Joe Springfield offers some views about typical travel concerns. Our on board travel/medical enthusiast was trained at the University of Wyoming (BS), and spent many years in Cell Biology/ Pathology at the University of California, San Diego.


Please note that the information on these ship's doctor pages is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.



JET LAG


Advice for cruise passengers on jet lag and common sense health guidelines and advice to make your cruise an even happier experience.
Travelling great distances to begin a vacation can effect most people with the well known anomaly of jet lag. While most have experienced this, my guess is few have mastered the recovery. I would enjoy hearing from anyone with their own fix for this.

In recent years, researchers have realised that light can effect daily or circadian biological rhythms. The researchers found that they could reset the biological clock by exposing the waking individual to five hours of bright light at the time their body temperature was lowest. The first exposure made the circadian variations irregular; the second drastically reduced them. A third application restarted the clock as if it were daytime, regardless of actual time.

To sum this up for jet lag. Spending two days in outdoor light can reset the body's time clock. People who travel on business and spend daylight hours indoors may take a week to recover after a flight across several time zones. On that thought, if you find yourself awake during the night, by turning on a artificial light source, it may impede the adjustment of your internal clock.

Let me know what works for you. Until next time. Pleasant Dreams!
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