by Ray Fauteux

Created on: November 29, 2010

Our bodies naturally adapt to the environment we spend most of our time in and also to the day to day demands we place on it.

It will do it's best to respond in a way that suits our lifestyle. For instance, if a person lives in Boston and then one day flys to Thailand on the other side of the world it will mean crossing multiple time zones.

So if the traveler's body is accustomed to being active from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. and then resting and re-building itself for 8 hours during REM sleep, the body will no doubt be confused if you suddenly expose it to a 12 hour time difference.

This in turn can't help but disrupt the body's biological rhythm.

So when you land at your destination and it's daytime, yet it's in the middle of the night back in Boston, it will no doubt be very difficult to sleep. This is especially for the first night or two until the body has a chance to figure out what's going on and re-adjust.

That is basically what jet-lag is.

COMMON EFFECTS OF JET LAG

-Of course it goes without saying that the number one effect is sleep deprivation.

-Some people suffer from severe headaches and aches in different parts of their body.

-It is very common to become dehydrated on long flights.

-A person may experience a combination of fatigue and dizziness.

-Pain and swelling in legs and feet are very common as well.

-Disorientation is sometimes caused and this can lead to difficulty dealing with luggage, customs, car rentals, and hotels etc.

However all is not lost and there are ways to combat jet lag and at least minimize the impact.

COPING WITH JET LAG

-The savvy long distance flier will never board a plane without a big bottle of water. Staying hydrated is crucial during long flights and drinking water should start before you even leave home.

-Water is the best drink and even though you will most likely be offered coffee, tea, or soft drinks, it is best to avoid caffeine as it is a diuretic and promotes dehydration.

-To control the swelling in your feet and legs, start with wearing very loose fitting socks and comfortable shoes that do not constrict your feet. At regular intervals though-out the flight it would be very helpful to walk up and down the aisle to promote blood circulation in your legs.

-Plan ahead and make sure that the last few nights sleep you get before departure are quality nights of sleep and a full 7 or 8 hours if possible. You should also try and sleep on the plane as well instead of forcing your body to stay awake when it would normally be resting.

-There is another little trick that few people are aware of that might be helpful. When your plane takes off, set your watch for the local time of your destination instead of doing it when you arrive. It will help get mentally prepared during the flight and really works well for some people.

A study of jet lag done by NASA resulted in some interesting observations.

They actually estimated that it would take the average person a full day to completely recover for every hour of time difference between home and their destination. So if you use those guidelines, it might take as much as 6 days for your body to re-configure it's circadian rhythm to match the new time-zone if there is a six hour difference.

If that's the case, then doing all you can to lessen the impact of jet lag can quite possibly make the re-adjustment a little less painful.

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