New Approach to Fighting Jet Lag

No matter how good of a deal your cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms or cheap vacation packages may be, jet lag is a problem many travelers reluctantly are forced to deal with as a result of taking long flights.

Jet lag is a disorienting, zombie like condition that negatively impacts the circadian rhythm of passengers who fly across multiple time zones. To their chagrin, such travelers often find themselves napping when all the attractions are open and wide awake when everything is closed.

Humans have internal sleep clocks that control hormones, mental function and attention. Jet lag results when those clocks are misaligned with travelers environments.

To date, travelers have attempted to minimize jet lag with a wide variety of remedies: prescribed sleeping pills, herbal concoctions, melatonin, special diets, bright lights, exercise and even just forcing themselves to stay awake and moving when their bodies want sleep.

Finnair ran a test the end of March to see if passengers can avoid jet lag by sticking light in their ears. Business Class passengers on flights between Helsinki and Shanghai were asked to test bright light headsets that are supposed to fight jet leg and reset circadian rhythms by focusing bright light on photosensitive regions of the brain through the ear canal.

The device itself looks like an iPod but its headphones deliver light instead of music or sounds. The devices light brings an element of well being that stimulates passengers and helps them to adapt better to jet lag and the fluctuation of the circadian rhythm, according to the airline.

The good news about sufferers of jet lag is that their sleep clocks naturally reset themselves within a couple of days of arriving at a new destination. www.cheapfares.com

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