We have all been there done that – caught the horrendous JET LAG bug – and if any of the below situations sound familiar, then we need to talk:
- Struggling to keep your eyes open whilst standing in your local starbucks/ pacific coffee/ *insert international coffee chain name here* queue to buy that double shot caramel macchiato (because if you don’t get high enough from the caffeine, the sugar fix will keep you buzzing). When the person behind the cashier asks for the size of your coffee, you stare at them blankly for 2 minutes until you realise you were sleep talking/walking/living and putting all those (many) hollywood zombie actors to shame.
- That incredibly dull meeting at work that doesn’t seem to be useful in any way unless its sole purpose is to torture your inability to stay awake. You start questioning all the wrongdoings in your life.
- When everyone else in the same timezone has decided that the time has come to be in a deep slumber (humans, most animals that you are not afraid of etc), your brain is ON FIRE are after questioning the evolution of mankind (are we REALLY evolving?) you then realised that there are SO many TV show marathons that you need to catch up on (Breaking Bad, Homeland, Downton Abbey – take your pick). You manage to stay awake the entire night.
We could go on, but you get the gist. JET LAG SUCKS. So here are our top tips to fighting this horrendous first world problem:
1. Avoid alcohol or caffeine at least 3-4 hours before bedtime. Sounds obvious, but let’s face it, a lot of us don’t avoid these two things at the best of times (it’s ok, we’re not judging) but both act as “stimulants” and prevent sleep.
2. Spend lots of time in the natural sunlight after you land and drink MORE WATER THAN YOU HAVE EVER DONE BEFORE. We read about this – the low humidity in the cabin along with the increased breathing thanks to the higher altitude means you are in SUPER dry conditions when flying – so drink up (water, not sugary liquids!). Oh and your body naturally responds to daylight and the sun, so when it is daytime make sure you get outside to ensure your body KNOWS it is the day and needs to wake up already!
3. Set your watch to local time before you take off. This was a super obvious point to us, but we realised we never really do this before flying. That’s because we generally get super excited after take off – we’re browsing through the in-flight entertainment guide to find out what movies we need to catch up on. NOT ANYMORE. It’s just not worth the pain for the next few days after arrival. So set your watch, and ensure you actually sleep during the right time on the flight (i.e. night time!), and then pack in all those in-flight movies during times when it is “daytime” at arrival.
4. Exercise in the late afternoon. This will ward off those “very sleepy” moments when to combat the jet lag monster you usually reach out for your fifth coffee on the day. Forget it (remember point 1) – jump into your lycra and get yourself down to the gym (or for a run outside, whatever works!). Work out like you are competing in the current Commonwealth Games and push yourself beyond what you thought was capable. We promise you will not only feel re-energised afterwards, but you will (hopefully) sleep like a baby that evening after expelling so much energy!
5. Deal with your dry skin, pronto!
Ok we know we mentioned this in point 2 that you have dealt with super dry conditions whilst flying and hence need to drink lots of water. That’s a definite. But on top of this, your skin can feel so dry, so our survival tip is…. moisturise, mositurise, moisturise! Your skin will love you, and you’ll notice how the cream/oil absorbs super quickly. If your face feels super dry we recommend a serum – the oils will not only instantly brighten up your skin but it will instantly provide intense moisturising properties that will revive dull, tired looking skin.
This face serum below is by Ambre Botanicals and is SUPER concentrated (this doesn’t contain ANY water, just jam packed with rapidly absorbing oils to moisturise your face!). At only $55 SGD, this is one of the cheapest serums for the amazing quality of ingredients inside!
If your body is feeling seriously dry, then grab an intensely moisturising body butter, or for those that are even more time poor, go for a body moisturiser that is oil based – it’s even quicker to apply! The body butter (at $45 SGD) and body oil moisturiser (also $45 SGD) by Ambre Botanicals are both up to 5 times more concentrated then some mass produced “organic” creams and lotions!
Wake up FAST with a refreshing face mist! These mists help cool you down and provide moisturising properties (especially in dry environments such as offices with air-con or plane cabins), and provide instant refreshment when sweating outdoors!
Left: Red flower face mists Japanese Springs, Moroccan Hammam and Botanical ($55 SGD each)
Right: Bottega Organica Pure Organic Ageless face mist – Sage ($59 SGD each)
There you have it – our guide to surviving jet lag!
Survive Asia 