Helpful tips to avoid jet lag:

1. Drink water: The air in the cabin is very dry, and it’s not uncommon to become dehydrated.  Drink plenty of fluids – preferably water.

2. Going along with the idea of drinking water -   Sometimes the plane does not have enough bottled water in the cabin for all of the passengers.  You want to be sure that the bottle you are given is unopened when you get it. If you can imagine,  ‘tap’ water on the plane has been stored in tanks, and is less than ideal as drinking water.   If you are able to purchase a bottle of water after you get through security and before you board the plane, it would be a good idea to do so  and bring your own water on the plane.
3. Alcohol on the plane is also very dehydrating and rumor has it the effects are amplified when flying – due to the air pressure and altitude.  Skip the drink and stick to water. If the flight attendants are out of water, fruit juice is preferable to soda, again because most soda has a lot of sodium.
4. Food on the plane is usually salty – adding to the dehydrating effect. The best thing to eat on the plane is fruit. Even the salty pretzels (they used to serve peanuts but now most planes don’t because of peanut allergies) are dehydrating.  Try to stick to less processed and higher protein items – remember that the meals on the plane are cooked twice, with also tends to dry them out.   Regardless, you want to eat light, if at all.  Nothing worse than having a heavy meal and then not having a way to walk it off.
5. Speaking of walking off a meal, another tip is to take a walk around the plane when you are allowed.  It’s good to stretch your legs and keep your blood flowing. There have been cases of thrombosis (blood clots) that have developed in passengers on long cross continental flights.  It’s not common, but it has happened.

6. Exercise by stretching in place if you cannot get up and walk around.  There are some exercises you can do at  your airplane seat that keep your muscles flexible and your blood circulating.  For example, just rotating your ankles while you are seated helps to flex your feet and stimulate blood flow.

7. I do like to kick off my shoes while I am on the plane.  Take along a pair of socks or thin slippers that you can pop out of your bag to slip on your feet.  Having your feet encased in restrictive shoes can be uncomfortable, especially if you are on a long flight and your feet tend to swell a bit.
8. Sleep on the plane if you can, but whether you do sleep or don’t sleep, you want to be sure that you do not take a nap when you arrive at your destination.  Stay up to ten or eleven at night, this will help you become acclimated to the new time schedule.

9. If you thought about it in advance and shipped your luggage ahead, you could really relax on the flight with the assurance of knowing that your luggage would be waiting for your arrival, at your hotel room or other destination.   What a relief it would be to not have to worry about getting to the baggage claim and fighting the throng to carry those heavy bags.

10. Make plans now for your next trip to ship your luggage! With luggage ahead, you don’t have to stress about your bags being lost.

Hope these tips are helpful to make your flight more relaxing and to avoid jet lag on your next flight.