Jet lag. Oh what a feeling.
I can’t stand it.
I love flying, traveling and moving through time zones. I really do.
Then I have to return home.
I’ve found that it’s the journey home that gets me. It takes days to recover. Nights to get my body in sync with the right time zone. I want to sleep through the day and function during the night. Not a good way to be when you have to work 8:30 to 5.
I do recall what does help. Unfortunately, this time around I didn’t think about it much.
Flying in at 1am and not getting to bed till after 3am is bound to end in disaster. Especially if you don’t set an alarm clock to wake at a decent hour. I forgot the alarm and slept till 3pm.
Sunday night I couldn’t sleep at all. With Monday off I spent the morning at the dentist’s then had a three hour nap which meant little sleep Monday night.
This morning I was up before 4am. I was fine in the morning but by lunchtime I was falling apart. With heavy bags under my eyes that even make up didn’t cover and a blurry mind I persevered till 5pm. After getting home, eating dinner and showering, I’m off to bed. It’s just before 8pm. Fingers crossed I’m back to normal tomorrow.
* Next time I’ll be taking three full days before going back to work.
* Setting an alarm clock is a must to get the body back to the right time zone.
* Eating light and drinking plenty of water on the plane to stay hydrated helps.
* Getting in a light workout or just going for a run can reenergise (but get some sleep first)
* Relax and don’t plan too much (we had dinner plans the past two nights which only amplified the exhaustion)
