In the past three weeks, Richard Quest, the presenter of CNN's monthly Business Traveller show, has flown 27 time zones. Jet lag is part of his daily life. Here he reveals his coping strategies:
Can you avoid jet lag?
No, but you can mitigate it by being good to yourself. So if you’re flying somewhere that’s sunny, sit outside for half an hour and get some sun on your face. Drink lots of water. Have a rest.
You mean, go to sleep?
No not sleep, more like self-hypnosis. It sounds grand and pompous when you call it that. It’s just letting my mind switch off for 10 minutes. There’s a technique – I sit and close my eyes and just try to think of something. I’ll wake up refreshed. If you actually go to sleep, in bed, it makes you feel more tired. You then go into jet lag sleep – that womblike sleep you just can’t wake up from. Instead, just pop yourself on the sofa with a blanket or a cup of tea, and rest your eyes.
What if you have to work?
If you’re tired then say to the people you’re with, excuse me, I’m going to lie down for half an hour. What is this mythical beast that we have to be superhuman when we travel? Yesterday, I was knackered. So I said to my boss after breakfast, I’m going upstairs to lie down. That meant when he needed me at 4pm to meet an important dignitary, then go to dinner at 7.30pm and have another meeting at 10pm, I could do it.
Have you tried treatments for jet lag?
I’ve tried them all – melatonin, changing my watch when I get on board the aircraft … but it’s all rubbish. The truth is that you can’t avoid jet lag.
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