The Importance of Napping

I know a man who says jet lag is “a butt kicker” and “absolutely life ruining”. While he is prone to dramatics, the core sentiment is true. Travel has a special ability to zap you of all your energy, hopes and dreams. The key to fighting back? Treat yo’ self.

It’s nap time, ladies and gentlemen.

The key to having great sleep even while you’re traveling is to trick your body. Your body’s natural circadian rhythms can occasionally be manipulated. If you’ve ever chugged coffee and energy drinks to pull an all-nighter, you know this to be painfully true. Luckily, there are far more gentle methods to encourage sleep that won’t give you the shakes and a serious case of crazy eyes.

If you happen to be flying across several time zones, don’t be that person and try to tough it out. As a natural remedy to jet lag, try using Melatonin. They have 3mg and 5mg that can induce drowsiness. It’s a supplement, and it’s worth asking your doctor about it lest you have some sort of weird reaction. As another alternative, if pills freak you out, try melatonin-rich tart cherry juice.

For those that are attached to their cellphones as if their charger was an umbilical cord, download Entrain. It’s an app designed by mathematicians that promises to reduce jet lag through mobile tracking. Users plug in their desired time zone. Next the app spits out a calculated schedule for when users should be exposed to bright light, dim light, and absolute darkness. The light exposure tricks and calculations aren’t new. NASA and other military industries use them in order to ensure travelers aren’t groggy and distracted.

Overall, you want to set yourself up for success. If you know you have just the best night of sleep ever when you have tea and a shower before climbing into bed, do that! Vacation isn’t an excuse to treat your body like total trash. You’re going to be in a new environment and your body likes what it likes, man! Don’t go overboard by binge eating yourself into a hopeful food coma. Or, worse yet, drinking yourself into a comfortable stupor. Instead, embrace your sleep quirks.

Nothing is guaranteed, though. You might find yourself awake for 20 hours straight because sleeping in an airplane or an airport is just the absolute worst. We’ve all been there. But rather than concentrating on the worst-case scenario, embrace the fearless side within yourself and go take a nap.