For those of whose fly many of us will not only have to cope with travel sickness but may also have to cope with Jet lag. Jet lag can be a menace it can cause insomnia, headaches, irritability, a lack of concentration, dry eyes and a sore throat. If we are going on a short trip but doing a long haul destination then Jet lag can be a big problem, some experts believe that it can take a day to recover for each time zone that is crossed.

Jet lag is experienced by those travellers who cross one or several time zones and can affect people in many different ways.

Time zones are specific regions of the earth that have adopted the same standard Time generally referred to as the local time. Most time zones adjacent to each other are exactly one hour apart and due to convention set their time as an offset from GMT.

The earth is separated into 24 sections each bordered by a Meridian each of which is 15° of longitude apart. Sometimes political or geographical practicalities result in irregularly shaped zones or can be due to seasonal variations and historic reasons such as daylight saving Time or British summer Time.

Jet lag is a physiological condition and is related to rhythm sleep disorders and results from rapid crossing of Meridian's. This condition may last many days but is generally recognised as being recoverable for one day for each Meridian crossed. This condition is not related to the length of the flight but to the distance travelled across meridians.

How to reduce jet lag

It is advisable to get a good deal of sleep and rest before your journey. Also try to get rest throughout the flight and sleep as much as possible, if this in tune with your destination time zone. It may also be helpful to arrive at your destination at the time which you would normally go to sleep.

Exposure to light particularly sunlight is known to reset it also circadian rhythms, it is therefore important to become as active as possible at your destination and adapt your meals and sleeping times to that of the local destination. You may find it useful to change your watch to local time although people on regular medication may need to check with their doctor the implications of this. Other people set their alarm clocks and find cat napping helpful.

Top tips for preventing Jet lag:
- Avoid alcohol
- Avoid caffeine
- Try and avoid meetings for the day that you land
- Take some exercise
- Expose yourself to as much natural light as possible
- Although you may have a poor night sleep try and avoid spending the rest of the day in bed. Getting up will mean that you will adjust more quickly!
- Try and make sure that you are able to get a goodnight sleep, by having somewhere warm and comfortable on your arrival. earplugs may help!

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