Guest post by Ros Milani Gallieni, Founder of Jet Candy
Living in an age of contagion and the mental hurdles following the imposition of enforced lockdown, our lives are more digitally interconnected than ever before. We can work with colleagues across multiple time zones, permanently glued to our screens on phones and smart devices, as we try to keep on top of our never-diminishing workloads, compounded by the growth of the “always on” work culture that many of us have to subscribe to as a consequence of changing (and increasingly international) work patterns.
So perhaps it’s of little surprise that there has, in recent times, been an upwards incline in receptivity towards wellness trends, especially now that we are all the more aware of the positive effects of self-care. In short, we know we need to put our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing first before stepping into a travel schedule — and in many cases, that could be as simple as ensuring that we’re getting enough sleep.
According to data released by the Global Wellness Summit, one of the biggest trends identified for this year was a shifting focus from simply analysing sleep behaviours and offering generalised sleep solutions, to a keener and sharper understanding of true circadian health. It is perhaps worth bearing in mind that the global sleep market is worth an estimated $432 billion, and is predicted by Frost & Sullivan’s 2019 assessment to rise by 35% to $585 billion by 2024.
Many of the problems associated with jet-lag, even todays’ desk-lag and generally poor sleep can be traced back to the disruption of the circadian rhythms — the internal body clock that humans have evolved to become hypersensitive to, in so far as it is primarily responsible for conditioning everything from our sleep cycles to our metabolic systems, even to regulating our core body temperature. However, our 21st century lifestyles are increasingly infringing on this more and more. We are more commonly found glued to the bright lights of our devices before bed — not good — instead of winding down in a darkened room — important.
Whilst for many of us, it is simply impractical to overhaul our lives and really respond to what our circadian rhythms are telling us, there are several “coping” mechanisms that we can set in place, especially when we are looking at getting back on long-haul flights in 2021. Here are my top tips:
- Jet Candy — is a 100% natural remedy, developed with specially chosen ingredients — such as arnica, cocculus and gelsemium — which, as well as allowing the internal body clock to function during long-haul travel, are also associated with alleviating the stress, anxiety and disruption of air travel, or indeed the anxiety of these times (and the frustrations of just armchair travel). It is a remedy to be taken before travel to ensure good sound sleep before departure — this is always a key point in our routines. Its unique combination of remedies, however, can also aid with other complaints — including fatigue, insomnia, exhaustion, DVT and anxiety. I am often reaching for Jet Candy from my armchair, when I am stressed with work and circumstances. You just need a couple of Jet Candy pillules to feel quite refreshed and perky!
- Get a good nights’ sleep before your travel — this is also the time to take you Jet Candy to again relieve the anxiety of travel prep — even if we (used to) travel regularly the night before departure is always a stirring night wondering if the alarm clock will work…
- Meditate — I recommend a membership based website The Self Care Space. Developed by this expert holistic therapist and yoga teacher Phoebe has curated library of guided meditations, sound baths, yoga flows and calming rituals which allow you to really slow down and become grounded, giving yourself some much needed “me time.” Whilst some of the videos in the library are over an hour, there are also some great ones as short as five minutes, making this the ideal way to fit some form of self-care into your day, at a time that suits you.
- Sound Therapy — Sonic Tonic App offers a collection of immersive soundscapes developed both for mental relaxation and for alleviating anxiety and negative thought through receptive sound therapy. The “ingredients” (i.e. the Tonics or sounds used in each theme) have been carefully combined to create really effective remedies that address a wide range of ailments. Every Tonic contains its own balanced mix of two or more auditory techniques that have been individually combined to have a specific effect — from building confidence, to reducing stress, to inducing deep sleep.
So, whilst we may not always be able to immediately tune out the daily distractions that vie for our attention, we can at least learn to take some time just for ourselves — and maybe even relax in the process and prepare for what lies ahead — the bustle of airports, airplane seating and long flights.
