Frequent Fliers Can Learn To Live With Jet Lag

Any long-haul air traveler will know well the effects which jet lag can have on the body but for aircrews and those people who regularly take long-haul flights air travel can be very hard on the body.

Dealing with jet lag is not too hard for those of us who only fly once in a while, possibly just a couple of times a year on vacation or for the odd business trip, but for aircrews and regular long-haul fliers, jet lag frequently brings several health problems which can become almost permanent.

Long-haul fliers will be familiar with the interference with their pattern of sleep and the insomnia which can be produced by a long trip, in addition to things like irritability, changes in mood, gastro-intestinal problems and difficulty in handling information. However, for the very frequent flier these often transient symptoms are a part of everyday life and are frequently joined by menstrual cycle problems for women and even by short-term psychiatric disturbances for some people.

The major factors in influencing the degree of jet lag experienced, aside from how often you travel, are the distances traveled, the direction in which you travel and your age.

If you regularly travel across just one or two world time zones then any affects will probably be very mild. But, once you begin crossing more than three world time zones, and especially when you begin frequently traveling over six or more time zones, jet lag symptoms begin to increase markedly.

The symptoms of jet lag are also more evident when you are traveling east and tend to affect you less when flying west. If you are traveling from London to Singapore on vacation for example you will experience more jet lag on arrival in Singapore at the start of your holiday than you will in London when you return.

As a general rule when traveling east you can expect jet lag to last for a few days and a good guide is approximately two thirds of the number of time zones traveled across. For example, if you travel across six time zones you could expect jet lag to affect you for approximately four days. Traveling west jet lag could be expected to last for about half of this time.

Age is also an important factor when it comes to jet lag and, as your age increases, you will discover that you are affected more and more by jet lag.

There is no such thing as a true jet lag cure although there is a great deal that can be done to help to reduce the symptoms of jet lag.

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