Add A "More Detailed Understanding" Is Needed

The older you get, the worse the effects from frequent long-haul flights have on your body. That's the summation of a report published Thursday in a British medical journal... adding younger fliers can't escape from the detrimental effects crossing several time zones can have on their bodies, either.

The Lancet reports flight crews who often take long journeys don't 'get used to' the effects of jet lag -- such as poor sleep, irritability, stomach problems and decreased mental acuity -- as was popularly believed. No matter how often they fly long-haul routes, crews and passengers alike face a wide range of medical difficulties, ranging from a decrease in athletic performance to short-term psychiatric impairments.

Women travelers may also experience distruptions in their menstrual cycle, which can lead to other health issues down the road.

Older frequent-fliers experience the problems to a greater degree, but all are affected, according to Jim Waterhouse, who authored the report along with two associates from the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University. And the more time zones are crossed, the worse the effects are.

"If the journey crosses fewer than about three time zones, then jet lag is unlikely to be a major difficulty for most people," the authors write, according to Reuters Health.

The report also states the effects are greater on eastbound flights than flights to the west -- in other words, it's healthier to jump ahead than fall back.

There is no cure for jet lag, but there are measures travelers can take to try to lessen its effects. Long-haul fliers should seek or avoid sunlight at their destination -- depending on whether they're heading west or east -- to sync their internal clocks sooner. Exercising and/or drinking caffeinated beverages may also help, the report adds.

The researchers state a "more detailed understanding of the molecular changes associated with time zone changes" is needed, "...with a view to developing drugs to promote clock adjustment and further assessments of new sleep-promoting and alertness-promoting drugs."

FMI: www.ljmu.ac.uk/