Helen Johnson, Naturopath and homeopathic practitioner, offers some advice on adjusting to local time zones. illustration by Charlotte Cleveland

So you're off somewhere wonderful and warm for Christmas, but what about coping with the jetlag, climate change and the infections from the aeroplane? Jetlag includes broken sleep, fatigue, disorientation, lack of concentration as well as dehydration. What a waste having the first week of your holiday disturbed by lack of sleep, fatigue and mental fog. Or coming home wonderfully refreshed to have a week or so of the kids bouncing off the ceiling at 3 am or waking up at the crack of dawn sniffling and snuffling.

Aeroplanes are a most likely place to catch something, and then you step out in to the harsh cold British winter. If you had survived the germs on the aeroplane it’s likely that the sharp intake of cold air will terrify the lungs into developing some kind of bronchial condition for you to take home. So what can be done to overcome the hazards of seeking winter sun?

Here are some top tips to help your body adapt

We need melatonin to sleep: this is a neuro-hormone that controls our sleep pattern. The body produces this only at night or in the dark. Melatonin levels rapidly fall when we are exposed to light even if it's artificial light. So it is important for some time during our journey to be in the dark. Even if you can't sleep, you must have periods of shuteye. To produce adequate quantities of melatonin and serotonin we need plenty of tryptophan in our diet. This is available in milk, yoghurt, turkey, tuna, chicken, Soya, cottage cheese, pumpkin seeds, and king prawns. Ensure you have plenty of these in your diet for a few days either side of your flight. You can also take melatonin as a supplement which is also safe for children. The dosage should be 3mg for adults, 1mg for children. It is available in drops for the kids.

When flying west through five or more time zones: take a dose of melatonin at local bedtime and continue for four days. If you find yourself waking up before 4 am, takeanother tablet. Melatonin can lower your alertness so don’ttake if you are doing the driving to the airport.

When flying east: on the day of departure between 6 and 7 pm hometime, or on the flight if necessary, take a dose of melatonin. On the day of arrival take a dose at the new local bedtime and continue for four days.

Try to book flights that land late afternoon or early evening. It's much easier to adjust a local time, if you can go to bed at reasonable local time.

Research has shown that there are most definitely favourable times to depart and to return depending on where we are travelling to and from. There are also carefully researched times on how long to sleep or at least close your eyes, as well as guidelines on which meals to have. There are two websites that give you more detail on this: www.uk-air.net/jetlag and www.bodyclock.com

Avoiding caffeine, drinking plenty of water, limiting excessive alcohol consumption, and not over eating all help the jet lag.

Keep moving around during the flight.

For example travelling to Sydney, which is 11 hours ahead and is a 20 hour flight, the ideal time to leave is 11 am, which will allow you to arrive at 6 pm the following day. Have a big breakfast, put your eye mask on and attempt to doze or sleep for at least eight hours of the flight. Drink at least three litres of water. Don't stay awake too long on arrival. UK day is Australian night. So the fasteryou adapt the better.

Homeopathic remedies for jetlag

There are some wonderful homoeopathic remedies that help us cope significantly with jetlag:

Arnica 30 C For the trauma element of travel. Helps the system to overcome the shock of time change and therefore assist sleep.

Cocculus 30 C has two main benefits as it significantly helps the body cope with the time change and secondly it helps with travel sickness.

In my opinion, these two remedies help the best with jetlag. They should be taken every four to six hours starting the day before travel and continue for three days after travel. Repeat the process on the return journey. This dosage applies to both children and adults.

Emerald 30 C is the most fantastic remedy with many positive effects. It helps your body to adjust to any change. However, it supports the immune system and will help prevent infection either contracted on the aeroplane or in your new environment. My suggestion would be to take this morning and evening through your entire holiday and for two or three days on your return.

Dulcamara 30C helps the body adjust to temperature change. For anyone who suffers from any bronchial condition including asthma or catarrh it is invaluable. Once again, it is best taken in both directions. Take morning and evening for two or three days on arrival at your destination, and on return home.

Argentum Nitricum 200C is a wonderful remedy for anybody who suffers from anxiety related to flying. Start taking a few days before you fly, one tablet morning and evening. Repeat with the return journey.

You are also able to buy homoeopathic traveller kits from Helios or other homoeopathic pharmacies. They cost about £40, but have a remedy for just about anything you can think of to survive abroad. They include remedies for constipation, earache, food poisoning, altitude sickness, bites and stings, sprains and strains, injuries, urinary tract infections, colds and chills etc. A nice little book is included in the kit. For ordering any remedies or kits: Helios 01892 537254, Ainsworth 01883 340332

For children

Just to help the children relax and sleep on the aeroplane there are various sprays of essences. My favourites are:

Light Heart Essence – Sleep well
Indigo Essences – Sleep easy

Both are available from www.healthlines.co.uk