Out of the zone: how to outsmart jet lag

Adjusting to a new time zone can be tricky. Photo / Supplied

It's 2am on a Thursday morning, a time when only nursing mothers, die-hard clubbers and shift-workers should still be up. But thanks to the fact I've just travelled through 12 time zones, I'm wide awake, staring at the ceiling and feeling appropriately zombie-like.

"Welcome to the world of jet lag," says travel medicine specialist, Dr Jenny Visser. "When you travel across time zones, your body clock - or circadian rhythm - gets left where you started and it can take a few days for it to catch up to your new time zone.

"So, for a while, your body tries to act as though it's still in the time zone of the country you left."

Which would explain why I feel wide awake at night and sleepy during the day.

General wisdom has it that for every time zone crossed, it takes a day to recover from jet lag.

"Jet lag is the bane of long-haul travellers, and can cause nausea, tiredness, disorientation, sleepless nights, blurred days and general irritability," Visser says.

A British Airways study showed that jet lag can also impair decision-making by up to 50 per cent, as well as reduce memory and communication skills. Other possible side-effects include anxiety, slower reflexes and poor digestion. It can also affect biological functions such as those performed by the kidneys, which is why some sufferers may visit the toilet more often.

Visser says it's generally accepted that jet lag is worse when you travel east, because your circadian rhythm finds it harder to adapt to a shorter day than a longer one.

"If you fly west, you may find it difficult to stay awake, but easier to wake up. However, if you fly east, it's typically the other way around."

Anyone who's ever suffered jet lag will tell you there's nothing worse than it ruining the first few days - or even a week - of your much-anticipated holiday.

So what can you do to banish this demon of modern air travel? Of course, the most obvious tip is to not fly, but where's the fun in that?

Visser has heard of any number of DIY remedies used by fliers to avoid jet lag, including drinking only tomato juice and water on the flight, staying up all night before a flight, and starving yourself to trick your body into thinking it's in another time zone.

Some people also swear by the rather more eccentric idea of putting brown paper bags inside their shoes or shining a light at the backs of their knees. And then there's the grim suggestion that ingesting the extract from the bark of a French pine tree for seven days could keep jet lag at bay.

"Theoretically, adjusting the times you go to bed and get up before you fly should help, but for most people it simply isn't practical to do that.

"If it's at all possible, try at least to ensure you don't have a sleep deficit before flying," says Dr Visser.

That old chestnut about adjusting your watch to your destination time as soon as you board the plane, and slotting in time-appropriate activities while airborne, have also helped some people.

Others swear by homeopathic and herbal remedies available from health food stores, although rigorous scientific studies have shown no consistent benefit.

Natural health and beauty expert Leslie Kenton's solution is to refuse airline food in favour of snacking on rice cakes and raw carrots.

"It might not appeal to everyone but avoiding excessive coffee, tea and alcohol while in flight can help stave off jet lag.

"They all contain substances that may make it harder for your body clock to adjust to your new sleeping and waking times," says Visser.

To help recover from jet lag, the most important step a traveller can take after arriving is to quickly slot into daily routines and activities at their destination.

"Sunlight, food and exercise all send powerful messages to your brain that help you adjust to the local time zone.

"Eat when the locals eat and avoid the temptation to have a nap. Instead, freshen up, get outside and get some sunshine and exercise. Try to avoid going to sleep until it's night time."

If all else fails, you may want to call in the chemical artillery.

Melatonin tablets, available on prescription in New Zealand but over the counter in the US, can help regulate the body clock if taken before bedtime.

"Melatonin generally works best if you take it an hour or so before you plan to go to sleep, usually around 9pm to midnight. Some overseas experts suggest taking melatonin for a few days before your departure.

"But this doesn't really help Kiwis with long-haul flights because of the large time differences between here and final destinations," says Visser.

It also means you suffer from daytime drowsiness before you go. "My advice is that if you want to use melatonin, you should do so on arrival at your destination and use it for only two or three days."

Prescription sleeping tablets can also help during the flight and on arrival, but again your doctor will talk you though these.

"Bear in mind that although sleeping pills can help you go to sleep at times your biological clock wouldn't normally allow it, if you have to wake up before they wear off - which can often happen on a flight - you could be confused and groggy," says Visser.

Sleeping tables may also increase the time a traveller is lying immobile, putting them at increased risk of developing deep-vein thrombosis. Which is why most doctors are cautious about prescribing them for in-flight use, she says.

Her suggestion? Use sleeping tablets as a last resort, follow your doctor's advice on taking them, use them only for a short time, and remember they can be addictive.

- Detours, hoS