Anyone who has been on a long flight knows how drained you can feel by the time you get to your destination.

Not only is the flight a physical challenge, but there’s security, long lines, and screaming children. Flying to Europe is 7-10 hours. Heading west, NY to Shanghai is 15 hours flying time plus crossing 12 different time zones. It’s not surprising that the foreign service as well as many Fortune 500 companies require staff to rest up for a few days before they begin the complex art of negotiations. Still, there’s much you can do to limit the effects of jet lag and arrive refreshed given a little planning.

Here are a few tips you can use:

1.) Give yourself a good physical workout the day before you fly. It doesn’t matter what, be it an hour on the elliptical, a 2-mile jog or a vigorous dip in the pool. You want to get your lymph system moving to help prevent edema in your legs and hands and also to flush toxins from your body.

2.) Walking every hour. Request an aisle seat and try and get up at least once an hour. This will cut down on the back pain of the crummy seats and also reduce the risk of blood clots from the prolonged seating and change in cabin pressure.

3.) Bring your own eats. It’s easier to bring healthy foods than you might think. Fresh fruit, vegetables, and nuts all work well in a ziplock baggie. If it’s a long flight you’re gearing up for, don’t forget your protein; chicken wings, hard-boiled eggs, and cooked hamburger are all practical bachelor food and easily fit the criterion for a long plane flight.

4.) Sleep. Try and get a good night’s rest the evening before the flight. Eye patches and music also works well if you have them available but try and use your flying time to increase your own rest.

5.) Exercise while in your seat or in the aisles. There’s a number of restorative yoga poses you can try from bicep curls, simple calf raises, trunk rotations to downward dog poses against the plane’s bulkhead. See how many you can get in before the attendant tells you to knock it off..!

6.) Get a chiropractic adjustment or acupuncture treatment the day before your flight.

Both acupuncture and chiropractic can restore balance. 

They provide inputs to the nervous system that bring balance back to your body. By restoring balance, you can prepare your body for the stress of a long flight.

Acupuncture, in particular, works well for jet lag as there a number of specific treatments points that can be used. These are called the horary points, which when stimulated in the right sequence, can help push your internal clock forward to the time zone of your destination.

Learn more about the positives of acupuncture and chiropractic by visiting our blog.