How to minimise jet lag after a long flight

Try adjusting your body clock before travelling and avoid knocking yourself out with alcohol on the plane, says sleep expert

Anyone who's been on an adventure travel trip to a far away destination will know just what a pain a heavy dose of jet lag can be.

After all, when you first step off the plane ready to begin your meticulously planned and long-awaited Far East travelling experience, the last thing you want is to feel so tired you want to go straight to bed at three in the afternoon.

But according to Dr Guy Meadows, a leading sleep specialist who presents Sleep School on ITV's Daybreak program, there are things travellers can do to minimise the impact of shifting time zones on their body clocks, particularly when travelling east which heightens the effects of jet lag.

"The best way to prepare your body clock is by going to bed and getting up an hour earlier a few days prior to travelling east," he told Wanderlust magazine.

"This means that when you arrive at your destination your body clock will already be synced to the local time.

"It's also a good idea to set your watch to the local time when you get on the plane to start preparing your brain for the time change."

Whether or not it is best to sleep on the plane depends on when you are landing, the expert explained.

If you are arriving in the afternoon or evening, try to stay awake on the plane so that you are ready for the local bedtime on landing, he advised, while if arriving in the morning, aim to sleep on the plane to be ready for the day ahead.

And as tempting as it may be, try to avoid the complementary alcoholic beverages as a means of aiding sleep during the flight.

"The healthier you can be on your flight, the happier your body will be and the more energy you will have when you arrive. Stay hydrated, eat healthy food options, limit caffeine and alcohol, do regular stretches, get up and walk about and wear comfortable clothing," said Dr Meadows.