Upsetting the Clocks

Right now your body’s clocks are probably adjusted to the time zone in which you live. However, afternoon in California, U.S.A., is nighttime in Europe. Therefore, after flying on a jet aircraft between these two points, you might experience headaches, sluggishness, and sleep problems​—a condition commonly known as jet lag.

What has happened? Your biological clock has become confused. It is desperately trying to adhere to your home schedule. (Shift workers often experience similarly disagreeable symptoms.) Business plans, conferences, or even the pleasure of a vacation can be adversely affected by the headaches, insomnia, irritability, digestive problems, and fatigue that jet lag often brings.

Interestingly, such problems did not occur in the days of slower transportation. The body’s clocks had time to adjust to a new time zone before the traveler ever arrived at his destination. But with jet travel, one can cross four or five time zones in only a matter of hours. This can throw your eating and sleeping schedule completely out of order! As you can imagine, this is particularly troublesome for airline personnel. A former pilot for an international airline told Awake!:

“I experienced no problem crossing many time zones on what we called a 12-hour turnaround schedule because that would bring me home again within the same 24-hour period. However, when given a five-day stopover run from Vancouver [Canada] to Amsterdam or Rome, my problems began. My whole system seemed upset. Trying to overcome the problem, I would go walking until I got so physically tired I just had to sleep. After five days my system would just get adjusted to European time, and then it would be back to Vancouver to do the same thing all over again. Sedatives were not the answer. It was really hard.”

Experience shows that west-to-east travelers suffer the most severe adjustment problems. Those going east to west suffer less since the day simply becomes longer, making it easier for the body to adjust. One airline pilot assigned to the Vancouver-Tokyo run minimized his problem by always remaining on Tokyo time no matter which city he was in. Circadian rhythms, though, are usually not affected by north-south flights because they remain within one or two time zones at the most.

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Overcoming Jet Lag

DOS

◻ Flying West: Try to fly late in the day so that you arrive at the time when you usually retire.

◻ Flying East: Retire earlier the night before you leave. Travel so as to arrive during evening hours. If it is a night flight, try to stay awake all next day, retiring early in the evening.

◻ If crossing more than six time zones, plan a stopover along the way when practical.

◻ On arrival do moderate exercises, walk, jog, or swim and follow with light evening meal.

◻ If on medication: Consult your physician before departure as to when to take it in the new time zone. Particularly diabetics on insulin should watch this.

◻ Eat lightly a few days before and during the flight, and for a few days after.

DON’TS

◻ Do not drink any hard alcoholic drinks or take any sleeping pills immediately previous to, during, or on conclusion of the flight.

◻ Do not smoke while in flight, or at any other time! It deprives the body of oxygen badly needed on high-altitude flights.

◻ Where possible, do not have business dealings or conferences on the day of arrival.