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 :: :: Jet Lag |
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JET LAG
All living things possess internal timing devices as part of their basic genetic equipment. Leaves gear up to take full advantage of sunlight just before dawn, and then in autumn they die. Animals also respond to the going and coming of light and the turning of the seasons. Even microbes have internal clocks. So it is no wonder that human beings react to such temporal dislocations as a long plane trip across several time zones by becoming disoriented, out of sorts, and very tired. Jet lag, as it is called ("le décalage horaire," roughly "out-of-phase schedule" in French), also afflicts shift workers, flight crews, physicians in training, and others who go for long periods without sleep or sleeping at odd hours.
In the last few years scientists have learned a lot about the ticking of our internals clocks, also called circadian entrainment. One player in the system is a hormone called melatonin, which our bodies release at night. Another is the body's reaction to light. Another is the timing of meals. These elements help us regulate and coordinate our activities. Some of this may prove of practical value to the traveler.
Points to keep in mind:
- A long westward flight should disorient you less than an eastward flight. This is because the flight west lengthens your day (for example, you leave New York at 3 p.m. and arrive in San Francisco at 6 p.m. , after flying six hours, so you gain three hours). Most people find it easier to lengthen the day than shorten it.
- When anticipating a trip, try not to do anything that will cause sleep problems. If possible, start the trip rested. While flying, go easy on caffeine and alcohol, or avoid them entirely. Drink plenty of water and juices to avoid dehydration. Avoid heavy meals before or during flying.
- Sleep on a night flight if you can. Ideally, if you're on the aptly named "red-eye", you should go to sleep soon after you board. But the average flight is noisy and cramped, especially in coach, and most people can't simply conk out as soon as they sit down. Take a sleep mask, neck pillow, and earplugs, just in case. You may get to snooze a while.
- Exposing yourself to light after arrival may help. On the other hand, not exposing yourself to light may also help, if you intend to go to bed soon. Some studies have found that exposure to light can help reset a lagging internal clock.
- In the new time zone, try to adjust as soon as you can. Reset your watch while you are still in the air. If you arrive at breakfast time, eat breakfast. Coffee, tea, or another caffeinated drink may help. Don't nap that first day, even if you are tired. If you nap, keep it less than half an hour. That first night, try to stay up until a reasonable bedtime. Get in sync as quickly as you can.
- Come a day early if you are traveling on business and need to be at your best (and if your expense account permits).
- There are a number of so-called jet lag diets, but it's unlikely that any diet can do much to forestall jet lag. Typically, you start three days before traveling, feasting on heavy, high-protein meals (steak, eggs, burgers), followed by a near-fast (salads, soups, fruits). This has been tried in transporting troops to different time zones, with limited success.
- Try to go to bed and get up an hour earlier each day for three days before a long eastward flight; for a westward trip, go to bed and get up and hour later for three days. This isn't as easy as it sounds - and you may give yourself jet lag before you even leave.
- When flying eastward across more than several time zones, it is better to arrive in the late evening, so you can go to bed shortly afterwards and presumably wake up at a reasonable hour the next day. Airline schedules don't always allow for this, however. Most eastbound transatlantic flights from New York, for instance, depart in the early evening, depositing passengers in the morning sun, when their internal clocks tell them it's midnight or the wee hours of the morning - not anybody's best time.
- If you think you might need a prescription sleeping pill for a trip, talk to your doctor or nurse-practitioner.
- Avoid melatonin. According to a few small studies, this dietary supplement may help promote sleep and thus alleviate jet lag is taken close to bedtime at your destination. But melatonin does not come in standardized doses. No one is sure what dosages would be effective, or that long-term use would be safe. And if you take it at the wrong time, it can make matters worse.
Source: University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, Volume 19, Issue 10, July 2003
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