I tested jet lag cures on a recent holiday and they worked

Jet lag occurs when your normal sleep pattern is disturbed after a long haul flight. On a recent trip to Singapore, I tested jet lag cures to see if they worked. I took a 13-hour flight from London to Singapore, leaving the UK at 11.30am and landing in Singapore at 7:30am.

Singapore is seven hours ahead of the UK so the time difference is pretty dramatic and I was worried about losing valuable holiday time to jet lag.

Although jet lag can’t be prevented, the NHS recommends a few ways of reducing its effects on your body.

Get plenty of rest

The NHS recommends getting plenty of rest during your flight if it’s night time at your destination.

This was the case for me as I’d be travelling during the day on UK time but during the night for Singapore.

As soon as I boarded the flight, I realised this was going to be a challenge as I’d ended up with a middle seat.

The middle seat is notoriously the most uncomfortable and being sandwiched between a manspreader and a chatty passenger did nothing to help me get any sleep.

However, I’d packed an eye mask and earphones to help tune out any noise, so I was able to nap a little on the flight.

I’d recommend booking your seat as soon as possible to avoid getting a middle seat if you want to minimise the impact of jet lag.

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During the flight

The NHS recommends passengers drink plenty of water and keep active by moving around the cabin.

As much as it pained me to reject the free glass of wine on Singapore Airlines, I think avoiding alcohol is worth doing. I also tried to walk around as much as possible and did some stretches from my seat.

This helped me to avoid becoming overtired or dehydrated during the lengthy flight. The NHS also recommends avoiding coffee so I opted for a green tea rather than a coffee when drinks were served.

On arrival

Although when I arrived in Singapore, it was technically night time for my body clock, I knew the most important thing to do was avoid sleeping.

As tempting as it was to head straight for a nap, the NHS recommends changing your sleep schedule as soon as possible. I headed straight for breakfast to try to adjust my body to the new timezone. I went for healthy choices such as fruit and yoghurt for an added vitamin boost.

The NHS says people should go outside as much as possible during the day so I went to Singapore’s Fort Canning Park for a walk. I definitely think the walk helped me to stay awake and refresh me after the 13-hour flight.

Although I was exhausted by the evening, I managed to stay up until 10pm to help me adapt to my new time zone.

The results

Luckily for me, I woke up at 7:30am and didn’t suffer any effects of jet lag for the rest of my trip.

I’d definitely recommend avoiding naps to adjust to the new time zone as soon as possible. Fresh air was very helpful and I think if I’d opted to drink alcohol on the flight, I’d have been far more jaded when I arrived.

After my middle seat experience, I’d certainly recommend checking in as soon as possible to try to secure a window or aisle seat.

I did struggle to stay up in the evening, which might have been avoided if I’d managed to nap on the flight. 

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