How to Beat Jet Lag - What to Eat and What to Buy!
Hey Jet Setters! Thanks for stopping by She Comes With Baggage! Today we're talking about something that haunts over 50 million Americans…. And that’s Sleep!
Now, sleep is something I struggled with for the past year and a half of my life. It is ruled my nighttime and my daytime, and I think I finally figured it out - but no matter how well you sleep at night… jetlag can still creep back in when you're traveling over different time zones especially across the pond. So, I'm going to talk to you today about three foods you can eat to help with jetlag and show you some of my favorite products that I use.
Nutrition
Okay let's get down to it - so the first thing we're going to talk about is the three foods you can eat to help with your jetlag. The first one is quinoa.
Quinoa
Quinoa also really having its moment right now (it's the new kale). Quinoa is great because it's a complex carb and it is rich in fiber so it's going to help with digestion. And because it's a complex carb, it's going to boost that energy up for you and get you going.
Cherries
Cherries are great because they have a natural source of melatonin which helps your sleep cycles regulate (that's where you take a melatonin supplement). So, if you're going to eat some cherries make sure you have some 1 to 2 hours before you go to bed.
Bananas
And the last food you should eat to help with jetlag is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S have a lot of magnesium and potassium and they work as electrolytes to balance out the salt in the body. They're going to help you recover, reduce restlessness and be able to get some sleep.
Products
So then first product we’re going to discuss is something you all should have in your nightstand at home. I use sleep masks a lot - they help block out the light and get me into my happy place. No matter if you are on the plane or in the hotel, because lets me honest, sometimes hotels don't have the best blackout curtains and if they don’t, just slip that on and you'll be fast asleep. Also, I love these for the plane when the person in front of you decides not to close their window on the sunniest day ever and that sun is just shining right in your eye.
Quiet Night Relaxing Bomb
Next up is a product is from a company called Lather and I actually got this in a hotel as a turn down treat one night and for the life of me I can’t remember which one. This wonderful little product is a Quiet Night Relaxing Bomb and it calms the senses and promotes a restful sleep. This stuff is heavenly – they smell just hits you like you are walking into your favorite spa. To use: apply a dab to the temples, forehead or back in the neck before bed and breathe deeply to relax and quiet the mind. I use this during the day sometimes if I have a crazy meeting schedule.
I started using this product as a sleep aid and then transitioned it into a jet lag product. I found these on Instagram and in full disclosure it was in a moment of complete and utter desperation since I was only sleeping about 45 minutes a night. I read all the ingredients on their website and I was like “oh, well that that completely makes sense”, since it was pretty much all the other things I have been taking all put together in one little patch.
They come in sheets of four which make them really nice for travel. I would suggest keeping them in this plastic bag they come in because… well… they don't smell great. But hey – if you can get some rest who cares what you smell like!
The Klova Sleep Z patch is made for restful sleep and jetlag. With melatonin and naturally occurring ingredients the patches are 100% drug-free and they stay on all night. The box comes with 28 patches and they're around $30. You can find them here on Amazon.
They are simple to use - you just peel them off and you apply them to a “hair free” part of your body one to two hours before bedtime (I personally put mine on about like 30 minutes before bedtime) and then you take them off eight hours later. It is important to note you should rotate where you put the patches because I had an issue with them leaving little indention in my arm after I removed them. The other small issue I had was that the next day it's a little tough to get the outer ring of residue off your skin. I had to scrub, scrub, scrub the skin where the patched had been placed and sometimes it required an alcohol wipe to get the residue off.
Water
My last bonus tip is to make sure you drink plenty of water to help your body regulate and fall into that deep dreamy sleep. A good rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight in ounces every day.
Until next time I hope you have safe and happy travels!
Cheers!
Britt