Sunday, December 3, 2006

How to Get Jet Lag-Free Travel


People who travel a lot experience jet lag. Athletes, who travel to different countries for their tournaments, attribute their poor performance on jet lag. Business people, who go to various places for business meetings and other matters, hold jet lag as responsible for their bad days. This goes to show that jet lag affects not only the physical condition of the body but the entire individual.

Jet lag, basically, refers to the condition of the body being disoriented. More often than not, jet lag is a result of crossing time zones which affects the internal body clock of an individual. Some of the common symptoms of jet lag are inability to sleep at night, loss of drive, malaise, tiredness, inability to concentrate, and headaches.

Generally, the severity of jet lag is dependent on the direction of the travel. Most experts say that the occurrences of jet lag is lesser when people travel westward than eastward. This is because the body rhythm is extended up to 27 hours when a person flies westward. In turn, the body is able to catch up with whatever changes in the environment

Moreover, the so-called “circadian rhythm” is greater than 24 hours when a person travels westward. This is because the time of the day is lengthened, thus, giving more time for the body to adjust.

In reality, there are no quick fixes to “cure” the signs of jetlag. However, there are ways to deal with it so as to start healthier in the new environment.

Here’s how:

1. Staying outside during the day is recommended to cope up with jet lag. This is because the person’s body clock will be able to adjust at a faster rate if it will become accustomed to the new surroundings. Usually, natural light aids in coping up with jet lag.

2. It would be better for a person to adjust their bedtime schedules so as to prevent the severity of jet lag. In this way, their body clock will be able to cope up with the changes in the time setting.

3. It is best if people will start eating, sleeping, and doing their usual activities patterned to the local time setting of the new place and not from the usual time they do it back home.

4. For people who travel because of some important event like the athletes or the entrepreneurs, it is best if they travel way ahead of time to their event schedules. This is to give them more time to adjust and get accustomed of the area.

So, jet lag is not so much of a problem. It is just a matter of adjustment and coping up. After which, you can enjoy the new scenery.

1 comments:

silentsurfur said...

Hello Chris you got a very informative sleep blog. Thank you for sharing your helpful information about sleep disorders.