Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • Jet lag we've all had it we all hate it, but most of us don't know how to beat it

  • There is nothing worse than saving up for your big dream trip only to spend every night tossing and turning

  • Sleeping through the day and just generally being a grouch because you didn't get your beauty sleep.

  • I'm Marko

  • I'm Alex

  • and you are watching vagabrothers your go-to guide for travel tips inspiration and vlogs here on YouTube

  • We were raised by a flight attendant who spent her whole career eating jetlag for breakfast,

  • and we do quite a bit jet-setting ourselves

  • So in this video we're gonna share our fourteen point plan to help you dominate Jet lag

  • if you haven't already make sure you hit that thumbs up subscribe and turn on notifications

  • And share this video with your travel buddies

  • Get ready to arrive rested. This is how to beat jet lag before it beats you

  • First things first, what is jetlag?

  • Let's have professor Marko explain.

  • I'm glad you asked. Jet lag is a physiological condition

  • Resulting from the alteration of the body's circadian rhythms

  • as a result of rapid long-distance trans-meridian travel

  • Put simply it's when you fly across

  • too many time zones for your body clock to adjust

  • if you fly east, you can't sleep

  • And if you fly West, you wake up super early

  • and the more time zones you cross, the longer it takes your body to readjust

  • about two-thirds of a day per timezone

  • for example

  • Were you to travel from London to Shanghai

  • you cross seven time zones resulting in Jet Lag that would endure

  • approximately four days however were you to travel this exact same distance

  • London to Cape Town you would remain in the same time zone and therefore suffer

  • No jetlag

  • Make sense? Splendid.

  • Luckily there are a few simple steps that you can take

  • Starting with understanding your circadian rhythm

  • Commonly known as your body clock

  • your natural pattern of going to sleep and waking up

  • your body clock is set by two things

  • Natural lights and the hour at which you eat keep those principles in mind

  • Follow these tips and you'll be adjusted in no time

  • Start before you fly by adjusting your body clock while you're still at home

  • three days before your trip

  • Calculate the time difference between home and your destination

  • then adjust your sleep schedule gradually before your trip

  • Ideally about an hour a day

  • But even 30 minutes makes a big difference

  • Shh word to the wise

  • If you're flying east you have to wake up earlier if you're flying west you get to sleep in a little bit

  • if you have work in the morning sleeping in might

  • not be an option so try adjusting your meal time instead

  • if you really want to be precise you can use the website jetlagrooster.com

  • which allows you to plug in your destination the time of your flight and will give you a detailed hour-by-hour

  • recommendation on whether you should seek sunlight or sleep for up to three days before your flight and after

  • When it's time to choose your flight make your flight work for you

  • for longer distance flights

  • Taking an overnight flight

  • Also know as a "Red Eye" can help you adjust to jet lag faster because it's dark when you fly

  • Allowing you to sleep on the flight

  • And it's generally light when you arrive allowing you to take advantage of that first day in your new destination

  • Number three schedule a layover

  • another idea is to schedule a layover halfway to your destination to allow your body to

  • Acclimate little by little now

  • This is not always a practical suggestion

  • But Iceland in particular makes a convenient stop between Europe and North America

  • and airlines like

  • Icelandair allow you to make a stopover in the country for up to a week at no extra charge

  • That is if you can afford a week in Iceland on top of your vacation

  • If you're flying for business see if your company can upgrade you to business class

  • so you can sleep more comfortably on the flight

  • if not see if you can just arrive a day or two early so you can adjust for that big meeting

  • Even if you're just going on vacation

  • Allow yourself some time to recover

  • Don't plan too much for the first few days

  • let yourself get settled into your new destination so you're not crossing things off your bucket list

  • while you're super groggy

  • also make sure that you've packed your anti jetlag essentials

  • Earplugs

  • an eye shade

  • a refillable water bottle and melatonin and over-the-counter

  • Natural sleep aid that will come in handy later

  • Okay

  • Now we're ready to fly

  • an easy method is to adjust your watch the second you get to the airport,

  • dude like

  • What's a watch?

  • You mean, this thing?

