How To Beat Jet-Lag
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How to Beat Jet Lag:
Crossing time zones plays havoc with the bodys circadian rhythms and there are few long-haul travellers who have not experienced the debilitating effects of jet lag. Sheila Compton looks at different ways to cope.
I carry with me the toe-curling memories of two social gaffes that no amount of time will erase. The first occurred in the sumptuous surroundings of one of Vancouvers finest restaurants where I slumped, comatose into my soup, seconds after it arrived. The setting for the second disaster was a Broadway theatre. Paying a kings ransom for three matinee tickets to celebrate my first full day in The Big Apple didnt prevent me falling asleep soon after the curtain rose. My snoring, vexed friends assured me, nearly stopped the show.
I was not being deliberately rude nor was alcohol to blame: I was merely a hapless victim of that mental cosh that ambushes all long-haul travellers jet lag. Some people get it worse than others but jet lag happens when your body clock sticks with your old time zone but you have to function in a different one. You find yourself in this horrible parallel universe where everyone else is eating breakfast but all you want is a cup of cocoa, a bedtime story and an eight-hour relationship with your duvet.
Being out of sync like this can lose you a business deal or ruin the first few days of an expensive holiday. And despite many millions more of us leaving our carbon footprints all over the world, there is still no real cure. However, there is plenty we can do to minimise jet lag with a bit of forward planning.
The biggest weapon in the armoury seems to be supplementing a hormone called melatonin. This is made by our pineal gland in response to lack of light. Basically, when its dark, the pineal gland makes melatonin and our bodies think: Great, time for bed. To speed up your bodys adjustment to jet lag you take a supplementary dose of melatonin before you go to bed in your new time zone between 2mg and 5mg depending on your weight.
In America you can get melatonin without prescription because it is classed as a natural substance. Its a bit more difficult to get hold of in the UK because the Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) takes the view that it is a medicine. And so far no company has been willing to carry out trials to licence it.
Your GP might write you a prescription for melatonin if they think it will helpful to you, but many will be reluctant to do this for an unlicensed product. You can bring melatonin into this country from America legally as long as you dont sell it on. You can also buy it online, but because it will come from an unregulated source you may get fleeced or end up with what an MRHA spokesman termed a dodgy product.
Taking melatonin does not eliminate jet lag but it does reduce its effects and speeds up as much as double in some cases - the rate at which your body adjusts to a new time zone. However, if you are taking other medication, please ask your GPs advice before you take melatonin.
There are plenty of commonsense measures that minimise jet lag, too. Before you travel, build up your bodys defences. Have a meal with plenty of carbohydrates, starch and green vegetables. Make sure you are well rested. Then set your watch to your destination time zone before you board the plane and try to base your on-board meals and sleeping times round this new time.
During the flight, avoid alcohol, coffee and sleeping pills and take regular drinks of water to stave off dehydration. Walk around as much as feasible and do stretching exercises in your seat to avoid muscle cramp and protect against deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Dont be in denial about jet lag. Accept that you will suffer to some extent, so dont overload your timetable for a day or so after your arrival to give yourself time to adjust. If you're flying at night and facing a short night because of the time difference, have a meal at the airport so you can sleep as soon as you're airborne, rather than wasting valuable sleeping time eating.
Some of the worlds smartest hotels now provide guests with circadian suites to minimise jet lag. These may have timed, blackout curtains, full spectrum, artificial lighting to simulate day and room service that provides all sorts of meals round the clock. You can order a steak dinner at 7am or a full breakfast at 9pm if it helps. Circadian Travel Technologies have designed rooms for the Tudor in New York, the Grand Hyatt in Taipei and the Rembrandt in London.
One of the first hotels to cater specifically for jetlagged travellers was the Okura Hotel in Tokyo. Guests get special soft, bright light in their rooms designed to help their body clocks adjust and gourmet food which replaces lost nutrients. Massages and a low-temperature mist sauna complete the pampering.
When the legendary Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong re-opened last year after a $140 million refurbishment, the makeover included a spa with jet-legged travellers in mind. Within it are two shallow pools one hot and one cold - each lined with carefully designed stones. Walking slowly through both pools, exposing tired feet and legs to the massaging effect of the pebbles and the contrasting temperatures, improves circulation after a long-haul flight, stimulates the metabolism and strengthens the immune system.
Bangkok's new Oriental Hotel a newcomer to the concept - now offers a full spa treatment plus a spa cuisine to help jet lagged guests. It includes hydrotherapy, a papaya body polish and a massage to unknot muscles cramped from hours in an airline seat. You may be in a new time zone but presumably you can let that skate over your brain and simply luxuriate in a comfort zone second to none.
