G'day, I'm Jesse Crowe, The Travelling Scientist, here in Prague, Czechia,
and today I'm going to be teaching you guys about the science of jet lag.
Have you ever experienced jet lag? Confusion, fatigue, headaches, even gut problems
are just some of the symptoms that we can get after taking long-haul flights.
People pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for these long-distance flights
and they get off at the other end feeling like death!
You might as well just pay someone to beat the crap out of you.
But wait, don't do that! maybe we look into the science of jet lag,
we might be able to save ourselves in the future.
See, the earth is split into 24 time zones because it's rotating 15 degrees every hour
and the Sun moves along our surface from east to west,
but when we travel across several of these time zones
during a long flight our bodies get a little bit confused.
That's because our bodies have what's called a circadian rhythm
WORD of the DAY!
circadian means a biological process which recurs every 24 hours.
So our circadian rhythm helps us to feel awake in the daytime and sleepy at night time.
But traveling across several different time zones can upset our circadian rhythm
and we need to find ways of resetting our body clock. So how can we do that?
At night time our eyes respond to the darkness by telling our brains to produce melatonin,
a hormone which makes us feel tired and prepares the body for sleep.
Many studies have shown that melatonin supplements can be used effectively
to reduce the symptoms of jet lag.
By taking melatonin after dark, it helps your body to understand that
it's night time and promotes sleep. Unfortunately in Australia you need a
prescription for melatonin, but you can easily get one just by asking your
doctor and telling him you're going on a long-haul flight.
But looking ahead, travellers can rejoice in the knowledge that new
jet lag specific drugs are currently being created. You see there's a few compounds in our body that
strictly regulate our circadian rhythm, and it is thought that by relaxing these
compounds during long-haul flights we might be able to speed up the body's adjustment to a new time zone.
these compounds which could be targeted by the new jet lag drugs include vasopressin,
an enzyme called SIK-1, and even serotonin. And these jet lag drugs should be coming
on to the market in the next five years so keep an eye out for those.
FUN FACT!
The length of time spent flying isn't what causes jet lag
but the time zones crossed. So if you're flying north or south you won't experience any jet lag,
Just good old airline food!
Jet lag can't be avoided, but if you don't want to take melatonin and
you can't wait for these new jet lag drugs to become released,
I've put together six tips that will really help you minimize the symptoms of jet lag
Tip number 1: keep hydrated. When you're sitting in a warm dry environment
for a long time, it's easy to become dehydrated and your body needs water to live. FACT!
Tip number 2: Avoid caffeine, alcohol and sleeping pills.
Caffeine and sleeping pills will mess with your circadian rhythm and it's already having enough trouble dealing with the time differences.
And I know it's tempting to have a few beers or wines when you take off,
and if it's all free, why not skip straight to the spirits? But that alcohol is just going to contribute to a crappy feeling later.
Also caffeine and alcohol both contribute to dehydration, which is bad. FACT!
Tip number 3: Exercise and move around. I talked about this in my Vienna Vlog.
The human body was not meant to be kept still for more than a few hours.
And I know they want you to stay buckled into your seat as much as possible
and become a zombie in front of that little screen... but SCREW THEM!
Get up out of your seat, walk around, stretch, do a little dance, whatever you need to do.
Go to the bathroom, even if you don't really need to. It's not healthy to sit down for so long. FACT!
Tip number 4: Try to sleep. It's not that comfortable, it's not a bed,
but your body cannot function without sleep. After you've had a big drink of water,
something to eat and a nice stretch, do anything you can to get comfortable and have a nap.
Even a few hours of sleep is better than nothing. FACT!
Tip number 5: get sunlight. When you arrive you need to reset your circadian rhythm
and the best way to do that is with natural light cues. Sunlight will tell your brain to stay awake and help readjust your body clock.
And tip number 6: don't go to bed until bedtime.
When it does get dark at your new destination...What are you doing?
Don't go out! Go to bed, have a big sleep, you really need it.
And if you followed those six steps, when you finally wake up after your long-haul flight
you should feel okay, and you'll be well on your way to readjusting your body clock
to the new time zone, which will minimize jet lag and make you feel good.
And that's how science is going to help you minimize jet lag. So there you go!
Jet lag is unavoidable, but melatonin can be used to reduce the effects
and new medicines that will treat jet lag will be released in the next few years.
But if you want to take a more natural approach to reducing jet lag,
just follow my six steps and you'll be travelling like a lord in no time!
Thanks so much for watching guys! if you liked it, feel free to click the like button.
And feel free to comment or discuss in the comments section below.
Oh...Sorry... Travelling Scientist... Yes Mr. Prime Minister! Sorry, I'm gonna have to take this.
I'll see you guys next time
uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh? Really? so the snakes are fighting back huh?
My god! They're at it again well that's interesting
How many platypi? How many millions? Ten million? That many? I don't believe it!
Well I'll get right back to Australia this minute!
You want me to bring you back a gift? You want what???
Well, that is a big ask Mr. Prime Minister!
1 million...minimum. No I'm afraid that's final...
Yes I know it's important. No, YOU can suck a lemon. No No No,
I'll call you back Mr. Prime Minister!
mmm...that's good vodka...