It's every globe-trotter's nightmare.
As soon as a flight crosses more than three time zones, the human body is disturbed and reacts.
He suffers, among other things, from great fatigue, insomnia, digestive problems and irritability.
This is called "
circadian arrhythmia
", commonly called jet-lag after the English term.
The good news is that it is harmless to the body.
The bad news is that it could still ruin your precious vacation days.
Unless you follow the advice of Laurent Lacassagne, pulmonologist specializing in sleep at La Clinique de l'Union, Ramsay Santé.
Read also: Six tips for sleeping well on planes
Anticipate a departure to the east or west
Have you recovered from your last trip to New York without any problems but are having trouble resynchronizing since your return from Singapore?
"
It's normal
", according to the doctor.
"
The effects of jet lag are not the same whether you travel east or west
."
And for good reason, it is more difficult to advance a circadian cycle than to delay it.
In other words, it is more difficult to fight against insomnia than to resist the urge to sleep.
Better to anticipate and start to get used to your body slowly.
Two or three days before heading east, go to bed an hour earlier than usual and get up an hour earlier.
Do the opposite if you are heading west.
Follow the arrival time
"
From the first minutes of the flight, you set your watch to the time zone of your future destination,
" suggests the health professional.
And we try to adapt to this new rhythm as quickly as possible.
For example, we adapt to meal times.
Even if it means swallowing a snack even when you are not very hungry, or doing yourself a little violence while waiting an hour longer than expected for dinner.
The same goes for sleep.
If you land in the evening, you avoid sleeping too much on the plane so you can get a good night's sleep when the time comes.
Conversely, if you arrive in the morning, take advantage of the trip to rest and thus be in good shape for your first day.
On the other hand, in the event of a stay of less than three days, "it is
better to avoid synchronizing with the time zone of your future destination
".
We keep our watch at French time and we change our sleeping habits and meal times as little as possible.
Adopt a healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is also essential to survive jet lag.
During a long-haul flight, we avoid a diet that is too rich, which risks upsetting an already disturbed organism.
Indeed, the atmospheric pressure plus uncomfortable position combo can disturb digestion.
As for alcohol on board, Laurent Lacassagne strongly advises against it.
"
It disrupts sleep and dehydrates the body,
" he recalls.
In absolute terms, however, you should drink a lot of water (about two liters per flight for a ten hour flight).
The ideal is still to play sports.
If putting on your sneakers after a ten-hour flight seems inconceivable, "
yet there is no better remedy to stretch your legs and recover from jet lag
", explains the doctor, who again distinguishes between travel to the east and west.
If you have just arrived in Bali, opt for sports sessions in the morning while taking advantage of the sunlight to wake up well.
If you wake up in Montreal, the ideal will be to schedule your session rather in the afternoon or early evening to delay your bedtime.
Avoid sleeping pills
The specialist is categorical: "
prefer the combination of daylight, sport and healthy lifestyle to recover from jet-lag than the use of sleeping pills or melatonin tablets (the hormone of falling asleep)
".
Moreover, it only authorizes these in the event of severe sleep disorders.
Its instructions: only on arrival and for a maximum of three nights.
Plan his return
To make the most of the beaches of the Philippines, you decide to book your return ticket on Sunday evening, without thinking about the Monday morning meeting.
“
Big mistake,
” exclaims Laurent Lacassagne.
According to him, it is better to shorten your stay by one or two days to have time to recover, rather than returning to work barely rested.