Source: Telegraph Newspaper UK
Crossing time zones plays havoc with the bodys circadian rhythms and there are few long-haul travellers who have not experienced the debilitating effects of jet lag. Sheila Compton looks at different ways to cope.
I carry with me the toe-curling memories of two social gaffes that no amount of time will erase. The first occurred in the sumptuous surroundings of one of Vancouvers finest restaurants where I slumped, comatose into my soup, seconds after it arrived. The setting for the second disaster was a Broadway theatre. Paying a kings ransom for three matinee tickets to celebrate my first full day in The Big Apple didnt prevent me falling asleep soon after the curtain rose. My snoring, vexed friends assured me, nearly stopped the show.
I was not being deliberately rude nor was alcohol to blame: I was merely a hapless victim of that mental cosh that ambushes all long-haul travellers jet lag. Some people get it worse than others but jet lag happens when your body clock sticks with your old time zone but you have to function in a different one. You find yourself in this horrible parallel universe where everyone else is eating breakfast but all you want is a cup of cocoa, a bedtime story and an eight-hour relationship with your duvet.
Being out of sync like this can lose you a business deal or ruin the first few days of an expensive holiday. And despite many millions more of us leaving our carbon footprints all over the world, there is still no real cure. However, there is plenty we can do to minimise jet lag with a bit of forward planning.
The biggest weapon in the armoury seems to be supplementing a hormone called melatonin. This is made by our pineal gland in response to lack of light. Basically, when its dark, the pineal gland makes melatonin and our bodies think: Great, time for bed. To speed up your bodys adjustment to jet lag you take a supplementary dose of melatonin before you go to bed in your new time zone between 2mg and 5mg depending on your weight.
In America you can get melatonin without prescription because it is classed as a natural substance. Its a bit more difficult to get hold of in the UK because the Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) takes the view that it is a medicine. And so far no company has been willing to carry out trials to licence it.
Your GP might write you a prescription for melatonin if they think it will helpful to you, but many will be reluctant to do this for an unlicensed product. You can bring melatonin into this country from America legally as long as you dont sell it on. You can also buy it online, but because it will come from an unregulated source you may get fleeced or end up with what an MRHA spokesman termed a dodgy product.
Taking melatonin does not eliminate jet lag but it does reduce its effects and speeds up as much as double in some cases - the rate at which your body adjusts to a new time zone. However, if you are taking other medication, please ask your GPs advice before you take melatonin.
There are plenty of commonsense measures that minimise jet lag, too. Before you travel, build up your bodys defences. Have a meal with plenty of carbohydrates, starch and green vegetables. Make sure you are well rested. Then set your watch to your destination time zone before you board the plane and try to base your on-board meals and sleeping times round this new time.
During the flight, avoid alcohol, coffee and sleeping pills and take regular drinks of water to stave off dehydration. Walk around as much as feasible and do stretching exercises in your seat to avoid muscle cramp and protect against deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Dont be in denial about jet lag. Accept that you will suffer to some extent, so dont overload your timetable for a day or so after your arrival to give yourself time to adjust. If you're flying at night and facing a short night because of the time difference, have a meal at the airport so you can sleep as soon as you're airborne, rather than wasting valuable sleeping time eating.
Some of the worlds smartest hotels now provide guests with circadian suites to minimise jet lag. These may have timed, blackout curtains, full spectrum, artificial lighting to simulate day and room service that provides all sorts of meals round the clock. You can order a steak dinner at 7am or a full breakfast at 9pm if it helps. Circadian Travel Technologies have designed rooms for the Tudor in New York, the Grand Hyatt in Taipei and the Rembrandt in London.
One of the first hotels to cater specifically for jetlagged travellers was the Okura Hotel in Tokyo. Guests get special soft, bright light in their rooms designed to help their body clocks adjust and gourmet food which replaces lost nutrients. Massages and a low-temperature mist sauna complete the pampering.
When the legendary Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong re-opened last year after a $140 million refurbishment, the makeover included a spa with jet-legged travellers in mind. Within it are two shallow pools one hot and one cold - each lined with carefully designed stones. Walking slowly through both pools, exposing tired feet and legs to the massaging effect of the pebbles and the contrasting temperatures, improves circulation after a long-haul flight, stimulates the metabolism and strengthens the immune system.
Bangkok's new Oriental Hotel a newcomer to the concept - now offers a full spa treatment plus a spa cuisine to help jet lagged guests. It includes hydrotherapy, a papaya body polish and a massage to unknot muscles cramped from hours in an airline seat. You may be in a new time zone but presumably you can let that skate over your brain and simply luxuriate in a comfort zone second to none.
Source: Telegraph Newspaper UK
04 Jul 2007 23:51
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