Jet lag
Most people who travel long distances complain of jet lag - the fatigue, indigestion, sleeping problems and general malaise that disrupt the first few days in a new time zone. Jet lag makes business travellers less productive and more prone to making mistakes and keeps holidaymakers from enjoying their time off.
Jet lag is actually caused by disruption of your 'body clock' - a small cluster of brain cells that controls the timing of biological functions (circadian rhythms), including when you eat and sleep. The body clock is designed for a regular rhythm of daylight and darkness, so that it is thrown out of sync when it experiences daylight and darkness at the 'wrong' time in a new time zone. The symptoms of jet lag often persist for days while the internal body clock slowly adjusts to the new time zone.
Now a new anti-jet lag system is available that is based on proven extensive pioneering scientific research in the field of circadian physiology.
Dr Martin Moore-Ede, Professor of Harvard Medical School and one of the leading scientists in the field, has devised a practical strategy to adjust the body clock much sooner to the new time zone through controlled exposure to bright light.
The time zone shift is easy to fix and eliminates most of the discomfort of jet lag. It all depends on knowing the exact times to either seek or avoid bright light. Exposure to light at the wrong time can actually make jet lag worse. The proper schedule for light exposure depends a great deal on specific travel plans. Taking a night flight to Tokyo, for instance, creates very different demands than a day flight to Los Angeles. Personal variables are important too; a 'night owl' person typically needs a different schedule to a 'lark'.
Information on the flight itinerary as well as the individual's sleep pattern can be used to produce a customised guide with instructions on exactly when to seek bright light and when to avoid it. When the guide calls for bright light you should spend time outdoors if possible (normal indoor lighting is not bright enough to re-set the biological clock). If it is dark out, or the weather is bad, or you are on a plane you can use a portable bright light to provide the necessary stimulus.
How does it work?
The essential scientific discovery is that our body clocks can be shifted by exposure to bright light and darkness in sequence. The re-setting point is in the middle of the night (that is, the middle of the night in the time zone you started from) and it's crucial that the bright/dark exposure is before and after this re-set point. It's just like turning the hands on your body clock as well as on your watch.
It's not always possible to find natural daylight when the trip guide says you need it. A jet lag kit with a portable bright light source and special light filtering glasses (normal sunglasses are not really dark enough) can help you adapt to new a new time zone in 1 or 2 days instead of the usual week or more.
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