10 unconventional ways to avoid jet lag drag — one involving your toes: new study
Sleepy. Grumpy. Dopey. Those aren’t just some of Snow White’s seven dwarfs.
The icky feelings are a few main consequences of jet-lag.
But cross-country and international jet-setters can now let out a sigh of relief as new research has revealed the top 10 most unique, unconventional hacks for avoiding the restlessness drag — and travelers can rely on their feet to accomplish the feat.
“This study shows that beating jet lag is part science, part creative problem-solving,” said Yulia Saf, founder of globetrotting site Miss Tourist.
Following an in-depth analysis on Reddit, Saf, a full-time “world citizen” of six years originally from Russia, found “Gaslighting yourself into thinking you got enough sleep,” “Making fists with your toes,” and “Using a foot hammock on the plane,” to be the three most popularly peculiar ways to combat the lag.
“While most people stick to the basics like adjusting sleep schedules and using melatonin,” said the pro, “it’s the quirky hacks that really caught our eye.”
Jet-lag’s nagged countless folks on-the-go for decades.
The temporary sleep disorder often plagues plane passengers who travel across more than three time zones.
The cranky condition rears its ugly head when the body’s internal clock, or its circadian rhythm, is out of sync with new sleep and wake cycles, per Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms of the sluggishness include insomnia, drowsiness, headache, upset stomach and mood changes.
To side-step the side effects of jet lag, sleep experts recently advised trippers to shift their bedtimes a few days before hitting the friendly skies, limit in-flight booze intake and avoid napping after landing.
Researchers from Northwestern University and the Santa Fe Institute have also encouraged vacationers to eat a big breakfast once they’ve reached their destination to reduce the risk of time-zone fatigue.
“Having a larger meal in the early morning of the new time zone can help overcome jet lag,” said lead author Yitong Huang. “Constantly shifting meal schedules or having a meal at night is discouraged, as it can lead to misalignment between internal clocks.”
And while Saf agrees that dinning adjustments are key, she analyzed over 2,000 comments across multiple travel-related subreddits using a Natural Language Processing (NLP) tool to identify and rank the kookiest jet lag remedies.
Trailing “foot fists” and “foot hammocks” on her list is “taking barefoot walks.” It’s a trick biohackers have long-hailed as a quick fix for post-trip tiredness. Practitioners believe that directly reconnecting one’s body to the ground after a long flight helps stave off any undesirable effects.
“These offbeat strategies prove there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to conquering time zones,” said Saf. “What works for one person might not work for another.”
“In the end, overcoming jet lag is as much an adventure as the journey itself — and often just as unpredictable.”
Here’s a list of the wildest ways folks online are beating jet lag.
- Gaslight yourself into thinking you got enough sleep
- Make fists with your toes
- Use a foot hammock on the plane
- Bring gifts for flight staff in hopes of VIP treatment and better sleep
- Use a grounding mat/pillow to reconnect with the Earth’s electrons
- Try Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
- Avoid sitting on comfortable furniture upon arrival
- Take barefoot walks upon arrival
- Fly in a Boeing 787 for better cabin pressure
- Watch the sunrise and sunset at your destination
