Jet Lag Relief
Our bodies have a natural rhythm which is tuned to not only the time of day but also the seasons where we live. When we travel across time zones and into different seasons it disrupts our natural rhythm and we experience Jet lag symptoms. Shift workers who have to stay awake all night and then sleep during the day also experience symptoms that look just like jet lag especially when they change between night shift and dayshift work.
Jet lag symptoms include
Being a bit ‘spacey’ and disoriented
Fatigue and trouble feeling energized
Headache
Water retention
Feeling unwell and out of sorts
More likely to make mistakes
Can't get into a good sleep cycle
Appetite is all over the place, not hungry or could even be nauseous at meal times, but hungry in between meal times.
Symptoms can last up to 10 days depending on how many hours the trip took, how many time zones were crossed and of course depending on the individual. (Some people are just more resilient than others). For some reason Jet lag symptoms are worse if we travel westwards.
Self Help with Acupressure
This self-help technique uses acupressure and is based on the Chinese Meridian clock where each of the 12 meridians has been found to be active over a 2 hour time period. It is based on research from the late 1970's by Dr Amaro. I’ve chosen to use the Horary or hour points here as in the original research, but I’ve also seen versions of this that use what are called the Luo points. Both seem to work well.
There is a short version which could give a quick pick me up. There is also a longer version which provides more reliable results. Shift workers particularly could benefit from a variation of the longer version which I’ll explain at the end.
How to do it
1. First you need to know which meridian is currently active. From the chart below, find
the current time of day of where you are. (If it is daylight saving time you’ll need to
adjust it back by an hour). For example if it is currently between 5 – 7 am then Large
Intestine meridian is active.
2. Once you know which meridian is active look in the next column where you’ll find the
name and picture of the horary acupoint for the meridian. Horary means hour and it is
a very stabilizing point to hold during the Meridian’s active time.
3. Find the time of day for the place you have traveled from. For example, I've traveled
from Perth to Melbourne. In Melbourne the current time is 5-7 am or Large Intestine
time. Perth is 2 hours behind Melbourne so it will be between 3-5 am - Lung time in
Perth. Remember to adjust for daylight savings time – Melbourne has it and Perth
doesn’t. There should only be 2 hours difference between the active meridians not 3.
4. Now in the next column find the horary point for this time.
5. So now you have 2 points - one for the time at your destination and one for the time at
your place of departure. Hold both these horary points (the departure and the
destination points) for about a minute or until you feel them pulsing together. Hold
them first on one side of the body and then on the other.
Simplest version
The easiest way to use these points is just once when you arrive at your destination. However if you know you don’t cope very well with travelling you can also use them before you leave on your trip. Again, just find the current active meridian time for your place of departure and for your destination and hold those horary points, first on the left and then on the right.
To land feeling great
If your flight is more than a few hours and you want to land feeling on top of things then use this longer version:
Set your watch so that it tells you the current time at your destination. While waiting at the airport find the current active meridian that matches the time on your watch. You only need to hold this set of points, don’t bother about the acupoints for your departure place.
Hold the point for about a minute, either both sides together or first on the left, and then on the right.
As you are travelling, when you notice that the watch time has moved into another 2 hour block of meridian time, just hold the set of horary points that matches the new time. Hold them either both sides together or first on the left and then on the right.
When you arrive at your destination your watch should say the right time. Find the current active meridian matching that time and hold those horary points.
If you’re still jet lagged or you’re a shift worker
Some people have more trouble adjusting than others. If you’re still having trouble after trying the simple version you could try this next technique which is also very helpful for shift workers. It should take you about 15 minutes to complete.
Use the time of day where you are at the moment.
Find the current active meridian
Hold the horary points for the current time of day, either both sides together, or first on the left and then on the right. Hold them for about a minute or until you feel them pulsing.
Now continue through the chart and hold each horary point in clock sequence for a minute or so.
For example…. If it is currently 6pm, then start by holding the Kidney horary point – Kidney 10. When you’ve held that on both the left and the right for about a minute, move onto the next point in clock time sequence. After Kidney you will see on the chart it is Pericardium 8. Hold that point on both sides and then continue on around the clock – so next would be Triple Heater 6, followed by Gall Bladder 41, then Liver, Lung, Large Intestine, Stomach, etc till you get back to where you started.
Finish by holding the current meridian horary points again. This helps remind the body what time it is actually in and can be very helpful for adjusting back to daytime hours for shift workers.
Some other tips to lessen symptoms
Stay well hydrated by drinking lots of water and avoiding tea, coffee and alcohol. You can also drink an electrolyte replacement formula every couple of hours.
Use homoeopathics - I personally like a mix of Arnica, Nux Vomica and Cocculus, but there others that can help as well.
Get out into the sunlight - it will help to reset the timekeeping cells in your brain
Make sure your sleeping space is totally dark, if necessary use a sleep mask.
If you have time and your trip is a long one, take a break for a couple of days somewhere in the middle. This is a gentler way to travel and gives your body more time to adjust. It’s particularly helpful if travelling westwards.
Shift work and travel are experiences that can throw out our body clock and affect health. Shift workers in particular have been found to be more susceptible to various long term health issues because of the disruption to the normal cortisol/melatonin rhythm.
If you’ve tried the self-help but find you need a bit more support then consider seeing someone who will be able to provide more help. Kinesiology has many more tools for addressing not only jet lag but also other sleep cycle issues.
You can call or text me on:
0405 970 058
