Travel Health
Jet Lag

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Cause of Jet Lag:

Jet lag depends on the number of time zones crossed rather than the length of the flight. The body clock gets out of sync with destination time, leading to disorientation, disturbed sleep, irritation, dizziness and general depression. It's especially bad when flying east.
AMS? There is another possible cause, at least in some cases.
Medical staff attached to aircraft manufactuers Boeing performed tests in 2007 on a group of healthy volunteers, putting them in low-pressure chambers that simulated conditions when flying at the usual high altitudes. At these times the cabin pressure is equivalent to being at an altitude of up to 8,000 ft. Boeing reported that 7.4% of the test subjects suffered some symptoms of AMS [Acute Mountain Sickness] - light-headedness, headaches, shortness of breath, backache and impaired coordination.

Prevention and Cures for Jet Lag:

Eat a light meal containing plenty of carbohydrates and greens before travelling.

Try to arrive well rested and healthy at your departure airport.

Try to get a flight with no/few stops as the changing cabin pressure exacerbates jet lag.

Set your watch to destination time as soon as you board the plane.

Try to sleep, or at least rest, when destination time is night, and to stay awake if it's daytime. This means on the plane and on the ground when you arrive. No long siestas!

Try to eat meals according to destination timing. Eat lightly. Drink lots of water.

Get some exercise on the plane. This helps not only with jet lag but other health factors too, such as DVT.

Press a pen point on the underside of your big toes during the flight. This apparently stimulates appropriate acupressure points.

Get out in the daylight when you arrive, preferably without sunglasses. Let the body know it's in a new place. Walk/exercise. This will encourage your body clock to make the change.

Anti jet lag medication:

Melatonin is available over the counter in USA and other countries, but not even on prescription in UK, so get it elsewhere [like Ireland, Guernsey or many other countries].
Start taking it before bedtime a couple of days before travelling, then before destination bedtime on the flight, and before bedtime at your destination - for a couple of days if necessary.
Take with a short-term sleeping pill if necessary.
Melatonin is best not taken by people with health problems such as auto-immune diseases, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Seratonin 5HTP is an alternative to Melatonin and should be taken from a week before the flight, as it needs time to take effect.

Arnica is a homeopathic remedy for jet lag.

Aspirin: a very small dose of a blood-thinning agent such as aspirin taken for three days [before, during and one day after the flight] would not only partially counteract AMS symptoms, but also help with potential DVT, but check with a doctor on the advisability of this in your case.

Other Bugbog travel health pages: Deep Vein Thrombosis [DVT] | General health | Malaria

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