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Health Conditions |
Jet Lag |
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Causes Tips |
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Causes
Flying across time zones means the sun comes up sooner or
later than your body is used to. This difference causes a disruption of your
body’s natural clock, often called the circadian pacemaker, a cluster of
neurons in the pineal gland. It runs on a 24-hour cycle and regulates feelings
of hunger and tiredness, among others. Disruption of this cycle caused by air
travel is called jet lag.
As with many of your body’s
natural processes any interruption can weaken your immune system, opening you to infections you would normally be able
to fight off. Other effects are drowsiness,
irritability, depression, and difficulty
concentrating.
Flying for long distances, especially through several time
zones, is very stressing to the body. The plane’s environment will probably be
lower in oxygen than the regular
atmosphere and also quite dry, which
may cause your sinuses to dry out
and your body to become dehydrated. Those travelers who drink caffeinated or alcoholic
beverages will worsen the dehydration problem. In addition, radiation
will cause free radical activity.
Quite possibly because the level of the hormone melatonin
decreases with age, people over the age of 50 are more susceptible to jet lag.
Tips
- Before taking your trip, load up on antioxidant
vitamins A, C, E, and the mineral selenium. This will help protect you
against free radical damage caused by radiation during the flight. - Take an anti-stress high-potency B-complex
vitamin with 1,000 mg of time-release vitamin C. - Drink plenty of water both before and during your flight to keep hydrated.
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol as they will make you
dehydrated. - To help ward off illness from the dry
airplane air, keep your sinuses
moist by using a nasal spray
intended for this purpose. We do not recommend OTC products used to open
sinuses when you have allergies or a cold, but ones that keep them moist.
Air in the plane will contain contaminants from other passengers that you
will likely pick up if your sinuses are dry. Keeping your sinuses moist
will help prevent this from happening. - You can use synthetic melatonin, the sleep-producing
hormone, to sleep on long flights. This is not suggested for short
flights, as it will really throw your sleep patterns off! If you are
traveling across time zones, take up to 8 mg of melatonin at
bedtime at your destination to help re-set your body’s clock. Melatonin is
manufactured in the brain during periods of darkness to promote sleep.
Usage for four days after arriving makes you less sleepy, more efficient
at work, and less moody. Melatonin helps re-set your body clock and
facilitates deep and restful sleep. For best results, take 30 minutes
before bedtime. Do not take if you are driving, operating machinery, or
before work. - If you land during the day, get some sunlight.
This will inhibit your body’s production of melatonin and help you adjust
to the new time zone and get over jet lag. - Adjust your sleep routine to
the new time zone before you leave home. Or, upon arrival, don’t take a
nap but wait until the time you normally go to bed. This will help your
body readjust its internal clock. - Try to schedule your arrival for 9 PM
so you can get a rejuvenating night´s sleep. - A high
carbohydrate meal will make it easier to sleep either on the plane
or at your destination. However, if you need to be alert, eat a high protein diet. - If you need to be alert during or
after the flight, eat a high protein diet and have a low-carbohydrate breakfast either at home or on the plane. - Avoid high-fat foods before and during your flight, because
digestion isn’t as efficient when you’re sitting in a chair for 6-10
hours. - Upon landing, take a warm Epsom salts bath.
See our articles on Travel Tips and What Should Be in Your Natural Travel Kit