Pilot's reaction to jet lag

I was studying in England. When I boarded the plane, the sky in London was orange at dawn. Six hours later, when I landed in Montreal, Canada, the sky was still orange. Let's talk about the reaction of international students to jet lag.

My body doesn't like this state at all. Everyone has his own circadian rhythm. Whether he should be energetic or sleepy depends on the light. People who often travel in different time zones are certainly familiar with the feeling of depression after the biological clock is completely out of order. At this time, it is always difficult to adapt to the rapid change of light and dark cycle.

This leads to jet lag, which is a phenomenon caused by the disruption of circadian rhythm. For most people, the most intuitive feeling is that the whole person is listless, sleepy, in a bad mood and easily agitated like a zombie. "Our biological clock is not set according to 24 hours. Unfortunately, exposure to light at the wrong time can cause your social sleep schedule to be out of touch with your biological clock. " Irene e Flynn-Evans, a member of the fatigue countermeasure team of the national aeronautics and space administration (NASA), said.

This is caused by the rapid change of time zone caused by the high-speed flight of aircraft.

But some people experience this huge physical impact every day, such as pilots and aircrew. So, how do they solve the jet leg? Are they immune to this problem?

"Pilots feel the same as us, but they usually receive special training and learn how to seize every opportunity to have a proper rest." Flynn Evans said. Most airlines have fatigue risk management plans to help pilots cope with jet lag-when pilots feel jet lag is too strong to safely perform their flight tasks, they can even take a "fatigue leave".

The reason is not that the flight distance is too far, but that the flight speed is too fast.

This kind of training can help pilots find the method that suits them best-and make it routine through persistent training. "At the beginning of the long flight, I asked the senior captain how to deal with the jet lag effect. They almost unanimously said,' I don't think it matters-you must find the most effective method for you.' Mark Van Hornaker, a British Airways pilot and author of the Sunday Times bestseller Air Travel: A Pilot's Journey, said.

Flynn Evans specializes in providing astronauts with ways to deal with the jet lag effect-these suggestions also apply to ordinary passengers. First of all, you should always think about your travel direction, because it determines the time for your nap and when you should consider taking supplements such as synthetic melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that can help the human body maintain the sleep cycle. Artificial melatonin is a popular substitute for sleeping pills (although whether it really helps to alleviate the jet lag effect is still controversial).

Most people find it easier to adapt to time zone changes by flying from east to west than from west to east. Lawrence recht, a neuroscientist, found that when the team went to the East, it often lost one more point than in the normal state when he studied the game records of the 19 MLB team1991993 season.

Therefore, Flynn Evans said that if your flight is from west to east, you'd better get up early a few days in advance and turn on the bright lights. You should try to avoid the light on the day of your trip-wearing a pair of sunglasses will help-in order to set your biological clock fast. After arriving at the destination, in order to get enough light, I have to open the curtains to sleep a few days ago.

But if you chase the sun from east to west, you should stay up late before you leave, and be exposed to the light at night to slow down your biological clock. You don't need to wear sunglasses on the plane-try to absorb the light. "These light effects are relative to your biological clock, so if you go from Los Angeles to new york, you should keep your watch at Los Angeles time to ensure that you can be exposed to bright light in the morning in new york, but not earlier than 3 am in Los Angeles time. This is a trick, because you should adjust your biological clock according to the time zone where you leave, not the time zone where you arrive. "

Some pilots will keep the timetable of their hometown throughout the journey.

Stephen Dyers, a long-distance pilot and a flight safety expert of the British Civil Aviation Pilots Association (BALPA), suggested that you should drink plenty of water and have a light diet on the plane, but you must choose the right time and try not to ingest caffeine or other irritants.

Wan Honek said that personally, "1 1 dot rule" can play its best role once it reaches its destination. "If I can get to the hotel room or go home in the morning 1 1, I can take a nap for an hour or two. Then I will stick to normal sleep time. But whether I sleep on the road or not, as long as I feel tired in the afternoon, a nap can help-it only takes 20 minutes to achieve good results. Don't forget to set the alarm clock. "

He added that exercise is also a good idea-when you finally lie in bed, it can help you get rid of fatigue and improve the quality of sleep. He will find a place full of green on the first day of his arrival, even a park in a nearby residential area. "I believe that even a few more steps will help-that's why I usually don't use the airport escalator, especially after getting off the plane."

But not all pilots will adopt his method. Some pilots prefer to stick to the original schedule after leaving their own time zone-but this method may not be suitable for most business travelers, because they must be consistent with the schedule of their destination.

Betty Thesky is a flight attendant, and she has also written a book called Betty in the Sky. Thursky flies from America to Europe at least once a week. Unlike the pilot, she said that she and other crew members did not receive any special training to deal with the jet lag effect-so she studied her own method to deal with this problem. "After I arrive in Europe in the morning, I will sleep for a few hours. Then, even if I want to continue to sleep, I will force myself to get up. " She said.

In order to stay awake, she will drink some coffee, then listen to cheerful music and exercise in the hotel room for a while. "You can use Bee Gee's" Living "as background music, and then do jumping, sit-ups, push-ups and handstands, which will bring unexpected refreshing effects. After that, I'm going shopping. " If you happen to have a swimming pool at your destination, it will certainly help to relieve all kinds of fatigue and discomfort of sitting in a small seat after a long trip.

It is difficult for some short-distance pilots to adapt to the fatigue caused by long-distance travel.

Experts from NASA's fatigue management team say that on average, travelers need one day to adapt to each time zone. But with some skills, Wanhoneke can shorten the adaptation time of each time zone to about 2 hours a day. Therefore, it only takes him three days to adapt to the six-hour time zone change.

Sometimes we know we should sleep, but we can't sleep at all. Wan Honek said that under such circumstances, it is entirely possible to take this opportunity to grasp this unusual opportunity and experience the unique customs of a city. He once had such an unforgettable experience: in order to enjoy breakfast, he once ran to the quiet beach in Los Angeles at 5 am, waiting for a coffee shop to open. And whenever he thinks of Hong Kong, he always sees the scene after the dead of night in his mind.