One of the most common questions asked to aviation professionals is ‘How can I get over jet lag?’ If you’ve ever had the misfortune of suffering from jet lag, you’ll understand how challenging it is, so how do aviation professionals travel on continuous long-distance flights?
What Is Jet Lag?
The human body operates on a circadian rhythm where light determines whether it’s time to be awake or asleep. When the eye cells detect low light, it sends a message to a tiny organ in the brain called the pineal gland, which thus releases the sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin.
Crossing numerous time zones creates an imbalance in your rhythm which the body typically takes one day per time zone passed through to adjust.
How long can jet lag last? This depends on various factors and the lifestyle of the person experiencing it.
When your internal body clock is thrown out of sync and the jet lag kicks in, it typically leaves you in a zombie-like state, manifesting through poor concentration, irritable behavior, and disrupted sleep patterns.
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Aviation jobs require you to put in hours without a proper schedule and that definitely makes you prone to jet lag most of the time. If you are looking for a cure for jet lag, keep reading to know some ideas.
9 Tricks to Beat Jet Lag
Despite being within their job roles, pilots and cabin crew aren’t immune to the effects of jet lag. Call it an occupational hazard but aviation professionals just have to manage it as best they can. Most pilots are provided with education on ways to avoid jet lag through their airlines' risk management programs.
Flight regulations are in place to prevent pilots from becoming overly tired and affecting performance when flying through multiple time zones.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled our top 9 tips for beating jet lag from real aviation professionals from around the world.
1. Stay Hydrated
How to beat jet lag? It sounds cliché but drink as much water as you can before and during the flight. Cabin air is particularly dry and the body can become dehydrated fairly quickly. This results in reduced kidney functions and less blood flowing to your muscles, all of which trigger the effects of jet lag.
Being hydrated is one of the best things you can do for anyone who travels.
Looking for an additional boost? Captain Suzanne Skeeters, a long-haul commercial pilot, recommends mixing your water with powdered electrolytes containing essential minerals to keep your body at optimal balance.
2. Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine
Reaching for post-flight stimulants might seem like a good cure for jet lag but alcohol can severely disrupt your sleeping patterns. After drinking alcohol, the sleep-inducing chemical adenosine increases which speeds up the body falling asleep. However, the chemical subsides fairly quickly which can result in you waking up in the middle of the night.
It’s also advisory to limit your caffeine intake as a jet lag remedy. Deutschendorf says, “When you’re a pilot and get fatigued, even half a cup of coffee will affect you more. It will keep you more alert, as opposed to somebody who drinks coffee all day and becomes immune to it, so save the caffeine boost for when you really need it.”
3. Eat Healthy
The benefits of a healthy diet and lifestyle are well documented and experts believe that maintaining a good diet can be the best way to beat jet lag. A good mixture of protein, fruit, vegetables, and some carbs will help stabilize your blood sugar levels. A diet consisting of high sugar levels will give you a momentary high followed by a crash afterward.
Kara Mulder, a private flight attendant, advises others to prepare their healthy snacks in advance and eat them little and often. Preparing them in advance also helps you to choose healthy options during busy periods.
4. Exercise
Essentially, airline professionals need to listen to their bodies. If you’re tired, take a nap but limit the time you spend asleep. When you wake, moderate exercise will help boost your energy levels and mood while adjusting to your body’s natural rhythm.
How can you avoid jet lag? Even a brisk walk or a few press-ups in your hotel room can help keep jet lag at bay.
Exercise is the single and best way to acclimatize in my experience.
Furthermore, Kuwait Airways advises their staff to keep active during the flight by twisting, stretching, and walking up and down the aisles.
5. Get Some Sleep
When answering the question, ‘How can I get over jet lag’, this is one of the most important points.
Ensuring you have the right hotel arrangements can be crucial to finally getting that good night’s sleep. Ensure your hotel of choice is in a quiet location and that it’s cool and dark. A fully dark room ensures that you’re maximizing your restorative R.E.M. sleep.
Mimicking your usual nightly home routine will help you drift off to sleep easier and probably be the best way to manage jet lag. Ear plugs, eye mask, whatever your thing is - make sure you’re consistent.
How can you avoid jet lag? Either go to sleep at the local time for your destination or according to your usual routine at home. Flitting between the two and sleeping when you want will only prolong your adjustment period.
Civil Air Patrol cadet, Jim Gordon suggests that you should try and stick to your usual routine, even when you’re in a different time zone – however, that is probably easier said than done.
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6. Melatonin Capsules
As pilots are allowed to take no jet lag pills, some professionals opt for prescription melatonin capsules. The capsules imitate the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin which helps to reset the sleep cycle.
It kind of just quiets the thoughts in your head long enough so that you can go to sleep, but it’s not a sleeping pill, so it won’t knock you out.
7. Pack Your Vitamins
Proper intake of vitamins can be the best way to get over jet lag, especially if you’re deficient in them. Your regular medical tests can determine your deficiencies and you can manage your supplements accordingly.
Patrick Biedenkapp, a pilot from Berlin, advises others to pack turmeric water, spirulina, and vitamin D tablets in winter to compensate for the lack of sun. This jet lag remedy is required of pilots as they, in most cases, will have a Vitamin D deficiency as they are, quite often, above the clouds.
Vitamin D regulates the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, all essential nutrients to keep bones, teeth, and muscles healthy. Don’t fancy the tablets? Tuna, red meat, liver, and egg yolks are also rich in vitamin D.
8. West Is Best
So they say anyway. Aviation professionals can’t necessarily avoid traveling west, so the experts advise you to manage your sleep schedule accordingly as long flights tend to discord your sleep schedule.
One of the tips to overcome jet lag is to stay up late on the days leading up to your trip and get as much sunlight exposure as you can get during the flight. This can be the best way to overcome jet lag on long-haul flights as compared to short-haul flights, which don’t cause such jet lag effects.
9. East Is a Beast
If you’re heading east, reverse the cycle – get up as early as you can on the days leading up to your trip and avoid sunlight on the day of your trip to advance your internal clock (so don’t forget your sunglasses!) When you arrive, adjust to your new time zone by sleeping with the curtains open for the first few nights.
‘East is a beast’ was coined by airline professionals and passengers who claim that traveling east is much more challenging.
If you’re flying against the sun, it’s a lot harder on your body. If you’re going west, it just seems easier, that’s the general gist.
Conclusion
Let’s just say ‘how to beat jet lag’ is a common question for airline crew. It’s especially difficult in pilot jobs, where you might have to fly the aircraft while conquering jet lag.
Jet lag can mess with your mind if not taken care of, from time to time. It is essential to follow such tips for beating jet lag to ensure you can comfortably fly the plane without feeling dizzy or sleep-deprived.
These aviation professionals have given the best jet lag tips based on their flying experience and that is invaluable. Following these should help you get over jet lag and be ready to fly your next aircraft.
