Flight attendant shares how to avoid jet lag on long-haul flights

19 July 2023 , 17:09

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Jet lag is something flight attendants have to learn to deal with quickly (Stock Photo) (Image: Shared Content Unit)

Although jetting off to far-flung places has to rank among life's most exciting experiences, jet lag can put a bit of a dampener on the fun.

With this in mind, a flight attendant has shared how she manages to dodge jet lag, sharing her four top tips for ensuring your body adjusts to new time zones with relative quickness and ease.

Also known as jet lag disorder, jet lag is a temporary time zone that can affect anyone travelling across multiple time zones in rapid succession, causing disruption to their regular sleep patterns.

Those with jet lag may experience symptoms such as daytime fatigue, impaired thinking, and stomach issues, and it's frustration flight attendants like Brieana Young can relate to all too well.

In a TikTok video shared via the official Virgin Australia account, Brieana listed her "four tips to avoid jet lag", kicking off by advising long-haul travellers to "immerse yourself in the time zone that you're travelling to".

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Brieana went on to recommend doing this "at least 24 hours before departure", adding, "I know this is really hard, but it pays off, I promise."

According to bedroom furniture company Dreams, you can give your body clock "a head start", by gradually changing your sleep routine a few days or weeks before boarding, depending on distance, bringing it closer to the new time zone.

For her second top tip, well-travelled Brieana, who regularly shares updates about her adventures in the sky, advised globetrotters to expose their eyes to natural light "as soon as you get to your destination".

According to the Sleep Foundation, light has a powerful effect on a person's circadian rhythm, the 24-hour cycles that make up a person's internal body clock. This means a burst of sunshine could help speed up your adjustment, getting you in sync with local time.

Sharing her third tip, Brieana encouraged people to try and get some sleep while up in the air, urging: "Get some good quality sleep on the aircraft. Make sure you have an eye mask and earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones."

For her fourth and final piece of wisdom, Brieana recommended using a jet lag app, noting that Time Shift was a particularly good one.

She explained: "This tells you when to avoid caffeine, screens, and also when to sleep."

Are you a flight attendant with a story to tell? Email us at [email protected]

Julia Banim