Coping with jet lag

Jet lag is a down side to travelling by plane and can be quite a disruption to your normal life and health. Long distances in particular can affect travellers both mentally and physically. Here is our guide to ways of recognising, coping with and preparing for jet lag when you travel.

What is jet lag?

The concept of jet lag means to interrupt the body’s biological rhythm which occurs during air travel across different time zones. The overwhelming effects are a result of psychological and physiological changes that result from these rapid movements across time zones. Jet lag and other disruption - such as shift work - reduce mental performance and can increase the risk of medical problems, including peptic ulcers, digestive problems, and sleep disorders. These serious problems take many years of constant time shifting to develop. For more information on jet lag and other health risks of flying visit flighthealth.org and travelhealth.co.uk.

What does it do?

Long range air travel disrupts the circadian rhythms of behaviour and physiology, basically upsetting our “internal clock”. The mechanisms that underlie the internal clock have evolved over millions of years, but only in the last century have we had to deal with high speed travel that upsets the body’s rhythm.

The circadian rhythm influences many body functions like body temperature, blood pressure, urine and hormone production and distribution. The internal clock is flexible adjusting to changing seasons and so on, but it can not cope with rapid movements in time brought about by jet travel.

Symptoms

Symptoms usually occur with a time difference of more than 5 hours, and every passenger will experience their symptoms at very different levels. The normalisation of circadian rhythm for flights going eastwards is generally more difficult than for flights going west. The most common symptoms of jet lag are;

• Sleep disorders
• Fatigue
• Mental confusion
• Struggling to eat
• Gastro-intestinal complaints
• Irritability

These problems usually totally disappear after a few days, although sleep, body temperature and hormone status often take up to 14 days to completely adjust.

Prevention and treatment

• A sufficient fluid intake during the flight to prevent dehydration can be very helpful in producing a feeling of well-being after the flight, regardless of jet lag syndrome.
• Alcohol is believed to have the exact opposite effect increasing the jet lag “hangover’ feeling.
• Avoid 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.
• The timing of food intake and the composition of the food can have an influence. If you are staying in your new time zone for any length of time more than a few days then every attempt should be made to fall into line with your new time zone as quickly as possible.
• Shift sleep patterns as rapidly as you can; staying up several hours later than your usual sleep time to fall into line with local time is far preferable to going to sleep at three in the afternoon and then waking up at midnight local time. If you need to take a short nap - use an alarm clock!
• Get a good deal of sleep before your journey, and try to rest as much as possible during your flight. For health information for the whole family visit familydoctor.org.
• Eat at your new local time to avoid being hungry in the middle of the night when food may not be available.
• Change your watches to destination time when you get onto the plane. This helps many people, but for those who are on regular medication, such as diabetics, watches should remain on home time until you are able to adjust your medication to local times on arrival at your destination or as suggested by your health advisor.
• By keeping in good physical condition. Your physical stamina and conditioning will enable you to cope better after you land. If you are not physically fit, or have a poor diet, begin shaping up and eating right several weeks before your trip. For more information visit nhsdirect.nhs.uk.
• Exposure to light is also a good way of naturally allowing your body to adjust.
• Try using the jet lag calculator by British Airways, developed in conjunction with the UK’s leading sleep expert. By answering a few simple questions about your impending flights, it can advise you on the best things to do to minimise your jet lag.