Hi Joey, Im interested to hear what protocols you provide your athletes when they compete internationally in order to overcome jetlag? Any tricks you’ve got up your sleeve to minimize jetlag without adversely affecting performance? Trent
Trent that’s a great question. There’s nothing worse than arriving at an event or even a holiday and spending the next 3 days sleeping in bed trying to get over the travel.
Myself as well as the athletes I coach have experimented with many different jetlag protocols but we all agree the best one we have used is this one.
You’ll need the following items
- Alarm clock
- Torch
- Local Newspaper with listed sunrise times or you can simply search the internet
- 3 mg capsule of Melatonin
Procedure:
- At bedtime, prior to starting program, take a capsule of melatonin, and go to bed no later than 10:30 p.m.
- For the next three consecutive mornings, set the alarm clock for dawn. (See your newspaper to know when the sun rises.)
- When the alarm wakes you, get up and sit at bedside. Shine the flashlight in your face, looking directly into the light with a blank stare, for 30 seconds.
- Do not go back to sleep! Get up and start your day.
- At noon, go for a walk for twenty minutes. Don’t wear sunglasses or a hat.
- Go to bed no later then 10:30 p.m. At bedtime, take a 3 mg capsule of Melatonin. If you feel groggy the next morning, take only 1/2 of the capsule of Melatonin the following night.
How it works?
The body is designed to break itself down during the daytime, and repair at night while you sleep. To accomplish this, your body chemistry must be decidedly different during the night than it is during the day. Cortisol, for instance, rises during the day to raise blood pressure, promote energy, and serve as a natural anti inflammatory (holding off repair until night). Many factors come into play that may cause the day/night chemistry to get confused.
When it does get confused, such as when we fly eastward, we call it jet lag. The same set of circumstances can occur when you work shift work, or if you’re experiencing pain at night, keeping you awake. Stress, fatigue, poor diet, travel or hormone imbalances can cause day and night body chemistry to become confused. This procedure stimulates the brain in a way that resets day and night chemistry.
Resetting the body clock is important towards making repairs. So, the jet lag protocol is designed to speed along this circadian correction.
Id like to thank Samuel Queen and Eric Davis for their tips and insights that helped mold together the ideal protocols to induce normal sleep patterns and overcoming jetlag!
All the best,
Joey Hayes
