6 Best Tips - Healthy Travel

#1 Before you go---check that any prescription medicine is in your carry-on bag not a checked suitcase. I had a group on a 4-day tour and one of the men had left his meds on the counter to take in the morning. In the hurry to leave, he forgot to put them in his carry-on bag. Fortunately, he was able to reach his healthcare provider and have prescriptions sent to a local drugstore. Bring copies of your prescriptions whenever you travel.

#2  Stick to a healthy diet when traveling. Have fruit and cereal for breakfast rather than high-calorie carbs. Those FREE hotel breakfasts can be costly to your health and energy. The high carb foods burn quickly and can put you in a slump.

#3  Walk whenever you can. If on a tour and sitting on a bus most of the day, you can curtail your good circulation. If a good walk is not possible, exercise in your hotel room before and after spending the day's outing

#4  Keep your brain healthy. Read about the area you are in; use your imagination to visualize places you read about but won't get to see.

#5  Take a multi-vitamin to ensure you have all your daily recommended amounts for ultimate health. Get some sunshine to up the miracle drug, Vitamin D.

#6  If you are traveling different time zone, prepare for the change. Having jet lag can ruin the first part of your trip.

Avoid Jet Lag - Know Before You Go. 

Jet Lag, Insomnia and Seasonal Affected Disorder....SAD.

When I was taking groups on cruises and tours, I frequently suffered from jet lag of the worst kind.

Don't let 'jet lag' spoil your trip.

 A report of international air travelers reported that 94% suffer from jet lag. Most of them with severe symptoms, as in poor concentration, irritability, stomach upsets, daytime sleepiness, and feeling tired which greatly hampers the get-up and go and enjoying your trip.

Don't let 'jet lag' spoil your trip.

One of the tricks I eventually learned was to start adjusting my going to bed time before traveling. I wish I had done it before my trip to Australia. I suffered jet lag the first two days there and a couple days when I got home.

Dr. Howard Roffwarg, director of the Division of Sleep Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has devoted his professional life to the study and protection of one of America’s most endangered and least appreciated natural resources: sleep.

Research has shown, light and adjusting body temperature rather than pills combats jet lag. 

According to several studies, researchers were able to reset sleep-wake cycles naturally using exposure to strong lighting, possibly in as little as 48 hours.

My further research compared full spectrum lighting that mimics sunlight but not as intense or bright is often used for people with Seasonal Affective Disorder, aka, SAD. 

A 1980 National insititute of Mental Health study revealed the absence of Natural Light can significantly disrupt biological functions. 

I remembered the OttLite being used by people with Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Can the same be true for jet lag sufferers?

Can  small doses of full spectrum lighting similar to the OttLite
help people with severe Insomnia?

Looking out the window, the overcast sky for the past  few days makes me wish I hade an OttLite.