Back from Vacation? Learn How to Beat Jet Lag

Summer holidays are all very fine and well – until you get back to China and have to settle back into your old routine while your internal clock is still California dreaming. Many travelers end up suffering one night of disrupted sleep for every one-hour time zone they cross. That's why, for most travelers going very far east or west, the struggle is real. So, how can we help our bodies get back into the swing of things and reduce our suffering after a trip? Read on for tips, all approved by Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) Family Medicine Physician Dr. Galen Gao.

Expose yourself to daylight
If you're struggling with jet lag, make sure you drag yourself out of bed in the mornings and soak up the sun. Daylight is the most significant influencer of your circadian rhythm (that body clock that tells your body when to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning). Daylight sends signals to your brain that it's time to be awake. For the best results, keep your sunglasses off and see if you can find any direct sunlight to stick your face in. Toward the end of the day, keep your shades on and stay out of the sun to help your body understand that bedtime is coming.

Stick to your daily schedule
Do you usually work out in the morning? Journal or meditate in the afternoon? Read your book in the evening? Having a routine like this can send signals to your brain about what time of day it is, helping it to react accordingly. You might be surprised at just how powerful these signals can be. Make sure you adhere to your usual daily routine strictly as you recover from jet lag to help your body get back on track. This includes eating meals at your normal meal times and winding down in the evenings.

Consider taking a melatonin supplement
Melatonin is a hormone that is naturally secreted in the brain. It helps regulate your sleeping cycles by making you sleepy at a similar time each night. In normal circumstances, your brain produces melatonin before bedtime. When you fly across time zones, however, your body can get confused about when it needs to be producing melatonin and may leave you hanging when you need sleep. It might get to bedtime and your brain still hasn’t secreted any melatonin, leaving you tossing and turning.

Luckily, you don't need to leave it up to your brain to figure out that it needs to produce melatonin on nights after you've traveled across time zones. If you struggle to fall asleep when you suffer from jet lag, you can consider taking melatonin to help bridge the gap between your body arriving in the new time zone and your brain catching up. Take from 0.5 mg up to 5 mg of melatonin for three nights – or as long as it takes your body to adjust to the time zone it’s in. Make sure you take your supplement an hour before bedtime, and only after you reach your destination.

Getting enough sleep is vital for your health. New studies even show that a lack of sleep can have negative effects on your brain. Do you travel a lot and suffer acutely from jet lag? Always being on the go can be exciting but exhausting. Do your health a favor and stay on top of your sleep patterns by checking in with a Sleep Medicine specialist, a physician, or a psychologist who can help give you advice (or even medication) to regulate your sleep.

Dr. Galen Gao is a Family Medicine doctor. He speaks English and Mandarin. If you want more advice about general health issues, make an appointment with Dr. Galen Gao by calling the BJU Service Center at 4008-919191.

• Having bad sleep? Consider seeing a Sleep Medicine Specialist at BJU Sleep Medicine Center.

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