The Secrets To Beating Jet Lag, According To A NASA Astronaut

Mike Massimino, a former NASA Astronaut, has the secrets to beating jet lag for good.

Here’s how you can beat jet lag

“I was a NASA Astronaut for 18 years and went to space twice,” Massimino told T+L. “For my first trip to the Hubble Space Telescope, we had a launch time of about 5:30 am, which meant we had to wake up at about 9:00 pm [the day before] fresh and ready to go to begin our day, check out the space suits, get debriefed, get out to the launchpad, make sure the spaceship [was] working, and then get to space. So, jet lag was not allowed.”

He explained that NASA knew these odd hours would likely lead to intense jet lag and therefore set out to beat it through more scientific research.

“They really got into the science behind it,” he reiterated. “It’s a timing issue to reset your circadian clock.” Here are a few quick tips from Massimino on how to avoid jet lag.

Understand when you should see light and when you shouldn’t

According to Massimino, regulating light exposure is critical to resetting your circadian rhythms and stopping jet lag in its tracks. “It’s a timing issue to reset your circadian clock. So, based on the day-night cycle, when to see light and when to see dark allows you to shift more expeditiously,” he shared.

And there’s plenty of science to back this up. As Scientific American explained, light exposure can assist someone in either advancing or delaying their circadian rhythm. It pointed to a study by a team at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, which had participants expose themselves to light in the morning, causing their circadian rhythms to shift by 2.1 hours, which the researchers concluded would make the participants feel either less jet lag or fully adjusted two days earlier than if they skipped the light therapy.

Curb your caffeine intake and think about when to take melatonin

Massimino wasn’t an avid coffee drinker during his NASA days, but he shared he’s come to be quite the caffeine aficionado now that he’s back on Earth. But, he understands that caffeine can affect his sleep cycles, as, of course, does taking melatonin.

“Melatonin is a natural substance that we have in our body that tells us that it’s time to sleep,” Massimino said, adding that scientists have found it best to “take small doses.”

And again, the science agrees. The Mayo Clinic explained, “The latest research seems to show that melatonin aids sleep during times when you wouldn’t typically be resting, making it beneficial for people with jet lag.” The Mayo Clinic adds that when you take melatonin matters. If you’re travelling east, Mayo Clinic said you should take melatonin in your new time zone to adjust to your new local time. However, if you’ve flown west, take melatonin in the morning, to help reset your internal clock to a later schedule.

The Mayo Clinic also agreed with Massimino, adding, “A dose as small as 0.5 milligram seems just as effective as a dose of 5 milligrams or higher.”

Download the Timeshifter app and let it do the work for you

Does figuring out when and when you shouldn’t expose yourself to light, when and how much melatonin you should take, and if and when you should curb caffeine seem like a lot to keep track of? Easy, Massimino said. There’s an app for that — and he helped build it.

“In my opinion, the best thing to do is use the app. [It’s] so easy.,” Massimino said.

As both Massimino and the app’s website explained, users simply input their trip schedule, and the app spits out a personalised plan of when to sleep, expose themselves to light, take melatonin, drink or avoid coffee, and more. This way, you can spend more time actually enjoying your trip rather than sleeping through it.

 

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It's Easier to Beat a Caffeine Addiction Than You Think

Caffeine is a stimulant that is mildly addictive. Therefore, if you drink too much coffee or soda, you are (or will soon be) addicted to it. In fact, if you crave a cup of coffee as soon as you wake up in the morning or a soda during the afternoon with your lunch, you may well be addicted to caffeine - this addiction is not good for your health!

Caffeine is healthy in moderate doses, but consuming it in large amounts can cause severe health problems. For example, it can increase your risk of hypertension, prevent your liver from filtering out other toxins, contribute to tooth decay, weak bones, anxiety, headaches, disrupted sleep patterns, and dehydration, to name but a few.

If you want to cut out (or cut back on) caffeine from your diet, you must be aware of other products that contain caffeine as well as the withdrawal symptoms. Unfortunately, caffeine is not only present in coffee and soda. It can be found in tea, baked products, chocolate, and chewing gum. 

If you're thinking of cutting back or removing caffeine from your diet, you need to be prepared for possible withdrawal symptoms that may occur due to your body's shock at the lack of caffeine it is now getting. These withdrawal symptoms can include fatigue, depression, headaches, sleepiness, irritability, concentration problems, constipation, insomnia, anxiety, and nervousness.

But don't worry, you'll survive and the withdrawals won't be so bad if you make use of the following helpful tips:

1. Practice Deep Breathing
Deep breathing can be used to fight caffeine withdrawals such as strong cravings, anxiety, and restlessness. At the same time, deep breathing helps to eliminate toxins from your body.
Method:
1. Lie on your back.
2. Place your hands on your abdomen and relax your muscles.
3. Inhale deeply through your nose, expanding your abdomen and then filling your lungs with air. Count to 5 as you inhale.
4. Hold your breath and count to 3.
5. Exhale slowly through your mouth while counting to 5.
6. Continue to do this for around 10 minutes.
If it isn't viable for you to lie down, you can carry out the exercise while sitting down instead. This ensures that you can do it anywhere and at any time.

