4 Ways to Ease Jet Lag and Make the Time Change Transition a Cinch

While visiting a new place is exciting and fun, it’s often no match for jetlag. Here are four ways to make the most of your trip and avoid grogginess and lost sleep.

• Revamp Evenings: Time changes and jetlag are best handled when you’re well-rested. Encourage plenty of sleep in the weeks ahead of your travels. Before bed, avoid activities that make sleep more evasive, such as looking at bright screens, consuming caffeine or indulging in too much alcohol. A vigorous workout, while great for your cardio health, is best performed at least several hours before lights out.

• Connected Tech: You don’t necessarily need a smartwatch to avoid the hassle and potential risk of forgetting to wind watches to local time when you arrive at your destination. Instead, consider a connected watch that updates automatically when Daylight Saving Time starts or ends or when traveling to a different time zone. For example, the shock-resistant, solar-powered G-Shock GSTB100XA-1A is equipped with Bluetooth that lets it connect with a smartphone to receive time information from an internet time server. Likewise, the Casio Edifice EQB1000D-1A, a new high-spec super-slim model with phone linking capabilities can keep you further on track with a daily alarm, full auto-calendar and stopwatch.

• Avoid Anxiety: The anxiety caused by traveling to a different time zone can ironically make it harder to function. Make a point of engaging in a stress-reducing activity when you arrive, like meditation or yoga.

• Think of the Family: Traveling with pets or young kids? A time change can be especially difficult on those who don’t understand why bedtimes and feeding schedules have changed. Ease kids and furry creatures into the time change by shifting their schedules 10-15 minutes each day.

Traveling east or west can cause stress, jetlag and lost sleep. With some smart strategies, you can make the transition smooth sailing. (StatePoint)