By 
If you have ever flown through multiple time zones, you will be familiar with the biorhythmic confusion known as: jet lag. Turns out – body clocks don’t reset as easily as a Casio. Expect to wake up in the middle of the night with no one to talk to, fall asleep into your morning bowl of cereal and feel moody even if you’re at Disneyland. Or, if you’re Morrissey, it’s probably not the jet lag, it’s probably just you.
What is jet lag?
Jet lag is also known as desynchronosis, but that’s a mouthful, so let’s just stick with jet lag. In simple definition it mainly occurs over when people does travel rapidly from east to west or west to east (which often has more severe symptoms) on a jet plane. It is a physiological condition which upsets our body’s circadian rhythms (regulation of our daily activities) – hence, it is classified as a circadian rhythm disorder.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of jet lag are disorientation, irritability, fatigue, swollen limbs and eyes, headaches, cold-like symptoms and some nasty irregular bowel symptoms, just to top it off.
How to prevent jet lag?
Truth is, you can’t avoid jet lag, but with these tips you can at least minimize the symptoms:
Leave Home Well-Rested
This means no staying up all night partying because there’s ‘no point going to sleep’. There is a point – you’ll ruin the holiday plan that you’ve been looking forward to all year and probably end up with an early-trip cold. If you get an early night, you’ll fly away well-rested and better equipped to deal with the bombardment of your senses that will follow.
Sleep on the Flight
With even just a few hours of sleep during the flight, you’ll be functional the day you land. Stay hydrated throughout by drinking plenty of non-alcoholic, decaffeinated fluids and bring a neck pillow, blindfold or ear plugs – these are your best friends on red-eye flights.
Stay Awake Until an Early Local Bedtime
An obvious one, but one of the most important. Although you’ll probably still wake up very early on your first morning, try to force your body into sleeping at normal local time.
Consider the ‘Cures’
Melatonin is a chemical in the body that helps regulate sleep cycles. It can be taken in pill form, and many travellers swear by it for fighting jet lag. However, despite its popularity, studies have indicated that incorrect melatonin usage can make you feel even more fatigued. Some travellers use sleeping pills, antihistamines and motion sickness pills to induce sleep on planes, but again, while these may work for some, others are left feeling groggy.
Diet Tips
The ‘jet lag diet’, an alternation of feasting and fasting for the three days leading up to a long-haul flight, was once very popular also. However since it was tried and tested by the US military, and proved to be a load of rubbish, its popularity has ceased somewhat. Nonetheless, if you’d like to try it out for yourself, check out the diet regimen.
Comments