How to Overcome Jet Lag When Traveling for Business

Significant time differences can make business traveling interesting, especially when you have to adjust your internal clock. Jet lag can leave you wide awake when you should be sleeping, overly tired during the daylight hours, and typically occurs when you cross three or more time zones.

If travel is an essential part of your business, you can’t afford jet lag to sideline you when you arrive. The following tips help reduce or eliminate jet lag issues and keep you fresh for your business meetings.

Catch Up on Rest Before Your Trip

Start your trip well-rested and relaxed rather than feeling tired and overwhelmed from piling on extra tasks before you leave. It betters your chances of regulating your body to a new sleep cycle.

Drink Plenty of Water and Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine While in Transit

Drinking lots of water before, during, and after your flight helps combat dry cabin air. Being dehydrated worsens jet lag symptoms. When you consider that alcohol and caffeine add to dehydration, it only makes sense that avoiding them will help your system acclimate to the new time zone. 

Try to Adjust Your Sleep Schedule Gradually Ahead of Your Flight

When your travels find you leap-frogging into different time zones, it is helpful to begin adjusting your sleep schedule ahead of time to prepare your body.

For example, getting extra rest by going to bed an hour earlier and then adding another hour a few days later gradually shifts your resting phase to correlate with your destination’s time zone instead of trying to flip it over all at once.

Upon Arrival, Get Outside for Some Fresh Air

When you are overly tired from your travels, filling your lungs with fresh air helps to rejuvenate your system and improve your alertness. Likewise, it is beneficial when you’ve flown through the night with little rest and need to make it through an entire day before going to bed.

Try going for a walk after checking into your hotel and taking in the local scenery. Visit a local park or grab a bite to eat on a patio rather than staying in your hotel room with a tempting bed calling you to nap.

Avoid Napping if it Will Throw Off Your New Sleep Schedule

Speaking of napping— taking a tempting nap to adjust to the new time zone may shoot you in the foot rather than be beneficial. 

Instead, try to stay awake as long as possible in the new time zone until it is well into the evening when everyone else usually sleeps. Then, you can wake up fresh in the morning with the rest of the population.

Stick to Your Regular Routine as Much as Possible Once You’re Home

After the trip home, the same tricks help to reset your system back to your usual time zone. Return to your normal routine at work and home, staying hydrated and avoiding napping until it’s your regular bedtime. The longer you take to get back to normal, the longer your body will take to recover from jet lag.

Let Professionals Handle Your Travel Plans

When planning your business travel, you may not factor in how long it will take you to recover from jet lag or how the differing time zones may affect you. However, when you use a professional business travel agency, such as CTI Business Travel, you can leave all the details to the experts and focus on your work. 

They will plan your flights, transportation, and accommodations all according to your itinerary, all with convenient, customized solutions in mind. You won’t have to worry about red-eye flights and jet lag with CTI handling your arrangements.

Save time and money on your business travels without the hassle. Begin planning your trip online or by calling 801-224-5300 today!