Tag: Travel

Categories
Health

10 Ways to Reduce Jet Lag

I’m back from Spain! Glad to be back, but dealing with some nasty jet lag… so, I decided to write a blog about it. Should have written it before I flew home because I learned a few ways to reduce symptoms and shorten the duration of jet lag.

What is jet lag anyway?

The dictionary defines jet lag as “a feeling of extreme tiredness and other physical effects after travelling a long distance through different time zones by plane”. Some sources simply describe it as a “temporary sleep disorder” but, while it is temporary it can affect more than just your sleep. Some people are more sensitive to time change than others and will even notice mild effects when adjusting clocks for Daylight Savings Time in the spring and fall.

Medically, it is referred to as “desynchronosis” and is believed to result from difficulty adjusting the body’s circadian “day/night” rhythm or internal body clock to match the local clock. Shift workers can experience symptoms similar to jet lag when readjusting to normal hours after working the night shift. Strategies for reducing jet lag may be helpful to shift workers as well.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms can include daytime drowsiness, tiredness, lethargy, slight disorientation or dizziness, insomnia, sometimes headaches, difficulty focussing, loss of appetite, and digestive upset such as diarrhea or constipation.

Of course, a long trip itself can be fatiguing, and dehydration and lower oxygen levels in planes can contribute to the symptoms experienced. More time zones travelled generally result in worse jet lag, with some individuals being more susceptible than others. Older adults and those with other health conditions often have worse symptoms and take longer to get back in sync, while children are often minimally affected.

What are circadian rhythms?

Many of our body’s systems, including those that regulate sleep, waking, eating and body temperature, run on cycles over the 24-hour day. This is called the circadian rhythm or “body clock” – the regular ups and downs of hormones and functions that occur at certain times each day.

A little technical stuff for those who are interested in detail…

The theory behind jet lag, is that there are two groups of neurons or nerve cells in the base of the brain that control sleep:

  • An area associated with deep sleep and physical recovery and repair

  • An area that controls the dream state, known as “rapid eye movement” or REM sleep

    • During REM sleep the brain sorts out thoughts and memories.

    • The REM area takes longer to adjust to a new sleep/wake cycle, and the two sections become out of sync, throwing off the sleep cycle and reducing quality of sleep.

So, the body clock is driven by an internal time-keeping system, but it’s affected by external factors like light and darkness. For example, we know that production of melatonin (a hormone that is associated with sleeping) is blocked by light falling on the back of the eye. This is why it is recommended to have your room completely darkened for a good night’s sleep and why it might be a good idea to use a sleep mask when trying to sleep on a plane or during the day.

Most references state that travelling east tends to cause more symptoms than travelling west, but I have always found the opposite to be true for me. However, I think it depends somewhat on your behaviour when you arrive at your destination, and on the timing of the flights you take.

My experience…

On my trip to Spain, I took an overnight flight. Although I only had a very few hours sleep on the plane, I was excited about arriving and needed to buy groceries so spent time outside in the sunshine. I pushed myself to stay up until close to a “normal” bedtime for where I was and, being exhausted by then, had a great night’s sleep. Of course, the next day I was out in the sunshine seeing the sights, and light exposure (especially sunshine) helps you to adjust to a new time zone more quickly.

In contrast, when I came home, it was a daytime flight with a late-night arrival which, for me, meant arriving finally at home at 7:30 the following morning, Spain time! And since it was still part of a normal but extended day for most on the final flight, it wasn’t a good sleeping environment… no rest for me! Since I’ve been home, it’s been mostly cloudy with sunset at 4:30pm so much less light exposure. I’ve also been busy indoors catching up after being away for 2 months and, of course, it’s chilly compared to the Costa del Sol, so that’s keeping me indoors more too!

Here’s what you could do next trip to experience less jet lag than I did:

  1. Prepare ahead if possible:

    1. Heading east – get up and go to bed early for a few days before the trip.

    2. Going west – delay bedtime and waking as above.

  2. Set your watch to local time at your destination as soon as you board the plane.

  3. Keep active during the flight – stretch, do seat exercises, walk along the aisle.

  4. Use an eye mask and ear plugs and try to sleep when it’s night time at your destination.

    1. Aim for 20-minute naps during daytime hours to reduce fatigue.

  5. Drink plenty of water on the flight, and avoid alcohol and caffeine to reduce dehydration (If you do decide to have a glass of wine, drink extra water along with it…).

  6. Wear sunglasses during your destination’s nighttime hours during the flight if you can’t sleep. This may help your brain to start to adjust by altering light exposure.

  7. Although not well tested, taking melatonin at the destination’s bedtime on the plane and for a few nights after you arrive may be helpful, researchers suggest.

  8. When you arrive, try to sleep at a normal time for your destination, realizing you will likely want to sleep later when going east and rise earlier when going west.

    1. If you’re on a short trip, and your schedule allows it, you may be able to adjust your day to stay closer to “home”, clock-wise. On a 4-day trip to Vancouver (4 hours “earlier” than my home on the east coast), I decided to just get up very early and skip some late-evening social activities. My conference friends were so impressed with my daily 6am walks in Stanley Park, but it was just a leisurely 10am “walk in the park” in NB time!

  9. Spend as much time as possible outdoors, preferably in sunlight, when you arrive or at least expose yourself to bright indoor light. It’s the cycle of light and darkness that prompts the brain to realign itself to your new time zone.

