Apr 27 2012
Reasons Passengers Get Jet Lag On Long Haul Flights
Jetlag has an effect on each traveller to some extent. A major survey by FARSA, New Zealand’s flight crew union, found in 1994 that 96 per cent of cabin staff arriving in New Zealand, one of the world’s longest-haul destinations, talked of jet lag problems that contained weariness, loss of energy, broken sleep and diminished motivation. Even people who say they are immune often give themselves away by showing signs of bad temper, and sometimes reject the symptoms in an effort to override the natural reaction of their bodyto world air travel.
The leading indicators of jet lag include disorientation and confusion , as well as irritation and illogical anger. The most apparent symptom is weariness; with numerous visitors feeling shattered for days , as well as finding that they lack concentration and motivation. This will affect business skills as well as lessen the delight in a vacation. Sadly, another symptom is that visitors can’t sleep at night and then need to fall asleep throughout the day, which makes recovery from weariness tougher. These symptoms can go on for some time: the US space agency NASA estimates you want one day for each time-zone crossed to recover normal rhythm and energy patterns.
The circumstances are further complicated by some very obvious factors which ensure that air travel is a physically nerve-wrangling experience. Dehydration due to the aircraft’s compression may cause headaches, dry skin, and nasal irritation, which make travellers more susceptible to the common and exotic viruses and bacteria given off by their fellow passengers and recirculated by the confined airflow system. The World Health Organisation links jet lag with the high occurrence of digestive difficulties abroad. Estimating that about 50per cent of long distance travellers suffer from digestive problems, their report suggests that, ‘travel fatigue and jetlag may worsen the problem by reducing travellers ‘ resistance and making them more susceptible’.
The decompression and forced inactivity can also cause the swelling of limbs and feet which sometimes prevents travellers from wearing their ordinary shoes for as much as 24 hours on arrival. This is perilous because distended legs could cause blood clots which, when they break free, can lodge in the lungs and lead to a pulmonary embolism. A 1988 report in The Lancet worked out that, over 3 years at Heathrow Airport, 18 per cent of the 61 unexpected deaths of long distance passengers were caused by clots on the lungs, a figure way higher than is normal in the general population.
The real cause of jet-lag is crossing time-zones. This has the effect of putting the body’s Orcadian Rhythms, which dictate what time you nod off, wake up and have meals, out of phase with the timescale of your new destination. Orcadian Rhythms are maintained by minute releases of hormones and seratonins in the blood to dictate appetite and sleep patterns. As these chemical triggers were developed when we were living in caves, it is perhaps understandable that they have difficulty adapting to travel by supersonic plane and it takes them some time to settle down to a new routine in a different time zone. Passengers flying east usually report worse symptoms, but smaller symptoms are also displayed going west and even those flying north or south or vice versa aren’t immune. Many passengers are of the opinion that day flights give you less severe jetlag, but this could be mainly because they miss less sleep while travelling.
Hopefully this article explains why you feel so exhausted after a long plane journey to your best tropical vacation spot
Ian has returned to his first love travel writing, and discovering new places to go and stay. Have a look at Beach Vacation Resorts, some great vacation spots you may not have heard about. Also check out Best Honeymoon Places where you will find some amazing places to stay worldwide for your honeymoon or romantic break
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