Jet lag can ruin the first few days of a holiday if you're travelling across time zones but eating and drinking certain things may help. Photo / Getty
Jet lag can ruin the first few days of a holiday if you're travelling across time zones but eating and drinking certain things may help. Photo / Getty
Travelling to another continent for a holiday is always exciting - until the jet lag catches up with you.
But a registered nutritionist says you can reset your body clock and catch up on sleep much faster by consuming certain foods and drinks.
Lily Soutter has listed the six items you should try to eat and drink once you land in a different time zone in the Daily Mail, from tart cherry juice to help you sleep to eggs to help regulate your internal clock.
"Jet lag occurs when our internal body clock is disrupted due to crossing time zones and it can really put a dampener on the first few days in a new country," explains Lily.
"This internal body clock is called our 'circadian rhythm', which is in sync with a typical 24-hour period. This rhythm provides cues to tell our bodies when to wake up and when to go to sleep.
"However, as jet-lagged travellers know all to well, crossing different time zones can cause our body clock to be thrown out of whack leading to a whole host of symptoms including fatigue, digestive problems, appetite changes, altered blood pressure and insomnia.
"But new science now suggests that certain foods may help to shift our internal clock and adjust to our new time zone a little better."
Below, Lily lists the foods and drinks to have if you're feeling jet-lagged.
Cherries can help you to have better quality of sleep, assisting with jet lag. Photo / Getty
"Cherries are one of the only natural food sources of melatonin," Lily explains.
"Melatonin influences our biological clock to aid with sleep. One study has shown that consumption of cherry juice twice daily can increase sleep time by more than 90 minutes a night."
2. Kiwifruit
"One study has shown that a kiwifruit a day has been linked to improvements in sleep and sleep quality.
"Kiwifruit is a fruit high in our happy hormone, serotonin. Serotonin converts to the sleep hormone melatonin which in turn aids with sleep and carries out many important biological functions in relation to the circadian rhythm."
3. Eggs
"Eggs are a great source of vitamin B12. B12 is known as an energy vitamin but has also been shown to play a role in regulating our internal clock and circadian rhythm.
"Vitamin B12 can help to maximise our response to external light and turn of melatonin signalling in our brain. This supports our brain when making the transition from a resting sleep state to a more active awake state.
"Ultimately vitamin B12 can help to induce wakefulness."
4. Green leafy vegetables
Lily recommends eating kale, spinach, rocket, and chard to boost magnesium levels if you have jet lag. Photo / Getty
"Not only is magnesium a very calming mineral, which may aid with better sleep, but science has shown that levels of magnesium in cells rise and fall in correlation with the 24-hour sleep and wake cycle, and that impacts the cells' internal clocks.
"One study showed that by having optimal magnesium levels within cells, the greater the likelihood of cells following the natural sleep cycle.
"All dark green leafy vegetables are a great source of magnesium."
"Consumption of carbohydrates stimulates the release of insulin into the blood stream in order to manage blood sugar levels.
"One study conducted on mice found that insulin could change the circadian clock, with higher insulin inducing drowsiness and lower insulin inducing wakefulness.
"This means that a spike in insulin at night could affect our circadian rhythm to induce sleep. Therefore if you're struggling to sleep upon landing, don't forget the carbohydrate component at your evening meal."
6. Chamomile tea
"Caffeine may be tempting when you're experiencing post-flight fatigue, however one study has found that caffeine can mess up your circadian rhythm too.
"Caffeine has been shown to delay the release of the sleep hormone melatonin by 40 minutes, delaying the start of your 'biological night'.
"What's more, caffeine is a stimulant and can stay in the system for up to many hours after consumption, which can further disrupt sleep.
