Jet lag.

That nasty, annoying condition when your body just doesn’t know what time of day it is. The problem is not jet lag itself, but having to be productive or try to sleep when your body is telling you the exact opposite. You could fall asleep standing up at 11am and get stuck right into work when you should be going to bed at 11pm. 

This week having travelled back from Europe, we were well and truly in the arms of our dear friend Jet Lag. With no time to adjust to the Aussie time zone as work commitments started immediately, we turned to binaural beats for relief. 

How do binaural beats work in relieving jet lag?

Binaural beats entrain our brain into a specific state on demand e.g. sleeping, resting, consciously relaxed, focused or active. Our brain in turn then sends our body the message to gradually align our heartbeat accordingly. 

Through this process called 'brain entrainment', we increase the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain and can experience an improvement in overall mental health, memory, cognitive performance and physical functioning.

Binaural beats can also help reduce the mental fatigue and brain fog associated with jet lag. 

During the day

First thing in the morning and during the day when you start to feel the overwhelming drowsiness set it, the following high alpha and beta wave tracks will help entrain your brain to a higher and more alert state. 

• Zenergy - Beta (20Hz)
• Big Foot - Beta (20Hz)
• Under the African Sky - High Alpha (14.1Hz + 11Hz)
• Dragonfly - Alpha (13Hz)

At night

If you find you're having trouble getting to sleep or waking up throughout the night, try listening to the following low alpha, theta and delta tracks to help seduce you back to sleep:

• Sea Whisper  - Alpha (7.8Hz + 10Hz)
• Green Flatlands - Theta (7.2Hz)
• Voices from the past - Delta (3.5Hz)

Binaural beats music was just one element of our jet lag ritual but it certainly helped us get through. It’s so important to listen to your body carefully when you're adjusting to a different time zone as there's much more happening physiologically than just your sleep patterns being out of whack. And remember to drink LOTS of water!

Do you have an effective jet lag ritual? If so, please share your tips below – we’d love to hear them.