  • Sure "VagaBrosef"

  • the point is to mentally transport yourself to your destination the second you hop on the plane

  • Before you drink a cup of coffee or take a nap

  • Think about how that would affect you if you were there already

  • I might not have a watch

  • But like I totally know how to follow the vagabrothers on Instagram and turn on notifications

  • So what are you doing out there?

  • and once you arrive quit your moaning about how late it is back home

  • It'll only take you out of the moment and make you tired

  • just focus on adjusting your body clock to the local time

  • Number seven don't sleep on the plane

  • We come to a contentious suggestion that you probably shouldn't take a nap on the plane

  • But Bros... I just want to sleep

  • me and this little gnome got after it last night

  • Totally Raged!

  • We get you VagaBrosef

  • when we used to live in Spain our pre-flight ritual

  • Was to go out partying all night take a taxi to the airport

  • And then pass out on the flight all the way back home to California

  • Alas science has proven us wrong on various fronts

  • unless you're on a red-eye flight, going to sleep could throw you off worse than if you just stayed awake

  • But you already use jet lag rooster to find out if you should go to sleep or stay awake

  • Right?

  • Either way modern planes make dealing with jet lag a lot easier the Airbus a380 and the Boeing 787

  • Have LED lights that simulate the local time at your destination so if you see the lights go dark

  • That's probably a good time to catch some Z's

  • The best thing to do during the flight is to drink tons of water

  • The pressurized cabin air really dehydrates you and even though modern planes have made some improvements for that

  • It's still pretty bad so even if you're offered for free booze or coffee just stick to water and keep drinking

  • It's really good to have a refillable water bottle of your own which you can bring onto the flight

  • So you're not nagging the flight attendant for a tiny little cup of water every half hour

  • Once you arrive no matter what you do

  • do not take a nap as tempting as it may be

  • Taking a nap will actually make it harder to adjust a jet lag instead try staying up until 9 p.m. at least

  • A better strategy is to go for a run right when you land

  • I'm not talking about like in the airport right when you land, but once you get situated go outside go for a jog

  • It's gonna give you some energy. It's gonna help

  • You sleep better that night

  • and

  • It's a great way to get your bearings in a new city

  • out on your jog find some cool spots to check out the next day

  • But make sure that you don't go running too late because it could make it hard for you to go to sleep that night

  • Your body clock adjusts based on changes in natural light so catching a sunrise or a sunset

  • Will be an automatic cue for your body to figure out

  • What time it is

  • Lame but proven by experts another counterintuitive tip is to a avoid alcohol

  • and caffeine because those are both proven to hurt your quality of sleep

  • However I'd make a personal amendment to the last rule if you're gonna drink alcohol or caffeine

  • Work with jetlag not against it

  • that is if you fly east and you're having trouble going to sleep hit the town

  • And if you fly west and you wake up early go for a morning run

  • And then drink a coffee

  • sometimes we get frustrated when jetlag throws us off

  • But we forget that it can be a good thing

  • keeps us up past our bedtime. If you're kind of a grandparent like me or

  • It'll make you an early bird for once

  • whatever it is just roll with it

  • If you're still having trouble going to sleep try doing some nighttime yoga, or taking a natural sleep aid like melatonin

  • It's a hormone found naturally in the body that helps regulate sleep cycles

  • It's available over-the-counter and doesn't have the nasty side effects of prescription strength sleeping pills

  • Lastly, eat right

  • Have a meal when the locals do even if you're not hungry

  • start your day with a high-protein breakfast which is gonna

  • Give you a ton of energy

  • Swap out heavy meals for little snacks throughout the day and avoid high-fat dinners

  • Which are hard to digest and can make it difficult to fall asleep.

  • Those are our tips for beating jetlag

  • What are yours? Share your own comments tips questions in the comment section

  • And if you have an idea for a future video email us a short clip at submissions.vagabrothers @gmail.com

  • For a chance to be featured in an upcoming video

  • if you liked this video make sure you give it a big thumbs up, share

  • it with your travel buddies, hit subscribe and turn on notifications

  • So you don't miss any of our videos

  • and in the meantime remember stay curious, keep exploring, and we will see you on the road

  • Hopefully dominating jet lag because jet lag sucks

  • Our mom eats pieces of jetlag like you for breakfast

Jet lag we've all had it we all hate it, but most of us don't know how to beat it

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it