Befriending Jet Lag

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) That groggy feeling you get after a long day of traveling is our familiar friend called jet lag. (upbeat music) The science behind jet lag is super interesting. Essentially, our internal clock, or our circadian rhythm, is still synced to our original time zone. I remember the time that I went to India. My mind knew I was there, but my body still thought I was in LA. I was caught in what scientists call circadian misalignment. All of our cells and organs have internal clocks that are controlled by a master clock in our brain. The misalignment between our master clock and environment results in the feeling of jet lag, and other feelings, like fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and just feeling, well, off. Talk about discombobulating. However, this is just a natural occurrence in our bodies. Our bodies are doing what they're supposed to be doing, so it's up to us to help them out and get them up to speed. Now, this all takes time and patience, but there are ways that we can make this transition to a new time zone a bit more bearable. We're not trying to beat jet lag, because it is inevitable when we travel, but we can learn ways to work with it and befriend it so it doesn't get the best of us. Right? Your words, not mine. Preparation is everything, and there's things that we can do beforehand, like creating a jet-leg-proof routine. First things first, prepare your mind. As soon as you get on the plane, make sure that you change your mental clock and the clock on your wrist so that it can match the time zone that you're arriving in. If it's nighttime, make sure that you sleep, and if it's not, don't. I know it will be difficult, but it will be worth it. If you're traveling east, consider slowly shifting your wake-up time as well as your bedtimes to better match the time in your destination. I'm in San Diego right now, and let's say I was traveling to New York, which is three hours ahead. I usually sleep around 10:00 PM, and that means it would be 1:00 AM in New York. A few days before, I would adjust my bedtime to around 9:00 or 9:30 to make sure that I'm preparing for the change in time zone. The good news is that traveling west tends to be a bit easier, because we can usually push our bodies to stay awake. So let's say you're already dealing with jet lag. What can you do? Try to stay consistent with when you wake up, and once you're awake, do your best to get sunlight in your eyes. Something else to try is arranging a wake-up call with the front desk so you can minimize your screen time when you wake up. Hello? Front desk. When you eat matters to your internal body clock, and is a helpful cue for your body. So...