Traveling to Ireland from New York takes about seven hours of air time. Then again, the U.S. is a big place. So, for those traveling from, say, California, you probably experienced called jet lag.
Basically, jet lag is the weariness and other physical effects that occur when we cross several time zones during air travel. We like to think of it as an alteration of your body clock. You circadian rhythms that tell you when to sleep and eat get thrown off.
Remember Ireland is 5 hours ahead of the East Coast and 8 hours ahead of the West Coast. So when it’s breakfast in California it’s dinnertime in Ireland. And it’s just confusing to your brain when it’s dark out but your body thinks it should still be light …
Let’s review a few ways that you can treat jet lag during your travel to Ireland:
Stay hydrated.
Hydration is key to keeping your body functioning during travel to Ireland. All your body systems rely on water as a way to eliminate waste and keep cells healthy.
Tenon Tours insider tip: Bring an empty bottle with you and fill it at water fountains so you don’t spend big money on airport bottled water.
Wear dark sunglasses.
A huge part of jet lag is crossing time zones. Your body can’t tell when it should sleep, eat or have energy. Adjusting light sources is reported to cut back on the effects of jet lag. Don’t remove the sunglasses once you’re air born.
Tenon Tours insider tip: To keep yourself from looking a little creepy during travel to Ireland, choose sunglasses that are more transitional in lieu of dark, big shades.
Stretch often.
Sitting for long stretches may cause blood to coagulate in your legs. It’s important to get up and move around every so often to keep your blood flowing.
Tenon Tours insider tip: To keep from being a “bad traveler” (you know, the person who gets up every five minutes!) practice little stretches right in your seat, like ankle flexes and neck rolls. Raise your arms above your head (and silently scream, “Woot! woot! I’m going to Ireland.”)
Get a good night’s sleep.
Ireland travel from the West Coast can be hard since eight hours is almost a full day’s time difference. No matter what, push yourself to stay awake until bed time. Go to bed at the normal time of the country you’re staying in and give yourself a good eight hours to sleep off your jet lag.
Tenon Tours insider tip: Ireland travel gives you so many options of what to do. If it’s still daylight, try hitting the town as soon as you land. Then, go to bed at time you normally would (but in Irish hours.)
You’ll probably be moving around so much you won’t even notice you’re sleepy for a few days. Especially if you follow our advice on travel to Ireland and jet lag.
