Jet Lag Is Inevitable If You Are A Frequent Flier
Overcoming jet lag is fairly easy for people who only fly once in a while, possibly just a couple of times a year on holiday or for the occasional business trip, but for aircrews and those of us who fly regularly, jet lag can bring several health problems which can become virtually permanent.
Long-haul travelers will be familiar with the disturbance to their pattern of sleep and the insomnia which can be produced by a long trip, as well as such things as irritability, changes in mood, stomach problems and difficulty in processing information. But, for very frequent fliers these generally transient symptoms are a part of daily life and are frequently joined by menstrual cycle problems for women and even by short-term psychiatric difficulties for some individuals. So how do you go about managing jet lag?
The key factors that influence the degree of jet lag experienced, aside from how often you travel, are the distances involved, the direction of travel and your age.
If you regularly travel across just one or two time zones then any affects are likely to be extremely mild. However, as soon as you begin to cross more than three world time zones, and particularly once you begin frequently traveling over six or more time zones, jet lag symptoms will start to markedly increase.
The symptoms of jet lag are also more evident if you are traveling east and tend to affect you less if you fly west. For instance, if you are traveling from London to Singapore on vacation you will experience more jet lag when you arrive in Singapore at the beginning of your holiday than you will in London when you return.
As a general rule when you fly east you can expect that jet lag will last for several days and a good guide is roughly two thirds of the number of time zones traveled across. For instance, if you fly across six time zones you might expect jet lag to affect you for approximately four days. If you are traveling west jet lag should be expected to last for about half of this time.
Age is also a significant consideration when it comes to jet lag and, as you get older, you will discover that you are increasingly affected by jet lag.
There is no such thing as a true jet lag cure but there is a lot that you can do to help in reducing jet lag symptoms.