Jet Lag – How Can Air Travelers Reduce the Risk When They Fly?

Many medical  experts have found that air  travelers usually experience a worse bout of jet lag when they fly from east to west.   In general, the more time zones that they cross, flying from east to west, the more severe their symptoms of jet lag will be.  

However, passengers will only experience a milder problem with jet lag when their air flights are going from west to east. Travelers can fly north and south, or south to north, for thousands of miles without experiencing any jet lag. But as soon as the pilot of the airplane starts to fly in an east to west direction and crosses more than one or two time zones, they can experience jet lag.

Passengers will not usually experience the symptoms of jet lag until they exit the plane. That’s the time when their biological clocks will start to make internal adjustments inside their bodies to coincide more closely with the local time at their destination. If air travelers cross one, or even two time zones, their bodies can usually adjust very quickly. However, if a traveler is in poor health or not feeling well before the flight, jet lag can compound the problem.

The following information may lessen the effects of jet lag when you fly. Try to catch a flight that arrives at your vacation destination in daylight hours. Immediately fit in with the new time zone and do not go to bed. If you feel tired and want to take a short snooze, do it in a well lighted place.In the evening, when your tired, go to sleep in a darkened room.  

The darkness will help prepare your brain for sleep. Try to avoid looking at television or computer screens as they are bright and have high frequencies that can easily over-stimulate your brain. Do not consume alcohol or any drinks such as coffee and soda that contain caffeine until your symptoms of jet lag wear off, as it can disrupt your sleep. To help you adjust to the time zone at your destination, you may want to consider taking a melatonin tablet or capsule (as many air travelers do) in the early evening (your time).  

You might still have to take a melatonin for the next three or four evenings in a row before you go to bed in this new location to help you readjust your biological clock. If you not taken melatonin before, you should ask your doctor or local pharmacist for more information in regards to the suggested dosage.