Flight attendant shares how to avoid jet lag on long-haul flights
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@virginaustralia
Topics: Life, TikTok, Travel, Flight attendant
Stefania Sarrubba
If you're looking for tips not to fall victim to jet lag, then you've come to the right place because one flight attendant has shared a few handy suggestions aimed to minimise the side effects of flying to a different time zone.
Virgin Australia cabin crew member Brieana Young has has taken to TikTok to share her knowledge, giving four tips that will help you feel well rested once you land to your destination.
She explained that doing these things should help adjust your body clock to the new time zones more easily.
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The first one is a bit tricky, but it's endorsed by Victoria's Department of Health, according to which the secret is to try to sleep as late as possible if you're flying west, as this will make it easier to adapt to the new location.
"Immerse yourself in the time zone that you’re travelling to at least 24 hours before departure," Brieana confirmed in the video. "I know this is really hard, but it pays off, I promise."
If you're not Down Under, however, and you're flying east, this works in reverse - try to go to bed one hour earlier than normal for a few days prior to departure.
The second tip Brieana has for travellers is to be exposed to sunlight 'as soon as you get to your destination'.
According to the flight attendant, just basking in that natural light should help reset your body clock as it's said to be an efficient, natural tool to regulate the sleep-wake cycle.
Brieana also suggested trying to get a few hours sleep on the flight too.
"Get some good quality sleep on the aircraft," she said. "Make sure you have an eye mask and earplugs or noise cancelling headphones."
Finally, Brieana recommended using a jet lag app that can resynchronise your body clock with the new time zone through a specific sleep and caffeine schedule.
"A good app is Timeshifter," Brieana said. "This tells you when to avoid caffeine, screens and also when to sleep."
During the flight, limiting or avoiding alcohol consumption, drinking plenty of water and eating frequent light meals are all said to help reduce the effects of jet lag.
Wearing comfortable clothing is also essential to getting a good nap, as is trying to plan sleep as if the time is that of the destination.
Happy travels!