How to avoid jet lag on a long-haul flights on holiday

According to the NHS, jet lag is when your normal sleep pattern is disturbed after a long flight which usually improves within a few days as your body adjusts to the new time zone.

Symptoms can include difficulty staying awake during the day or difficulty sleeping at bedtime, tiredness, exhaustion and concentration problems.

It can also sometimes cause indigestion, feeling sick (nausea), constipation, changes in appetite and mild anxiety.

Going on a long-haul flight where you're changing time zones can definitely cause this, so here are some of the best ways to reduce its effects.

How to avoid jet lag on long-haul flights

Airport car parking site SkyParkSecure and ex-airline executive, Andrew Hayward have some suggestions to reduce the effects.

One of these is making sure you carefully choose your flight time out to your destination.

They said: "Making sure you’re prepared prior to your flight is important too – change your watch before boarding to reflect the time once you land.

"If you’re landing at night, try to avoid sleeping so you can rest once getting to your destination – vice versa if it’s the other way around."

Additionally, avoiding substances such as alcohol and coffee before a flight is also useful.

They stated: "Whilst it may be tempting to drink coffee to stay awake or treat yourself to a tipple to celebrate you’re long awaited trip – if you want to try and avoid jet lag, Andrew would advise against it as both can dehydrate.

"Instead – focus on drinking plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated and save the drinks for once you land!"

Meanwhile, the NHS also recommends a number of practices, including drinking plenty of water and keeping active by stretching and regularly walking around the cabin.

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After you arrive they suggest going outside during the day as natural light will help your body clock adjust and change your sleep schedule to the new time zone as quickly as possible.

They recommended not sleeping during the day as that will just make the jet lag effects worse.

Meanwhile, for short trips they say: "If your trip is short (2 to 3 days), you could try not changing your eating and sleeping times to the new time zone, to avoid needing to change your schedule again when you get back."