7 a.m. flight? This is what I do ✈️

Last week, I took a belated 50th birthday celebration trip to Florida with my best friend, Jill.  

I want to walk you through exactly what I do to protect my circadian rhythm, hormones + immune system when I have to take a 7 a.m. flight.

(I used to get WRECKED by early flights like this… but not this time!) 💥

My flight was at 7:00 a.m. 😳 so I had to leave the house at 4:45 a.m. 😩

I knew I wouldn't see sunrise (or any real sunlight until I landed in Florida)… so I woke my body up using secondary circadian signals. 

Here's what I did:

😊 Drank two glasses of mineralized water as soon as I woke up.

😊 Kept my blue blockers OFF on the drive to the airport (to get some blue light in my eyes to wake me up).

😊 Put on my VivaRays yellow blue blockers once I got to my gate (these block the most harmful blue wavelengths, but not ALL blue light, which would make me tired).

😊 Ate my breakfast at the gate (eggs, bacon, mushrooms + kale) to signal “morning” to my digestion, calm my nervous system + hormones, and stabilize blood sugar.

😊 Fasted while on the plane (but kept hydrating)

Once I landed in Florida, I:

☀️ Snagged a quick sunlight break outside before picking up the rental car.

This tells my brain what time it is after being inside all morning.

☀️ Stopped at Whole Foods and drank an immune shot in the sun before heading back to the airport to get Jill.

Midday sunlight on the skin generates melanin which supercharges my energy.  It also produces Vitamin D (which I haven't been able to make from the sun since October!)

☀️ Grounded by holding plant leaves in the parking lot.

Grounding reduces inflammation, decreases stress, calms travel anxiety, and  boosts energy!

This is what I did the first night to get my circadian rhythm back on track:

😴 Watched sunset, barefoot in the grass 

😴 Put on my orange VivaRays 3-in-1 blue blockers at sunset.

😴 Put on my lighter red blue blockers about ½ hour before bedtime (I can fit readers over these easily). 

These help my body wind down + start making melatonin like nobody's business!

AirBnBs and hotels have terrible LED lighting, which wreaks havoc on your hormones and sleep. So… I travel with my own lighting :) 

💡 A portable red light to use in my bedroom at night

💡 A red nightlight for the bathroom (no need to turn on lights when I get up to pee)

💡 A blue light-free reading light

💡 Amber light bulb for the living room (yes, I travel with light bulbs!)

💡 An eye mask - super helpful because the bedrooms were so bright!

(( Jill said she wished we had some of these colored films to tape over the light bulb in the fridge which was OFFENSIVELY bright! ))

This might sound extra, but I sleep and feel SO much better without blue light at night. 

I could technically get by with just a pair or orange lensed blue blockers, but these little lights make travel so much more comfortable.

✈️ 2 random travel tips:

1️⃣ You do NOT have to let TSA take your picture. 

Simply step to the side without the camera and tell them, “I'm opting out of the picture.”  That's it.  It's NOT required. 💥

2️⃣ A Real ID is NOT required to fly.

You can use a regular driver's license and a passport.  Even if you don't have a passport (or if your passport is expired), they will still let you through security. You just may need a bit more time.

In next week's blog post, I'll share how I protect myself from EMFs and keep from getting sick while traveling.

In the meantime, everything I shared today is part of the bigger circadian framework I teach inside the Circadian Rhythm Reset.  If you do well with step-by-step guidance, that's where I lay it all out.

xoxo,

Christi

P.S. Got a travel tip or hack? I'd love to hear!