Long distance coast to coast trips and flights abroad often result in jet lag that diminishes the delight that travelers first experienced when they found cheap travel options such as cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, and cheap vacation packages. Now long haul passengers can take advice from the NASA fatigue management team who help astronauts overcome jet lag two to three times faster than other travelers.
When a persons internal clock is unable to adapt to a rapid change in the light dark cycle of a new time zone the result is jet lag. Symptoms include fatigue, moodiness, and gastrointestinal unpleasantness.
The following are steps NASA has found that can be taken to minimize jet lag:
The direction you are flying impacts jet lag. The average traveler finds it more difficult to travel east. The best way to adapt to a new time zone when traveling east is to wake up earlier and go to bed sooner than you usually would, thereby advancing your body clock. When traveling west you should wake up later than normal and go be bed later as well, delaying your body clock.
To adjust faster to a new time zone you need to regulate your exposure to light, both natural and artificial, and darkness. Light is the main environmental cue that tells your body when to sleep and when to wake. If traveling east, expose yourself to light early. If traveling west, expose yourself to light at dusk and the early part of the evening.
Astronauts and mission control personnel use eye masks, earplugs and sleep aids to help them doze while flying. Unfortunately many passengers drink alcohol to help them pass out only to find that a hangover does nothing to alleviate jet lag.
Make certain your first night at your destination that you go out of your way to eat properly. Remember that while alcohol may help you initially fall asleep for many it often interrupts later deeper stages of sleep which in turn exacerbates jet lag. Large or spicy meals should be avoided prior to going to bed.
You should take steps to prepare your hotel room for a good nights sleep. If you have traveled east, about an hour prior to going to bed, keep lights in your room as dim as possible. Close blinds/curtains and cover any light from a clock, computer television or smartphone. Light often makes people more alert and resets their internal clocks to the wrong time.
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