Jetlag is an absolute pain. It’s bad enough cramming yourself into a tiny airplane seat for several hours, without knowing that you’re probably going to arrive at your destination looking and feeling like a zombie.

Here are some simple tricks you can use to try and lessen the impact of jetlag:

1. Try to slot into your ‘normal’ routine for your destination time zone the moment you set foot on the plane.

This means planning in advance. As soon as you board the plane adjust your watch to local time at your destination. If it’s going to be night-time when you arrive, try and force yourself to stay awake on the flight so you can sleep when you get there.

If it’s daytime, resist the temptation to leap into bed. Instead take a walk around in the sunshine. The natural light will help coax your body into adjusting its natural body clock.

2. Drink lots of water and avoid alcohol – especially on the flight itself. The effects of alcohol increase at altitude and will leave you dehydrated and disrupt your sleep patterns. Also try to avoid coffee, tea or coke as these will dehydrate you as well.

3. If you can, skip the inflight meals. Your internal body clock is highly influenced by your eating patterns. Some studies have shown that if you can avoid eating during the flight it could vastly reduce the impact of jet lag.

(Obviously only ever attempt this if you are a healthy weight and have eaten properly prior to the flight).