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One week after arriving back home in Spain, after three months in the U.S., I’m still struggling. I’m not sleeping well at night. I want to take a nap all morning after dropping my son off at school. I’m not hungry at normal meal times. My entire body feels heavy, lazy, slow. My brain is foggy. I don’t want to do anything.
It sounds like depression, but it’s not.
It’s jet lag . . . again!
I looked back and remember writing this story in 2019, just after moving to Spain four years ago. Nothing has changed. Jet lag still hits me. Jet lag still stinks. Jet lag is still not my friend.
June 19, 2019 . . .
We have flown on hundreds of airplanes and crossed as many time zones, but we still haven’t conquered jet lag.
Jet lag is a physiological condition that results from alterations to the body’s circadian rhythms caused by rapid long-distance trans-meridian (east–west or west–east) travel.
Wikipedia
The symptoms of jet lag include sleep disturbance, poor concentration, fatigue, headaches, irritability, digestive problems, etc.
There are all kinds of suggestions out there about how to avoid jet lag and its horrible effects.
We have tried them all . . . melatonin, avoiding caffeine, setting your watch to the new time zone, keeping active upon arrival at your destination, sleeping on the plane . . .
Not sure about you, but I just can’t sleep well on an airplane.
Airplane Sleeper?
I see those other passengers with their ear plugs and noise-reduction headphones, eye masks, neck pillows, etc. They seem to sleep deeply throughout the entire flight. I’m jealous. I just can’t do it.
As soon as I start to doze off, Pierre wakes me up to take him to the potty, or the airline stewardess taps me on the arm to ask if I want something to drink or a “light breakfast,” or there is a sudden jolt of turbulence.
In any case, I just can’t sleep peacefully on the plane and wake up refreshed at my final destination.
So, I don’t even try. I have stopped fighting it.
Enjoy the Ride!
I just enjoy the flight and all of its amenities.
Upon entering the plane, I take off my shoes and put my comfy socks over my extremely tight compression hose. My soft poncho wraps around my shoulders and an airline blanket drapes over my legs. A neck pillow cradles my neck, just in case I doze off and my head starts to bob.
As soon as the in-flight entertainment begins, I choose a movie that I have been wanting to watch for awhile. On this last flight, I had to play “eeny meeny miny moe” to choose. I managed to get through two complete films.
I always enjoy dinner (I always get the pasta dish.) and as many Dr. Peppers as I can comfortably consume. Liquids mean “potty runs,” so I have to be prepared to get up out of my seat a lot. I always get an aisle seat, so getting out isn’t too much of an inconvenience. In any case, I need to walk around a lot during the flight for circulation in my varicose veins.
Sleeping on the plane . . . I don’t fight it anymore. If it happens accidentally, I allow myself to doze off.
So, if you read this article to get my wise advise on how to beat and battle jet lag, you may be disappointed. I don’t have any expert advice other than accepting jet lag as a natural part of international travel. I’m not sure if you can really avoid it.
Get Moving!
On the other hand, I know that if I don’t hit the ground running at my destination, then getting over jet lag takes a lot longer. You just have to push through the fatigue! You have to fight it!
Upon arrival in Spain, it took us about an hour to go through passport control, round up our 12 bags, find Bernie, go through “animal customs” and show his USDA paperwork. I wondered if they would actually ask for those endorsed papers, and they did! If you are traveling internationally with a pet, make sure you get them. I’m not sure what happens to our furry friends on the other side of the pond if you don’t have those required documents.
For other information on international pet travel, read:
International Pet Travel: What You Need to Know! (Part 1)
International Pet travel: What You Need to Know! (Part 2)
As soon as we met up with our friends on the other side of the sliding glass doors, we went to their house for a cup of coffee. As soon as I sat down and starting talking, I felt the heaviness of jet lag come upon me. I felt groggy, like I was in a daze.
“Can we go for a walk with Bernie around the neighborhood? I could use some fresh air and some sunshine. Bernie has been stuck in his kennel for the past 9 hours, so he would enjoy it too.”
We walked around for about 30 minutes and then went back to the house for lunch. I knew that I had to keep moving, so I helped with the preparations.
Fading
After lunch and a cup of tea, I felt the wave of exhaustion come upon me again. While struggling through a conversation about Spanish culture and language, my eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. I could not keep my eyes open.
“You are fading,” my friend said. She was observing. “Let’s get out of the house and keep you moving.”
We went to get ice cream at Burger King and sat outside in the sun, went to a park, visited our new house, and drove around. I confess that every time I got into the car ( I wasn’t driving!), I dozed off for a few brief moments.
Our goal when heading to a new time zone is to force ourselves to stay awake the first day (as much as we can) until 7-8 p.m. We force ourselves to keep moving in order to resist the strong urge to nap. We pushed through and made it until 9 p.m.,when we all collapsed into bed.
At 12:30 a.m., I woke up . . . wide awake and a bit disoriented! Where was I? I glanced at my watch, prayed that I could go back to sleep, and then slept peacefully until 9:30 a.m.
We were wiped!
Each day, it gets better. By day 5, we almost feel “normal”—whatever “normal” means.
My advice on jet lag? Enjoy the journey and be present in the moment. Don’t stress about it! Everyone, no matter how they do it, eventually gets on schedule in the new time zone.
If you are only traveling one week before heading back to your own land and your own time zone, don’t even bother trying!
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
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Have you ever experienced jet lag from international travel? Is it a battle or have you conquered it? If so, please give us your advice and tricks.
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