How to Get Over Jetlag

The word "jetlag" sounds like it should be something cooler than it is. Oh well, at least xXx_lola_xXx knows how to handle it. —SparkNotes editors

Hello Sparklers! As most of us know, when we go on trips out of our own time zone, it is hard to adjust. We get what is called "jetlag." This means you just were in a different time zone and you aren't used to the one you are currently in.
Some of us have major problems with jetlag. I usually get over my jetlag on the last day of the trip. Bad timing, right? But I have some remedies to help with this very tedious symptom of fabulous world travel.

Method 1: Sunlight

Some people find that if they walk into the sun, it helps set their internal clocks to the right time. If you don’t rest and sleep after your trip but instead stay outside in the sunlight, you can naturally help your body rejuvenate itself. Just make sure that when you do go to bed you have an alarm ready.

Method 2: Drink something—other than soda—with caffeine.

Of course, a lot of us do this already, but if you have the aid of caffeine to keep you awake, your natural sleep cycle might get pushed back to a more reasonable hour for the time zone you're in.

Method 3: Exercise.

This may not be my favorite method, but exercise is shown to wake you up. Try running or jogging, or something else that gets your heart rate up. If you're somewhere tropical, you could walk on the beach. If you're at a relative's, you could challenge someone to a game of driveway basketball.

Method 4: Drink water.

If you keep the water coming, you can keep yourself awake. When you aren’t hydrated, your body slows down and begs for a nap. Water regenerates the energy you lost and keeps you on the move.

Method 5: Take a shower.

I personally find that if you take a shower, you can either wake up or get more sleepy, and it all depends on the water temperature. If you start out with a comfortable temperature and then slowly adjust it to cold, you wake up automatically. After you are awake, you can slowly adjust it back to warm, but take your time.

Method 6: All of these.

Buy coffee or something to wake you up on the way to your destination, stand in the sun for 20 minutes or so before going inside, take a shower, and then go for a run with a big bottle of water at the ready. When you get back to wherever you are staying, you may want to take another cold shower, although this one will probably just cool you off.

Do you have any more remedies for jetlag?

Related Post: Train Travel Tips

Wanna write for SparkLife? Send your submission and nickname to contribute@sparknotes.com for consideration.