My Green Corner

“Desynchronosis” is popularly known as the “Jet Lag”. It is a typical temporary disorder causing tiredness, insomnia, and other related problems that people normally face when they undertake a long air travel across the time zones.

Apart from the fatigue and insomnia, a person in such a situation may also face other problems including anxiety, constipation, diarrhea, confusion, irritation, headache, sweating, nausea, and some other coordination problems. “Jet Lag” could even cause a loss of memory in extreme conditions. In some cases few ‘Jet Lag sufferers’ have also reported irregular heartbeats and increased susceptibility to illness.

If you are undertaking an air travel across one or just two time zones it is more likely that you and your body will readily accept the change in timings and your biological clock of the body will help you adjusting faster and the effects of the Jet lag would not be of noticeable degree almost. But in case you are flying across three or even more time zones your biological clock will be under tremendous stress and it is very much probable that ‘Jet Lag’ related symptoms will surface out.

Similarly the direction of travel along with the number of time zones that you are travelling across will determine the severity of the ‘Jet Lag’ problem and related symptoms will crop up with more intensity.

It is important that the travelers undertaking frequent and long journeys must keep themselves fit and healthy in order to cp up with the changed circumstantial and environmental factors. In order to keep the biological clock and the circadian rhythms of the body under constant adjustments one must take complete care of its routine in life and should be well aware of the available techniques of remaining fit.

The effects of a ‘Jet Lag’ can be minimized by adopting the following few tips:

• Before taking the flight, it is important to consider few things. All the personal and business affairs should be in order so that they should not bother you when you take a long flight. Exercising profusely few days before departure and avoiding any kind of sickness with good night’s sleep helps in combating with the jet lag condition.

• Coping up with diseases which need regular monitoring should be strategically planned in consultation of the physician. Medication schedules and appointment with the doctor should be properly chalked out so that it should not be a matter of anxiety when arriving in a new place.

• Making few changes in the routine according to the time zone of the place where you are about to travel to, also helps a lot. Attuning yourself to a new routine and schedule in familiar surroundings will save from the shock you might receive all at once while arriving at a place with a all together a different time zone.

• Alcoholic and caffeinated drinks should be avoided a day prior, during or just after the flight as during the flight they might cause dehydration, sleep disturbance, nausea and general discomfort. Drinking lots of water during the flight helps in working against the dry atmosphere inside the plane.

• Keeping yourself active and mobile during the flight also helps a lot. While seated, exercise the limbs from time to time. After every hour or two, it’s advisable to get up and take a small walk. Sitting for long periods slows down the blood movement and thereby may cause a blood clot. The clot if breaks loose, may travel to the lungs, gets embedded in an artery, and thereby hindering the flow of blood. It may cause a severe pain to the victim accompanied by breathing problems and he may cough up blood. It may be fatal too. So exercising helps in keeping the body revitalized and fresh and also fights against stiffness and sluggishness thus avoiding the trauma.

• Breaking up the trips especially when it includes travelling for longer hours across eight, 10, or even 12 time zones, is advisable. It is better to plan out a stay in a in a city about halfway to your destination.

• Outfit also plays an important role. Dressing up in comfortable clothes and shoes and avoiding items which might pinch or restrict also affects the jet lag condition. It is important to dress up keeping the destination time zone in mind.

• Staying in comfortable and satisfactory surroundings on arrival so helps in coping up faster. The bath and bedroom facilities should be comfortable and the cooling and heating systems should be in proper working condition.

• Getting adapted to the local schedule will help in adjusting yourself quickly. Taking long walks or sitting in outdoor cafes, exposure to sunshine helps in reducing the production sleep-inducing melatonin during the day, thereby kicking off the process of adjusting the body clock.

• Some people use sleeping pills to lessen the effects of a jet lag but it is not a healthy approach as pills would reduce the body mobility and can lead to fatal blot clots so it is not advisable to take the sleeping pills at all. Taking a mild sedative and that too with the proper consultation of your physician during the first few days could be recommended. But one should avoid getting habitual to the sedatives.

• “Melatonin” is a controversial and complex treatment for jet lag which involves the synthetic manoeuvring of a hormone in the body, starting in the days before the travel. Few studies recommend it as it might help the travellers to restore the normal sleeping patterns. However there is still lack of enough medical evidence to prove the efficiency of this drug. The long-term effects of taking this drug and the standards are the few things yet to be worked upon. Higher doses of melatonin can cause sleepiness, lethargy, confusion, and decreased mental sharpness. So any activity demanding high level of concentration should be avoided.

Nevertheless, it is always worthwhile to take an advice from your physician before undertaking a long, across the time zones air travel.