  10. If you know you are prone to severe jet lag, consider breaking up the trip or making part of your travel overland, rather than by air to adjust to the new time in stages. It’s the speed of travel that causes jet lag, not simply the time change itself.

Give these suggestions a try on your next east/west trip and let me know if they help you to have a “bon voyage”!!

References:

Mayo Clinic

Medical News Today

Categories
Public Health

Learning Spanish ways…

As you probably know, I’m spending a couple of months in Spain. I’m quite fascinated by several distinct differences in culture and lifestyle between here and North America – differences that could have an impact on health – some positive and some not-so-positive!

This is at the top of Gibraltar. We took the cable car up then walked all the way back down, visiting interesting caves, monkeys and remnants of armies of the past as we went. I had sore muscles for 3 days after but saw and experienced so much it was worth it…

First, I’ve noticed that people use public transit much more than we do in most areas of Canada and US. Streets in old European cities are extremely narrow (many cars have dents!), and parking is hard to find and often expensive. We’ve seen cars parked in the strangest places… Many city apartments simply don’t have parking, leaving tenants with cars to park on the street, wherever they can find a place. The old section of Marbella, where we are staying right now, actually allows only delivery vehicles in the narrow streets. We had to pull our suitcases along cobbled walkways to get to our apartment as our taxi had to drop us off outside the Casco Antigua de Marbella (the Old City of Marbella)!

Besides the obvious decrease in pollution from car exhaust, though, using public transit means you are walking a lot more – even if it’s just to the bus stop, and then from the stop to your destination. This can build a significant amount of exercise into your day, without needing to think about it.

Cities here tend to be more densely populated, and every neighbourhood has its grocery store, bakery, fish shop etc. so you can easily walk to do your errands. Many people, especially the elderly, have shopping bags on wheels to take their purchases home easily, pulling them behind as they walk. Neighbourhood stores are busy because a lot of people live nearby and support the convenient local shop. It seems like cities are set up so you really don’t need or even want a car!

This contrasts sharply with home and with many North American vacations we’ve taken, where it’s too far to walk to any type of shopping. While I’m sure our winter weather in Canada and northern US encourages us to use cars more, we also tend to have only a few large grocery stores that serve an entire city rather than many smaller local neighbourhood shops that service a small area. The result is, we drive everywhere rather than fitting our exercise into our daily routine, then need to add in exercise time. Sometimes we even pay to be able to get our exercise!

Of course, this stretch of land on the southern coast of Spain, the Costa del Sol, is so beautiful with the Mediterranean on one side and the mountains (that block the cold northern winds, creating a warmer climate) on the other. We enjoy simply wandering around, soaking up the beauty of the area, people watching and sight seeing. We’ve visited several neighbouring cities, travelling there by bus, and spent the entire day walking… often up small mountains it seems, then back down again, of course!

The tourism office nearby has been very helpful in sorting out bus schedules and stops, and we haven’t had any problems getting where we want to go. Choosing a vacation in a place like here, with comfortable temperatures that encourage you to be outside walking all day, may mean you will go home in better physical shape than you were when you arrived. I know I will!

Ronda, Spain, high up in the mountains

Another interesting tradition in Spain is the siesta – many stores close in the afternoon for several hours. I still haven’t quite figured out whether the siesta time is the same for all businesses, but have been caught walking to a store to make a purchase, only to find them closed. It seems that the siesta is such a long-standing tradition that many stores don’t post the hours they open and close in the afternoon – only posting the morning opening and the evening closing times – while other stores no longer participate in the traditional siesta at all, and just stay open.

But this tradition is all about lifestyle and is good for workers (especially those who are running a small business themselves, and trying to offer service to morning shoppers as well as the evening crowd). It gives them time to relax, spend time with family, and eat a healthy meal during the day while still being open for the busiest parts of the work day. Mid-afternoon is also the hottest time of day and probably the quietest for business. However, tourists beware! Better indication of hours of operation would certainly help visitors like me to accommodate but regular customers seem to have adjusted to the system without problem.

On the “down side”, I am amazed at how many people, especially young people, still smoke here. It’s made me realize that policies that ban smoking in restaurants, vehicles and in public places make a difference in how acceptable it is to smoke, effectively “denormalizing” it, in North America. Here in Spain it is normal to see people smoking everywhere, and it seems strange compared to Canada where the activity is banned in so many public places. It is easy to see that passing these types of laws, making smoking much less acceptable, results in fewer smokers overall and certainly decreases exposure to second hand smoke that has been shown to affect the health of non-smokers. While actual smoking rates are lower in US and Canada (approximately 16-17%) compared to Spain and France (at 24%) and even higher in northern Europe, the additional difference in where they are allowed to smoke makes smoking appear even more prevalent.

So, what I’ve learned so far from this experience in Spain (besides quite a few Spanish words), is that working to build activity into every day, rather than thinking of activity as a “task” that you need to find time for, may be a better approach to staying fit. The design of cities and neighbourhoods, and the laws we pass (like those for restrictions in smoking) can make a difference in the behaviours and the health of the entire population. Comparing lifestyles in different countries, can help us to gain new perspectives and ideas to incorporate into our own communities, helping to create a healthier population.

Can you think of ways you can change your lifestyle and your community to make it easier for you and your neighbours to stay healthy and fit?

Reference for smoking statistics: Tobacco in Australia