In it for the long haul...

I left sunny and warm Australia for brrrrr cold Berlin last week and since have been adjusting to the many factors of a new season, country and time zone... 

This time around I wanted to try a few things to help prevent severe jet lag! When you know your journey starts at 10am leaving the Gold Coast for the airport only to arrive at your friends place in Neukölln, Berlin 32 hours later- you are going to want all the help you can get!

What I trialed... 

I found this product in the chemist called "Frequent Flyer Health Boost"- it is similar to Berocca where you add it to water and it fizzles and dissolves. The taste is fine and it is packed with vitamins, minerals and chinese herbs that are essential for travel.

More info here: http://www.frequentflyerboost.com.au/

I also went to Flannerys Natural Organic Supermarket where I spoke with the staff there-  The woman recommended eating crystallised ginger as a snack every few hours. Ginger is a natural aid for nausea, helps boost circulation, assists digestion, contains anti-inflammitory properties as well as helps nose congestion. Which is great because that recycled air on long distance flights can really disrupt your sinuses! 

I also had some natural sleeping tables as a back up plan if I wasn't sleeping but it was lucky the way my flights were scheduled - the leg from Singapore to London which was 13.45 hours, departed at the Australian equivalent time of 12:45 am. It was just like another late night ;)

In total, I had approximately 8 hours of broken sleep over a period of about 38 hours. No wonder your body can take so long to readjust! 

HOW I delt with it...

After settling my stuff down and catching up with Berlin buddies over lunch, I had an afternoon nap for 4 hours. Come dinner time, I tried to stay awake a bit longer to adjust to the time zone. 
Unfortunately, I woke up at 5:30am the next morning and did not feel rested. This lasted for a few days and so I resorted to bier (beer) to solve my problems... This only left me dehydrated, colder than usual and MORE sleep deprived. 

Last night I laid low and fell asleep at 8pm (typical Berlin nap hour before rising to begin the party at 12am). Today I wake up after 11 hours of sleep and feel 100%!


DID it work?

I think ultimately the body experiences such extremes during a long haul journey that it is only natural to take between a week or 2 to fully adjust. I believe the Frequent Flyer Health Boost and ginger definitely helped considering it has been 6 days since I left Australia and I am feeling better. But I believe the best cure for jet lag is general relaxation and SLEEP!



I now feel ready to explore and report back to you on my findings of winter Berlin... 



Happy flying!