Why you should avoid eating 16 hours before your flight – or risk ruining your holidays

TRAVELLERS should fast for around 12-16 hours before and the day of your flight to avoid jet lag, experts have claimed.

Not eating food over a long period pauses your body clock – preventing jet lag, research has found.

1

It comes as AirAdvisor - a claims management company - dropped its top five tips to help your body minimise jet lag and travel fatigue.

Your body follows a 24-hour cycle which is closely aligned to the sun and the seasons.

Your circadian rhythm, also known as your body clock, is influenced by temperature, light, dark and other factors.

This affects your body’s blood pressure, temperature, hormone levels and glucose levels.

It's important to stay on top of and maintain your circadian rhythm, experts say.

Jet Lag is known to affect people differently and symptoms can range from headaches to digestive issues.

The experts wrote: "Symptoms usually start to ease the 'rate of 1 day per time zone.'"

"So, if you’re travelling across 3 time zones, you’ll need around 3 days to recover."

The reason jet lag symptoms differ from person to person can be attributed to how much a person has travelled or someone's age.

Those travelling eastwards are hit harder with jet lag because they're losing time instead of gaining it, according to experts.

These are the other tips suggested by travel experts.

Start shifting your sleep schedule

Before you jet off to your holiday destination adjust your daily sleep schedule so it matches the time zone of where you're going.

For example, if you are travelling east consider going to bed 20 minutes later every day - if you're travelling west go to bed 20 minutes earlier.

If changing your sleeping pattern is not an option experts recommend getting an uninterrupted night's sleep at least 3 days before you travel.

Exercise

You can shift your circadian rhythm by exercising early in the day or late at night, a 2019 study found.

Exercising more intensely just before you travel releases dopamine and endorphins which will make you feel more calm and relaxed for your flight.

Fast before you go

Fasting is an effective way to combat jet lag and was researched by "Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center".

However, this is not medical advice and people should only fast if they are healthy or have advice from their doctor.

Set your clock to your new time zone

This is more of a psychological hack but has proven to be effective among athletes when they prepare to participate in events in different time zones.

You can use apps like Timeshifter which helps create an action plan to reduce jet lag fatigue and discomfort.

Take melatonin

Taking low doses of melatonin 30 minutes before you go to sleep can help your body adjust, research suggests.

You only need to start taking the supplements a couple of days before you travel.

Melatonin is naturally produced by your body as a response to darkness.

Always consult your doctor before taking any supplement.