If you have ever traveled across country, you have gone through that dreadful experience of being tired and always seeming that you are behind the eight ball. Sometimes it is so bad that you can’t even enjoy your vacation because you are so exhausted or when you get home, you need a vacation to recover from your vacation! What you need to do is figure out how to recover from jet lag without it affecting your normal life.

Flying takes a lot out of people for various reasons. A fear of flying could have you tense the whole time and a mess by the time you arrive. Just the process of a long flight will dehydrate anyone. If you are flying through a drastic time zone switch, your body is not prepared for it and you are off the whole time you are there and of course when you get back. Here are a few tips to get through all of that and more.

If flying stresses you out, you need to find a way to relax while you are flying so you don’t arrive at your destination exhausted. It may be as simple as getting a prescription to help you relax on the flight or going through some therapy to alleviate the stress. You have to get on that plane relaxed or you are dooming yourself to be dead tired the moment you get off the plane.

If you are switching time zones, adapt your body to that zone before you ever get on the plane. Maybe you are flying from the East Coast to the West Coast. Sleep in a little bit longer that day and take a nap on the plane. This will enable you to treat your day out West just like you would in the East. Make sure you stay up until your normal bed time after you have landed and you can beat the lag. When you get up the next day, expose yourself to sunlight and do an activity that will get that blood pumping as soon as you wake up. You can fool your body into thinking that nothing has ever changed. Reverse the process when you get back East but make sure you do the same thing the next morning so you never miss a beat.

Flying dehydrates everyone. You are breathing pure oxygen for an extended period of time your body is going to be drained. Knowing that going in, treat it like an athletic event and make sure you are well hydrated days before you fly. Load up on fluids and drink plenty of fluids on the plane. Once you land, continue to re-hydrate until after you get back home.

The key to beating jet lag is that your body always has to feel as though nothing has changed. If you are on a short trip, you may keep as much as possible to your normal schedule. For instance, you have dinner at 8:00pm, have dinner at 5:00pm out west that night. Prepare your body for the trip by making sure there are no radical changes, keep yourself hydrated and make sure you keep your sleeping patterns and you can recover from jet lag in no time at all.

There is a jet lag remedy; or it is better to say that there are precautionary measures that need to be taken so as to avoid or reduce the severity of jet lag. Here are some tips:

• You should sleep adequately prior to flight.
• Make sure that you eat something light and solid before and during the flight.
• Drink enough water and fluids during the flights and try to avoid alcohol, even if it feels good.
• Try to sleep during flight, or at least relax as much as possible.
• Try to stretch and exercise a little when you arrive to your destination.
• Go for a long walk when you arrive; being outside, exposed to the atmosphere of the new place can always help, because you help your body become familiar with the new zone and environment faster.
• Try to avoid getting involved into a stressful situation right away; if you are travelling for business purposes it is better to give yourself at least one day to relax and adjust to the new time zone. If you are a leisure traveller just take it easy and enjoy.
• And the best point could be getting a full body relaxing massage with your masseur!

Throughout history, humans have employed the art of massage as a means towards greater relaxation and health. The cultures which we regard as the foundations of our civilization including Rome, medieval China and Japan, India, Greece, and even ancient Egypt, all practiced forms of massage. In addition, many cultures which have not traditionally been considered “civilized” have used massage in many different applications.

Today, the benefits of massage and massage therapy are well known, and have in fact been documented in peer reviewed medical research. This means that the best minds in the medical field endorse massage and massage therapy in a number of different situations.

Just what are the situations in which massage therapy may be called for? Let’s take a look at some common occurrences which may lead you to seek massage therapy.

An Injury:

For many, massage therapy is a key component in their road to recovery after sustaining an injury. Whether the injury in question was a pulled muscle or a broken bone, increasing levels of massage as healing takes place can greatly aid the process.

Pain Relief:

Many people suffer from chronic pains, although those pains do not occur due to a past injury. The pains may be in the form of migraine headaches or joint inflammation, incurred through age or environment.

In these cases, the pressure applied through different types of massage can greatly alleviate the amount of suffering a person is feeling. Massage appears to both dull the intensity of pain during treatment and reduce the level of pain when it re-occurs. Sometimes, massage therapy can rid the patient of specific chronic pain altogether.

Stress Relief:

Perhaps the best known massage applications is in the reduction of stress on the individual patient. Massage’s traditional application has been in the form of a relaxant, allowing the pressure of life to drift away amidst pressures placed on the physical form of the patient.

As stress is a factor in the everyday life of every human, stress reduction is the most widespread application of massage therapy. Massage has been proven not only to reduce stress but also to alleviate stress induced symptoms on both the physical and mental levels.

Why Does Massage Therapy Work?

While the benefits of massage have been proven at almost every level that matters to science (the one exception being double blind experiments, as one involving massage is impossible to design), the question of why massage works remains a mystery. Multiple theories exist that suggest why massages are effective in so many circumstances. It may activate an increased blood flow, improve sleep, release endorphins, or any number of other potentially beneficial reactions within the body.

Massage is the kneading and stroking of the body’s soft tissues – the skin AND the muscles – with varying degrees of pressure. It has long been incorporated into a number of traditional health systems such as Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine.

Generally, there are 2 types of massage and the benefits of each can be different; gentle and strong.

Gentle massage affects the nervous system through nerve endings in the skin, stimulating the release of endorphins, the body’s natural ‘feel good’ chemicals, to help induce relaxation and a sense of well being, to relieve pain and reduce levels of stress chemicals such as cortisol and noradrenaline. It helps reverse the damaging effects of stress by slowing heart rate, respiration and metabolism and lowering raised blood pressure.

Stronger massage stimulates blood circulation to improve the supply of oxygen and nutrients to body tissues and helps the lymphatic system to flush away waste products. It eases tense knotted muscles and stiff joints, improving mobility and flexibility. Many of today’s health problems can benefit from massage therapy because the manipulation of soft tissues affects so many of our bodily systems.

Prolonged periods of stress can subconsciously affect many systems of the body. Stress has been shown to aggravate, or even cause, such problems as heart disease, gastrointestinal disorders, memory loss and decreased immune function. Massage therapy is one of the best antidotes for stress. Massage boosts the body’s immune system, which can become compromised from extended periods of stress.

Tension can build up in the muscles, causing a decrease in circulation and nutrient delivery to tissues. Manipulation of the soft tissue decreases muscular tension, increases removal of metabolic waste and promotes nutrient delivery to healing tissue. With a therapeutic massage, stress can be significantly reduced. This, in turn, will increase energy, improve your outlook on life, and in the process boost your immune system function.

As you can see, massage is not just a luxury anymore, it’s a better way to healthier living! If nothing else, massage just feels good. It feels good to get, and believe or not, it feels good to give it as well. Massage therapists are known to find a sense of calm themselves when giving a massage.