Health Net: Arriving Abroad and Feeling Sleepy? Nutritionist Teaches 3 Ways to Adjust to Time Zones Painlessly

Traveling abroad can quickly turn from exciting to exhausting if jet lag strikes. Many experience daytime drowsiness and nighttime wakefulness, often accompanied by digestive issues like poor appetite, constipation, or bloating. Nutritionist Chang Yu-hsi explains that these symptoms signal a shift in the body's biological clock.

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If you find yourself feeling drowsy during the day and very energetic at night after going abroad, and possibly experiencing poor appetite, constipation, or bloating, it might be a sign that your biological clock has changed.

Chang suggests that instead of fighting these effects with sheer willpower, travelers can adopt a three-pronged approach focusing on "eating, sun exposure, and hydration" to ease the transition. This strategy aims to help the body adjust to the new time zone smoothly, preventing jet lag from spoiling precious vacation time.

The "food clock" method involves aligning meal times with the destination's local schedule, even starting on the plane. For daytime, protein-rich foods like eggs, fish, and soy milk can maintain energy. Evenings are better suited for complex carbohydrates and magnesium-rich foods such as oats, bananas, and nuts to promote relaxation.

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Don't try to tough it out with willpower. Instead, try adjusting your time difference starting with 'eating, sun exposure, and hydration' to avoid wasting valuable travel time.

Light exposure, or the "light reset" method, is crucial for recalibrating the internal clock. When flying east, like to the United States, maximizing sunlight exposure in the morning and minimizing bright light in the evening is recommended. Conversely, flying west, such as to Europe, benefits from afternoon sun exposure to delay the urge to sleep.

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Eat according to the destination's time. That is, start arranging your meals according to the destination's time after boarding the plane to help your body adapt in advance.

Finally, the "hydration repair" method addresses the fatigue exacerbated by the dry cabin environment and prolonged sitting. Chang advises drinking about 200 cc of water per hour during the flight, moderating coffee and alcohol intake to protect sleep quality. She also suggests that if schedules permit, adjusting sleep times by 30-60 minutes daily for a couple of days before departure can further prepare the body for the time zone change.

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Use light to reset your biological clock. For example, when flying from Taiwan, you can simply grasp the following two key points: after arriving at your destination, even if you really want to sleep, try to align with the local daytime activities and rest at night.