Coping with Jet Lag

 

So what is jet lag?
It is a set of symptoms, which can make travelling a drag. It occurs when you travel across several time zones in an aeroplane, and it can result in symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and an inability to concentrate, which can last up to a week. But, never fear, there are ways to combat jet lag. According to 'Travel Fatigue and Jet-lag'  in The Journal of Sports Science a combination of exercise, timing of meals and diet, bright light, and melatonin can be used to
make international travel more bearable.

 

Exercise can alter your body clock, but timing is crucial - it can either ease jet lag or make it worse. If you fly to a country which is a few hours behind New Zealand, exercise before 4-6am NZ time to allow the body to adjust more quickly to the new time zone.

 

Being exposed to bright light at certain times can alter the body clock and therefore lessen feelings of jet lag. Again, if you fly to a place, which is a few hours behind NZ, expose yourself to bright light before 4-6am NZ time to help your body adjust more quickly to the new time zone.

 

Timing your meals to match the local time may ease jet lag. For example if you fly from New Zealand to the UK, eat breakfast at 7am UK time rather than 7am NZ time, the effects of jet lag should be reduced. Eat protein rich meals (such as tuna, baked beans, or eggs on toast, or a yoghurt and milk based smoothie) in the morning to promote alertness, and carbohydrate rich meals for example pasta, rice, or bread based meals) in the evening to help induce sleep.

 

Melatonin is a hormone, which induces sleep and reduces subjective feelings of jet lag, and it comes in pill form. Take it just before you need to sleep to help your body adjust to the new time zone. In New Zealand, melatonin is a prescription drug, so you need to see your doctor if you are interested in trying this option.

 

When flying across several time zones it may be tempting to try things like napping, sleeping pills, and pre-adjusting your sleep patterns in order to combat jet lag.  However, these methods can make jet lag worse or have no effect at all. Napping actually makes jet lag worse, and there is no convincing evidence that sleeping pills help the body adjust to a new time zone. Additionally, adjusting your sleep patterns before travel to match the new time zone is very ineffective because factors which influence your sleeping patterns (such as light and your work schedule) are almost nearly impossible to manipulate.