2. Drink Plenty of Water
Drinking water is important for any addiction treatment, and caffeine addiction is no exception to this rule.
One of the ways your body gets rid of excess caffeine is through urine. If you drink more water, you will obviously urinate more, therefore speeding up the elimination of toxins from your body. Although the amount of water that you should consume depends entirely on your health, climatic conditions and physical activity levels, the majority of people should drink 8 to 10 glasses of water each day.
When you feel like you need a caffeine fix, it's a great time to reach for some water instead.

3. Sleep Tight
Getting enough sleep also aids in your fight against a caffeine addiction.

Drinking a cup of coffee before you go to sleep can make you feel more alert by blocking sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain and increasing the production of adrenaline (which will keep you awake). On the other hand, making an effort to sleep properly can help reduce your dependency on caffeine. The best way to do this is to have healthy sleep habits - you can do this by sleeping and getting up at a specific and consistent time each day.

If you get proper sleep, you will not need your cup of coffee when you wake up in the morning or to stay alert during the day.

4. Switch to Green Tea
If you end up having a strong craving for a warm beverage, something with caffeine, choose green tea.
Green tea has a lot less caffeine in it than regular coffee or black tea and also has the added benefits of being packed with powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants help get rid of harmful toxins from your body.

Drinking green tea will ultimately reduce your overall caffeine intake, so if you must have something with some caffeine in it then drink 4 to 5 cups of green tea a day instead of coffee.

5. Start Exercising
When you exercise, your body is flooded with endorphins, which can help cure headaches (a common sign of caffeine withdrawal). Fatigue is also another common side effect of coming off caffeine, and this can also be fought off by increasing your daily activity. Exercise is especially important if you feel fatigued after waking up and your body is craving some caffeine - a 30 minute walk will shake off the fatigue and help you stay active.
Also, go for a short walk in the afternoon if you start to feel sleepy.

6. Take Magnesium Supplements
Drinking too much coffee has been linked to magnesium deficiency, so by taking some magnesium supplements you will be addressing this deficiency. To add to this, you can fight caffeine withdrawal symptoms, such as loss of appetite, muscle weakness, disturbed sleep, and headaches, by taking magnesium supplements. Magnesium is also a natural energizer, thus it helps fight off tiredness and fatigue.

NOTE: Please consult your doctor before taking magnesium supplements. This is especially important if you suffer from heart or kidney disease, or are on some sort of medication.

If you don't want to take supplements, you can just increase your intake of magnesium - rich foods, such as bananas, almonds, beans, tofu, pumpkin seeds, soy milk, cashews, pecans, walnuts, potatoes with skin, whole grains, green leafy vegetables and yogurt.

7. Opt for Herbal Teas and Healthy Juices
Herbal teas are another great alternative to your cup of coffee. You can make rejuvenating herbal teas with a wide variety of herbs such as licorice, rosemary, chicory and lavender.

If you're not a fan of herbs, consider replacing your cup of coffee with some healthy fruit juices or delicious smoothies. For example, you can make an energy-boosting drink by juicing together 2 cups of spinach and kale, 4 celery stalks, 1 green apple, 1/2 a cucumber and 1/2 a lemon. If you like, you can blend these along with some plain yogurt or coconut water to make a tasty green smoothie for breakfast.

8. Snack on Protein
You might be in the habit of grabbing a cup of warm coffee or a soda when you feel fatigued in the afternoon, but you should have a protein-rich breakfast in the morning or reach for a protein-rich healthy snack instead.

Eating breakfast that is high in protein will help you feel fuller and provide you with sustained energy that can be used throughout the day. Therefore, you should think about eating a few eggs for breakfast. If you feel fatigued in the afternoon, reach for some almonds, roasted nuts, or some seeds instead of coffee.

9. Make Peppermint Your Friend
Peppermint leaves as well as oil can be used to alleviate the pain of withdrawal headaches.
If you're feeling a caffeine withdrawal headache coming on, place some peppermint oil on a handkerchief and start inhaling the lovely smell. You can even place some peppermint oil behind your ears or on your wrists. The scent of peppermint has been known to help reduce headaches.

10. Get Some Ginseng
Ginseng can help alleviate the frequency of coffee withdrawals. It is a tonic for the adrenal glands, supports the immune system and restores a proper balance to the body, especially during periods of stress and anxiety. It also strengthens the kidneys, which are weakened from regular caffeine intake.
To reduce your caffeine cravings, add 1 teaspoon of ginseng powder to your breakfast cereal or a glass of milk. You can also chew on some dried ginseng when you have a strong craving for caffeine.
Please note that ginseng is not recommended for those who suffer from heart problems, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, schizophrenia or hormone-sensitive conditions.

Additional Tips 

Make a list of foods that contain caffeine and take it with you when you go grocery shopping so you know what to avoid.

Start off small when quitting caffeine as suddenly taking it out of your diet can make you restless.
 
Find someone who wants to quit with you as you can motivate each other not to break your promise.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement