JET LAG
Jet lag is also known as time zone change syndrome or desynchronosis. Jet lag can occur when people travel rapidly from east to west, or west to east on a jet plane. It is a physiological condition which upsets our body's circadian rhythms - hence, it is classified as a circadian rhythm disorder. Jet lag symptoms tend to be more severe when the person travels from westward compared to eastward.SYMPTOMS
- fatigue and insomnia
- anxiety
- constipation
- diarrhea
- confusion
- dehydration
- headache
- irritability
- nausea
- sweating
- coordination problems
- dizziness
- even memory loss
- heartbeat irregularities
- increased susceptibility to illness.
PREVENTION
Change your schedule
If your stay in the destination time zone will last more than a few days, begin adjusting your body to the new time zone before you leave. For example, if you are traveling from the U.S. to Europe for a one-month vacation, set your daily routine back an hour or more three to four weeks before departure. Then, set it back another hour the following week and the week after that. Easing into the new schedule gradually in familiar surroundings will save your body the shock of adjusting all at once.
If you are traveling east, try going to sleep earlier and getting up and out into the early morning sun. If traveling west, try to get at least an hour's worth of sunlight as soon as possible after reaching your destination.
Avoid alcohol
Do not drink alcoholic beverages the day before your flight, during your flight, or the day after your flight. These beverages can cause dehydration, disrupt sleeping schedules, and trigger nausea and general discomfort.
Avoid caffeine
Likewise, do not drink caffeinated beverages before, during, or just after the flight. Caffeine can also cause dehydration and disrupt sleeping schedules. What's more, caffeine can jangle your nerves and intensify any travel anxiety you may already be feeling.
Drink water
Drink plenty of water, especially during the flight, to counteract the effects of the dry atmosphere inside the plane. Take your own water aboard the airplane if allowed.
Move around on the planE
While seated during your flight, exercise your legs from time to time. Move them up and down and back and forth. Bend your knees. Stand up and sit down. Every hour or two, get up and walk around. Do not take sleeping pills, and do not nap for more than an hour at a time.
Break up your trip
On long flights traveling across eight, 10, or even 12 time zones, break up your trip, if feasible, with a stay in a city about halfway to your destination. For example, if you are traveling from New York to Bombay, India, schedule a stopover of a few days in Dublin or Paris. (At noon in New York, it is 5 p.m. in Dublin, 6 p.m. in Paris, and 10:30 p.m. in Bombay.)
Wear comfortable shoes and clothes
On a long trip, how you feel is more important than how you look. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Avoid items that pinch, restrict, or chafe. When selecting your trip outfit, keep in mind the climate in your destination time zone. Dress for your destination.
DIET
When it comes to air travel, there are some well-known diet maxims: avoid excess alcohol or caffeine, drink plenty of water, and eat light meals.
But Dr. Charles F. Ehret, a scientist at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, says that it's possible to use diet to help reset your body's clock to a new time zone. Called the "Argonne diet" or the "anti-jet lag diet", the diet was developed after research with experimental animals and humans.
Basically, the diet alternates feast and fast days and ends with a high-protein breakfast:
Begin three days prior to departure.
Day 1: Feast day
Eat predominantly high-protein foods (e.g. meat, fish, chicken, cheese, eggs, tofu) for breakfast and lunch. The theory is that these foods stimulate the body's production of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine (substances called catecholamines) which help the body maintain an alert, awake state.
Dinner should be carbohydrates (e.g. cereal grains, wheat, rice, oats, potatoes, fruit, peas, pasta, bread, dried fruit) with no high-protein foods. Carbohydrate-rich foods are believed to stimulate the body to produce melatonin.
Coffee, tea, and caffeinated sodas are only permitted between 3 and 5 pm during the first three days, a time of day when caffeine is not thought to affect circadian rhythms.
Day 2: Fast day
Only light meals such as salads and thin soups are recommended. These so-called "fast" days are thought to deplete the liver's store of glycogen (a muscle fuel) to prepare the body to reset its clock.
Day 3: Feast day
Follow the same guidelines as day 1.
Day 4 (departure day): Fast day
Follow the modified fast and get as much sleep as you can until it is breakfast time at your destination. If traveling westward, caffeine is permitted in the morning of the departure, and if traveling eastward, caffeine is permitted between 6 and 11 pm.
When your watch indicates that it is breakfast time at your destination, have a protein-heavy breakfast without coffee, turn on the overhead reading light and then stay as active as you can afterwards. If you are traveling from New York to Paris and departed at 7:00 pm, this means having breakfast at 2:00 am New York time (8:00 am Paris time). The flight attendant may agree to save your dinner until that time or you can pack food such as protein bars with you.
Eat the rest of the meals according to normal mealtimes at your destination.
