Not So Lovely Jet Lag

So... I totally meant to write a Lovely Dress of the Day post today. Totally. I really did. But here's the thing: I'm really, really spaced. I flew in at 9PM New York time, went to bed around 4AM and still woke up at 8AM. I was fine yesterday until 9PM, which felt like 3AM for me, when at Chinese I entirely spaced out, became a zombie and went home to bed right away. I slept for eleven hours. And I'm still spaced. The jet lag was dooming my first three days in Paris. And now I'm back and too zonked to even look at dresses. Strangely, things like unpacking (oh, the horror!), dishes and laundry are just fine. I've scoured the internet and have tried to find the best tips for avoiding jet lag, for you all, my lovely readers, and for myself--a trip to Scotland is currently being planned for late February.

• Stay hydrated, this is a "duh"--not to offend your intelligence, dears, I'm sure you already knew this, but it's good to be reminded sometimes. Drink lots and lots of water, avoid salt (for a few days prior to your departure), avoid alcohol and then drink some more water. Don't drink alcohol on the plane, drink water. This not only keeps you hydrated and feeling good, but it lessens the chance waking up in the middle of a precious first Parisian, Venetian or Kenyan night of sleep to get up for a glass of water.
• If you fly in early and are tired take a short nap, but make sure to be up by noon. Eat lunch, take a walk, see the light of day. If possible avoid anything too strenuous your first day in. Give yourself the time to acclimate, keep yourself calm and accept that you may be tired. If you can make it to a normal sleeping hour, or if you get in a bit later, try and make it through the day, followed by a fairly early bed time.
• Eat meals at the time appropriate for wherever you are. This helps reset your internal clock, and also prevents the dreaded waking up in the middle of the night (a favorite of mine while I was in Paris, I'd sleep three hours, wake up and get back to bed four or so hours later).

I think these little bits should assist your jet lag, however, I can't find anyway to diminish the jet-lag-post-vacation need for a vacation. My advice is to get tha body moving, even if the brain can't quite keep up. So far today I've made it out of the house, done laundry, dishes and unpacked (no, but seriously, I hate unpacking). My brain still feels like jell-o, but at least I got out of my pajamas, yes I put them back on. But I was in real clothes for a while. So there.

What jet lag looks like in Paris.

What jet lag looks like in New York. Rough.