With the advent of budget airlines, more people are suffering from what used to be a rather elite physical complaint: Circadian Desynchronisation.
That's jet lag to the likes of you and me, but it sounds more dramatic if you say you have just flown in from Beijing (and boy are your arms tired) and you have got a really bad case of Circadian Desynchronisation . This means your body clock that tells you when to get up and when to go to sleep is all messed up because you have entered another time zone, not in a Dr. Who style fashion, but in a long haul flight where you have crossed a few international time zones.
What Are The Symptoms Of Jet Lag?
Fatigue is the biggie, with a general sense of wading through treacle and just wanting to go to bed. Having said that, once you are in bed, you are wide awake, because in your body's time, it's not bedtime yet, or it's long past, or it's broad daylight. There might also be headaches, general malaise, loss or increase in appetite and an inability to concentrate. Interestingly, these symptoms also occur in people who do shift work and swap over from day shifts to night shifts. The Circadian rhythm, which works to a 24 hour internal clock and is regulated by the release of hormones and synchronised to daylight, is disrupted and your body lets you know about it.
What Makes It Worse?
Generally speaking, the older you get, the more you suffer. Frequent flyers may seem more used to it, but they still get it. The main thing is that the more time zones you cross, the longer the flight, the greater the Jet Lag. There is also sometimes a delayed reaction, so that symptoms are worse two or three days into the trip. Another factor affecting Jet Lag is the direction of travel. Going west is easier than going east, because when you go west your cycle is lengthened and if you time your flight so you arrive at their night times, it's easier still. The reason going west is easier is that your rhythm adapts more easily when the day is artificially lengthened.
What makes it better?
You will have heard this before, but it really works if you have the self discipline to do it. Start thinking and acting in the time zone of your destination. That isn't just putting your watch backwards or forwards, but trying to adjust to the sleeping and waking and eating patterns before you get there. That's not always possible, but there are a few things you can do to alleviate the severity of the symptoms.
Before And During The Flight
(1) Avoid alcohol. Yes, it's a toughie, particularly if you are a nervous flier, but the dehydration alcohol causes anyway is exacerbated by the dry air of the flight. It will make the symptoms of jet lag worse.
(2) Similarly, avoid caffeine for a few days, if possible before the flight and during. It also causes dehydration and can increase any anxiety you might be feeling. That said, if you are a caffeine addict, you MUST cut down gradually. To go from six coffees a day to none will bring on the mother of all headaches. (3) Drink loads of water. Yes, this means more trips to the loo, but it will help counter the drying atmosphere of the plane. Dehydration causes an almost hangover sort of effect.
(4) Move about during the flight. Yes, this drives the flight attendants crazy, but it's important to stretch your legs. You can do this to some extent in your seat (depending on your size and the proximity of the seats) Moving about, even in a small way, refreshes the body. Some airlines now have videos of exercises you can do in your seat.
(5) Don't knock yourself out with a sleeping pill. It's very tempting to sleep through the flight, particularly if you find flying an ordeal, but it will mess up your sleep patterns on top of the jet lag effect.
After The Flight
(1) Take a brisk walk once you have settled in, particularly if you arrive in the day. The exercise will rev you up and stimulate your appetite, even if it's not eating time in your old country, eat lunch according to the local schedule. Get as much sunlight (with sunscreen) as possible. This stimulates your body to reduce the production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy.
(2) If you arrive at your destination late at night, do try to get to sleep, even if you don't feel sleepy or just rest as much as you can. Have a warm bath, play soft music and if it helps, have a nightcap. Just the one mind.
For more information please visit the NHS website
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