Avoiding jet lag when you fly from coast to coast or around the world is definitely possible if you know how to do it. A survey conducted by Conde Naste said that 93% of travelers suffer from jet lag and even 96% of flight attendants suffer from it as well. Jet lag is no fun, as it can affect your ability to enjoy your vacation if you’re sidelined with the extreme exhaustion that often accompanies adjusting to long flights in many time zones.

My first real experience with jet lag occurred on my first overseas trip to London and after that experience, I vowed to learn the secrets to avoiding jet lag. I had an overnight flight from JFK to Heathrow and arrived at my hotel around noon. I was so extremely tired when I checked into my hotel that I proceeded to take a very long nap. This was exactly the wrong thing to do as it took me several days to adjust to the pace and flow of the London time zone. Since then, I have learned many tips to avoid jet lag and no longer have to put my travels on hold.

First of all, you should know that traveling through different time zones is the main cause of jet lag. It occurs most often when traveling from west to east, but can also be jet lag when traveling from east to west. Second, I’ve learned that a big reason for experiencing jet lag, at least for me, is purely psychological, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t physiological reasons that affect the feeling of jet lag as well.

Here are some tips that I have collected and applied over the years that seem to work very well. I used these tips to avoid jet lag when traveling from Los Angeles to Finland and back in four days for a video shoot with travel editor Peter Greenberg. I produced a “Search for Santa” segment in the Arctic Circle with Peter for ABC-TV’s Home Show.

1. Get little or no sleep the night before you travel. Believe it or not, this is a great tip to avoid jet lag. I usually have so much to do the night before I take a long flight that I stay up very late the night before my trip taking care of last minute details like packing my bags and taking care of many other details. In fact, I have found this activity very useful as it is very easy for me to fall asleep on the plane afterwards and arrive at my destination ready to enjoy the views. Sleeping on the plane helps me quickly adjust to the new time zone I’m traveling to and is very helpful in avoiding jet lag.

2. Take a Tylenol PM or Melatonin to help you sleep on the plane. I find that if I have a little help with a sleep aid to induce a nice relaxing sleep, I get the rest and sleep I need while on a flight and this is very helpful in avoiding jet lag. To me, that means just ONE Tylenol PM or about 15mg of melatonin (with a 5HTP or two), but you need to use it responsibly. I get Schiff’s Melatonin at Costco and it is very inexpensive and I sometimes take Melatonin while on vacation to help reduce the effects of jet lag by helping me adjust my sleep pattern for the new time zone.

Before you rely on Tylenol PM or Melatonin for a trip, you really need to test them before your flight to determine if they are effective for you or not. I initially tried these sleep aids on a friday night when i knew i could sleep or relax on a saturday if i got too tired after taking them. This is VERY important to do this. The recommended dose in one Tylenol PM is TWO tablets. I have NEVER taken two tablets because one tablet is more than enough to induce sleep. I just want to have a good night’s sleep. I don’t want to feel groggy for a whole day, so you personally have to determine how your body will respond to this suggestion. Personally, I’m also not a fan of prescription sleep medications, so I can’t comment on their use for this purpose.

3. DO NOT drink alcohol or caffeine when you fly. Drinking alcohol, coffee, and caffeinated soft drinks during your flight will dehydrate you and contribute to your feeling of jet lag, so simply skip these drinks on the day of your trip. I know it sounds harsh, but you certainly don’t want to drink alcohol (including wine and beer) if you’re taking Tylenol PM Now, if you must have a cup of coffee, then wait and have your drink in the morning you’re arriving at your destination when the attendants flight are serving breakfast. Save the drink for fun spots, swim-up bars, pubs, and dinner when you arrive at your vacation destination. If you don’t follow this travel tip to avoid jet lag, you’ll really pay for it on your vacation.

4. Drink lots of water. It is very important that you drink plenty of water when you fly, as dehydration will contribute to your physical feelings of jet lag. Some airlines try to keep passengers hydrated on long flights by bringing them water, but they usually don’t do a good job of coming enough and that’s why I always make sure I have at least a liter or two of water. with me. I also ask for extra water when the hostesses come offering drinks. Drinking plenty of water while on a coast-to-coast or international flight goes a long way to avoiding jet lag.

5. As you travel, slowly begin to advance your watch to the correct time zone at your vacation destination. This is the most important tip to avoid jet lag. You should slowly start moving your watch forward one or two hours during your flight to the correct time at your destination. Make sure you have your watch set to your destination time zone several hours before you arrive, as you will be psychologically set to jump right into the new time zone. I’ve used this tip to avoid jet lag for over twenty years and it works wonders to alleviate jet lag whether you’re traveling from coast to coast or flying halfway around the world. In my opinion, most jet lag is purely psychological and fixing your mind in the new time zone is one of the easiest things to do to avoid jet lag.

6. If you arrive at your vacation destination in the morning or afternoon, DO NOT go to bed when you arrive at your hotel. I made this mistake only once and learned my lesson quickly. Drop off your bags at your hotel, and then head out and explore your destination for the day. Take a double-decker bus tour and get a quick orientation of your city, or lounge on the beach for the day. Dine early and then go to bed early your first night at your vacation destination. You will sleep very well and quickly adjust to the new time zone in the morning.

Finally, be sure to get up and move around during a long flight because sitting in a cramped position for hours only adds to the misery of jet lag and could also have some very serious (even deadly) implications. Get some exercise while you’re on your flight. You can twist and stretch to keep your muscles relaxed or walk up and down the cab if possible from time to time. This can prevent your feet from swelling.

I don’t know if these tips will work for you, but I can tell you that they have worked for me for years and I have yet to experience jet lag at my vacation destination since I implemented these tips to avoid jet lag. Just remember, you don’t need to let jet lag ruin your business trip or vacation. If you use these tips suggested here to avoid jet lag, you’ll enjoy your trip!