How to Prepare your Body for a Long Flight?

When covering far-away destinations for a vacation, work, or due to personal reasons, you will likely need to board a long-haul flight. Now, these long flights can be exhausting for many travelers. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare in advance to ensure comfort throughout the journey. The key to having the utmost comfort on a long-haul flight is carefully selecting a seat offering generous legroom. However, the mere selection of the best seat on the flight is not enough. You will be required to prepare your body as well to embark on a long flight. 

The following content outlines effective ways to prepare your body for a long flight, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable journey.

1. Keep your body hydrated

It is essential to ensure your body is adequately hydrated before embarking on a long flight. Drinking ample water and fruit juices before and during the flight will help keep your body refreshed and hydrated throughout the journey, allowing you to fully enjoy the flight. However, caffeinated beverages and alcohol consumption must be avoided before a long flight as it can cause dizziness or nausea.

2. Feed your body some nutrition

You must give your body nutritious food before the journey to obtain the energy to survive a long flight without discomfort, fatigue, or other issues. Instead of junk and snacks, eat something healthy like eggs, fish, fruits, vegetables, and meat. Add enough protein, vitamins, and carbohydrates to your meal ahead of your flight. 

3. Stretch the body

In preparation for a long flight, it is essential to engage in thorough stretching exercises. Incorporate some light exercises into your routine a week earlier from the travel date to be comfortable on the long flight. Prior to boarding the plane, ensure you do a full-body stretch, as sitting still on the plane for long hours is required. 

4. Add Meditation and Yoga to your routine

Meditations and yoga are great ways to keep your mind and body calm. So, if you face anxiety and discomfort embarking on a plane and are now required to board a long-haul flight, you should do some yoga and meditation during and before your travel. You can check out the “Pre-Flight Yoga Routine” online to learn some asanas for comfortably completing your long flight journey.

5. Wear the comfiest clothes

Preparing your body also includes how you dress up for the long flight. So, to maintain comfort and ease throughout the long journey, you should wear something comfortable and breathable. Choose a fabric that is soft on your skin, does not restrict you from moving, and is something loose. These things will ensure comfort on the plane and keep you unbothered with clothes. 

6. Sleep comfortably

Proper sleep is one of the important measures your body needs to be comfortable during a trip. One should get proper and comfortable sleep before the journey, as lack of sleep can make you more exhausted, irritated, and sometimes angry. So, it's better not to compromise your sleep before your travel date. 

How can jet lags be avoided on long flights?

It is common to experience jet lag after a long flight. Jet lag happens due to disruptions in the body’s internal clock when traveling through several time zones. This can result in feeling sleep-deprived, fatigue, and overall discomfort. To avoid jet lag or minimize the effects of a long flight, here are some strategies to help your body adjust to the time zones during the journey.

1. Modify your schedule: A few days before your flight, you should gradually modify your overall schedule to avoid jet lag after landing at your destination. Modifications should be made to your sleeping and eating routine, depending on where you are flying to. 

2. Get adequate rest: It is very important to get an adequate amount of rest ahead of your flight to avoid jet lag. If you have been active all day the day before your flight, you will have a high chance of experiencing discomfort and fatigue on the journey. 

3. Give your body time to adjust: It is very important that you give your body enough time to adjust to the new schedule. If you push your body to be active just after boarding the plane or landing at your destination, you will feel discomfort and issues. So, it's advisable that you give your body time to adjust to the schedule.

4. Sleep on the flight: No matter if you have slept earlier, you should sleep on the plane as well for ample time if you are boarding a long-haul flight. Sleeping will keep your body calm and rested and prevent you from feeling jet lag. So, carry certain things in your sleeping kit, such as an eye mask and noise-cancellation buds. Sleeping will help you be active as you reach your destination. 

5. Light Exposure: Light exposure highly influences the body’s internal clock, which results in jet lag. So, expose your body to light depending on your usual time zone.