.

There are things you can do to reduce the effects of jet lag. Take a break before the flight and try to take a walk during the flight, like go to the toilet, so that you are not always sit in a narrow space for long periods of time. Drink lots of water, because the air in the plane tends to dry. If it is possible, choose flights that arrive in the afternoon local time, so you can sleep around 10:00a.m. If you are preparing a long flight to the east, wake up and go to bed early for a few days before, and for flights to the west, wake up and go to sleep later.

Change the clock to the destination time zone as soon as you get on the plane. Stay active during the flight by doing exercises, stretching and walking along the aisle. Use eye mask and earplugs and aim for a nap. And after you have arrived, try to avoid alcohol, heavy foods. Spend some time outdoors in the sun and sleep at “normal” time for the destination time zone

In fact, the inevitable clash between local time and the body’s biological clock means there is no cure for jet lag. However, of course there are still some treatments to overcome them. Besides drinking coffee, taking a nap, and other techniques that apply to ordinary fatigue, there are special tricks for jet lag. It is recommended that someone do a series of fasting and eating before traveling to help rearrange the body’s biological clock routine.

Finally, the most reliable way to overcome jet lag is to let your body take time to adapt. The time is around one day for each time zone that is passed. But in case your body need some booster, you could try to find a Jet Lag Reliever or Recover. It is some package of vitamins, normally consist of B complex and antioxidant. It will really help to make the healing process faster.