Ayurvedic Solutions for Jet Lag and Travel Fatigue

In Ayurveda, Jet lag is believed to happen due to vata disruption. When vata is aggravated, it leads to a change in energy, where the body starts feeling tired and stressed due to travel. If you try some Ayurvedic remedies that balance your Vata, then you can stay balanced and healthy even after travel.

Since Vata governs movement and travel, long flights cause dryness, irregular digestion, and restlessness. To reset your body clock, Ayurveda emphasizes grounding foods, herbal remedies, and daily routines that calm Vata and restore balance.. Bringing back vata in balance can help you get back your health.  

10 Ayurvedic Solutions to Deal with Jet Lag and Post-Travel Fatigue 

1. Take Triphala

Consuming Triphala can relieve the body from oxidative stress due to its antioxidant effects. It can take away all the travel-related tiredness caused by travel-related strain and environmental changes. You can take ½ to 1 teaspoon of powder, 30 minutes before a meal. 

2. Try Nadi Shodhana

Nadi Shodhna is an alternate nostril breathing exercise that makes the mind calm and balanced, stress-free and takes away all tiredness. It also fixes the sleep-wake cycle, which usually gets disturbed after travel.

3. Limit Vata-aggravating foods

Foods like beans, cauliflower, and carbonated drinks can trigger your vata dosha. Introducing a bit of Hing and Ajwain while cooking may help, as these are traditional aids for reducing gas formation, which usually creates discomfort during travel.

4. Drink Ginger Tea

Ginger Tea helps cope with dehydration caused by jet lag. It is also useful for coping with nausea, improving digestion, promoting relaxation, and helping adjust sleep rhythm, making it a useful remedy for easing jet lag in travellers.

5. Eat Light, Warm meals

Have light meals like soups, khichdi, which is easier to digest, as well as doesn’t cause any bloating and stomach issues. Warm food helps calm the aggravated vata and works easily on digestive sluggishness. 

6. Try Abhyanga 

Abhyanga oil massage helps recover from post-travel fatigue by calming the mind and bringing the brain into a state of relaxation. You can practice abhyanga by taking a small amount of oil, such as sesame, coconut oil and then applying it to the scalp for a light massage. 

7. Do Pranayama

Pranayama are various yogic breathing exercises that help with jet lag recovery by increasing oxygen absorption, calming the nervous system, and enhancing energy flow. Some of the pranayama techniques effective during this time are- Deep diaphragmatic breathing and Nadi Shodhana. 

8. Stay Hydrated 

Travel can cause dehydration due to a disruption in the dosha. It’s important to stay hydrated during such times as it replenishes lost fluids, improves blood flow, maintains cellular function, and supports detoxification, which collectively reduce travel fatigue and help with faster recovery.

9. Avoid Caffeine

Consuming caffeine during travel or after it can disturb your normal sleep pattern. Thus, you should avoid its consumption. Instead, you can opt for alternative drinks and herbal teas, which will keep you energetic and maintain natural balance and harmony of the body. 

10. Get the Morning Sunlight

Morning sunlight works wonders in resetting the body's internal circadian rhythm, which often gets disrupted during travel across time zones. Sunlight improves the production of serotonin, melatonin, hormones that regulate sleep and mood. 

Conclusion 

Jet lag is a common problem experienced by travellers. However, through various pre-travel care and post-travel care, you can get back in balance again. Some post-care remedies you can try are breathing exercises and Pranayama. Be mindful of what you eat, and prefer warm home-cooked meals instead of heavy meals that can weaken digestion. Avoid consuming food that can disrupt your sleep cycle and drain your energy.