Flight attendant shares 'little-known hacks' to beat holiday jet lag – 'it's my secret weapon!'
Jet lag affects 86 per cent of Britons, according to new research, with nearly one in 10 saying it hits them for three days or more.
Holidaymakers don’t need to accept this as a part of travelling, however, and a former flight attendant shares expert tips on how to beat the travel fatigue.
Saskia Sekhri, formerly a cabin crew member for British Airways, partnered with Well Pharmacy Online Doctor to share the hacks she found most useful.
Avoiding jet lag begins before and during your flight with what you choose to eat and drink.
Avoiding jet lag will get your holiday off to a good start
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Saskia explained: “My secret weapon is taking dandelion tablets or drinking dandelion tea post-flight to beat the dreaded post-flight puffiness.
Dehydration is common when flying and can make feelings of jet lag worse, so choose your food and drinks carefully on board.
The expert continued: “Avoid salty, spicy and food with a lot of garlic. Instead, stick to light meals: fruit and veggies, and protein snacks.
“I’d sometimes even add Celtic salt and lemon to my water bottle, to restore electrolytes lost from cabin dehydration. The lemon also provides that little boost your digestion needs while adding a hint of Vitamin C.”
Once you’ve made it through the flight, what you do next can have a huge impact on your sleep. Staying awake, hydrated and even supplements can help your recovery.
Saskia added: “Staying awake until local bedtime after landing is a good way to beat jet lag as it helps you acclimatise to local conditions. Essentially, it forces your internal body clock to sync with the local time, helping your circadian rhythm, however there are a lot of other things that can really help, too.
“Ensuring you have natural light either on the plane or when you land, staying hydrated, a cold shower, and taking supplements such as B12 and magnesium glycinate – before you fly and after you land to support energy levels, muscle recovery and better sleep – are all great hacks.
“Alongside this, another little-known hack is to elevate your legs to help with circulation and lymphatic drainage.”
Avoiding certain foods on a flight can help ease jet lag
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Sleep expert Dave Gibson also commented on the best ways to restore your sleep while on holiday. He added: “Long-haul travel can significantly disrupt your sleep due to its impact on your circadian rhythm – the internal body clock that regulates sleep, hormones, and metabolism.
“The main issue is that your body clock remains set to your original time zone, especially with crossing multiple zones, making adaptation harder, while cabin pressure changes can cause discomfort and dehydration, further impacting energy levels.
“[Consider lavender]. Not only is it a calming soporific scent and a great sleep aid, but it can also help reduce something called ‘first night effect’, which is essentially our natural alertness when sleeping in a new bed, the stress of which can keep you awake. Having a familiar scent in the room can help.”
For more expert hacks, a flight attendant shares essential tips for a stress-free airport experience.
