How I Handle Jetlag

A lot of people write tips about how to escape jetlag or try to minimize their jetlag for preventative purposes. I have also written a blog post about this that you can find here: 10 tips on how to avoid jetlag, which I now have tried to adapt to when I flew home from Bali recently but this time I don’t know what has happened to my body. I wake up at 4 am every morning and are super tired already at 7 pm in the evening. So it has been going on for a few days now and therefore I thought in this blog post to update you with my tips on how I handle my jetlag when it has hit me.

Jetlag

Although I tried to do as much as possible to avoid jetlag, it has hit me really hard after this trip. I usually get jetlag when I have been in USA and coming home from there but not as much from when I have been in Asia, as now. Maybe it has to do with my age 😉

Bali – Stockholm

From Bali it took me about 22 hours to fly home to Stockholm with a stopover in Doha for about an hour and everything has gone incredibly smooth. Although I tried to stay awake as long as possible on board, I eventually got tired and slept for few hours, which meant that I was alert when I landed in the evening in Sweden, which made me not able to sleep in the evening. I should have slept a few hours during the day on the first flight from Bali to Doha which took 10 hours and then stay awake the rest of the flight, but now I know for next time 🙂

Time difference

Bali is + 7 hours before Sweden, which means that I have tried to take some powernaps during the day, so I won’t fall asleep too early in the evenings but it has not really helped anyway. I have tried to keep myself busy for as long as possible in the evenings, but still, I am tired already at 7 pm and going to bed. This means that I wake up at 4 am in the mornings.

My tips

One hour every day

Therefore, I try to stay awake one more hour for every day that goes to get into the right routines again with sleep. First evening I went to bed at 7 pm, next evening at 8 pm, the evening after that at 9 pm and so on…. Some evenings are harder than others but you will fix it! 🙂

Set the alarm

If you are still so tired that you can’t stay awake, set the clock and sleep for one hour so you can fall asleep later in the evening again.

Watch a Tv program

Do you have a favorite program that goes on TV? Try to stay awake until then and watch the program on Tv and don’t stream it on the computer, it makes you easier to fall asleep, so it is for me at least.

Water

I have been unusually thirsty since I came home and have been drinking more more water than I usually do. Don’t know if it has anything to do with my jetlag but it has helped me to restore the balance in my body again.

Routines

Last but not least, perhaps my most important tips is to try to get back to your routines again as soon as possible. It usually helps me. Start working, go for a walk, go out with your dog the times you usually goes out, eat your meals at the times you usually eat, do something active so your body get used to your routines again.

These are the things I have done since I came home from Bali and it has actually helped me. If you have any other tips on how to handle the jetlag, please let me know! 🙂

Happy Travels!
// Charlotte