Whether you are flying for business or pleasure, jet lag can seriously impair your performance and holiday fun for days. Jet lag occurs when the body s rhythms are out of sync with your destination time - the body operates on a 24-hour cycle, and travelling to a different time zone alters the body s natural rhythm causing jet lag. The more time zones you cross the worse it can be and travelling east generally has a greater affect on jet lag than travelling west. It is easier on the body s biorhythms to add a few extra hours to the day, as in travelling west, than reducing the number of hours in a day when travelling east. The speed with which your body can realign itself to your new time zone, adjusting its body rhythm to daylight, darkness, eating and sleeping in the new time zone, affects the length of time you experience jet lag for. Jet lag can cause any or all of the following symptoms: Fatigue and lethargy Insomnia Disorientation Swollen hands and feet Headaches Digestive problems Irritability or anxiety Lack of concentration Loss of appetite and nausea Dehydration. It is often thought that it takes a day to recover for each time zone travelled through - this is great news for travellers on a week s holiday or a business traveller on a three day conference halfway across the world! So what can you do to minimise the affects of jet lag? The following tips are designed to help you avoid the worst of jet lag and realign your body clock as soon as possible. 1.Drink plenty of water, avoiding alcohol and caffeine. Water is best but, if you find drinking large amounts of water difficult or just plain boring, fruit juice and herbal teas will do. 2.If you are due to land in the morning at your destination, try to sleep during the flight. Sleeping on board a plane in cramped conditions isn t easy but take off your shoes and try to get comfortable. Take an eye mask and ear plugs with you to help block out cabin distractions and a blow up neck rest should add to your comfort. Even if you are unable to sleep throughout the flight, just try to rest, close your eyes and try to switch off. 3.If you are due to land at night, try to stay awake throughout the flight. Read a book, listen to some music but try to resist sleeping as this will mean you will be unable to sleep destination time and take longer for your body clock to adjust. 4.Set your watch to your destination time as soon as you get on the plane and try to live by it straight away. Try to eat at times appropriate to your destination time not departure time. 5.Some people reduce the impact of time zone changes by gradually adapting their routine by an hour or so a few days before they travel. By getting up an hour earlier or staying up later for a few days prior to departure depending on their destination time.
