Exercise immediately before your trip. Some people believe that exercising before and during your flight will help to reduce the effects of jet lag. Exercise helps keep your blood flow moving, and helps get rid of any pre-travel stress you may be feeling. Even when you get to the airport, skip the moving walkways and escalators and walk. That way you will be a little tired and ready to sleep when you get on the plane.
Adjust your sleeping schedule gradually before your trip. if your are traveling west to east, try getting up one hour earlier for a few days before the trip, and going to bed an hour earlier. If you are traveling from west to east, try to get up an hour later and go to bed an hour later. You can increase how long you stay up and when you go to bed each day so that when you arrive at your destination, your body doesn't have to make to much of an adjustment.
Stay hydrated on the plane by drinking plenty of water. The recycled, pressurized air in an airplane cabin can make you dehydrated and cause headaches. Don't drink any alcoholic or caffeinated beverages.
Walk around the plane periodically. It is important to get out of your seat every once in a while to stretch your legs. Wiggle your toes, flex your feet, and make sure blood is circulating and not pooling to your feet, which can cause deep vein thrombosis. It can be dangerous,especially for those whose blood levels fluctuate easily. Do squats in the aisle. You can even do small exercises in your seat like forward crunches and shoulder rotations.
Stay up if it's daylight when you land. When you get to your hotel, immediately go out and take a walk around, have lunch somewhere--whatever you can do to keep yourself up. If you arrive in the morning and just can't make it, allow yourself a nap in the afternoon but then get up and go about the rest of the day. You will feel better, but still sleepy enough to go to bed according to your new time zone.
