Growing Tired of Jet Lag
I do not believe in "jet lag." I do not buy that "jet lag" can last many days, and that in order to recover you need at least 1 day per time zone traveled. It's another scheme brought to you by the sleep industry.
I'm not saying that flying for 18 hours is not going to make you tired, I just think that any effect of a flight can be cured by a good night's sleep, following the landing. I do not agree with the proponents of jet lag, who think a 10 hour flight from Europe to South Africa is shielded from jet lag because no time zone is crossed. I think any 10 hour flight would cause sluggishness wouldn't you? But most importantly, the science of sleep, and circadian rhythms for that matter, is still highly unknown. More things that bother me about the term, is that the wikipedia entry for "jet lag" is suspiciously small, maybe because it is a farce and there isn't enough proof!
I think many people experience "jet lag" because they have been constrained by the time zones they live in. It plays to a mental psyche that tries to excuse itself for being tired. People are wired to believe that time zones are correct time, when in fact everyone has their own personal clock. Everyone is different physically, some people can survive on 5 hours of sleep a day, while others depend on 10. The lifestyle you lead also affects your true sense of time. Some jobs require working the night shifts, or rising at dawn, you just can't assume working from 9am to 5pm is "correct."
In fact, I believe flying can be one of the most time efficient things you can do in your life ixnay gamma rays. As determined by the twin-paradox, with the power of gravitational time dilation, the faster you move, the slower time passes for you. Just think that if you flew through enough time zones, you can arrive somewhere "yesterday." Of course, you have not time traveled, you are just taking advantage of rules of the world you live in.
I'm not saying that flying for 18 hours is not going to make you tired, I just think that any effect of a flight can be cured by a good night's sleep, following the landing. I do not agree with the proponents of jet lag, who think a 10 hour flight from Europe to South Africa is shielded from jet lag because no time zone is crossed. I think any 10 hour flight would cause sluggishness wouldn't you? But most importantly, the science of sleep, and circadian rhythms for that matter, is still highly unknown. More things that bother me about the term, is that the wikipedia entry for "jet lag" is suspiciously small, maybe because it is a farce and there isn't enough proof!
I think many people experience "jet lag" because they have been constrained by the time zones they live in. It plays to a mental psyche that tries to excuse itself for being tired. People are wired to believe that time zones are correct time, when in fact everyone has their own personal clock. Everyone is different physically, some people can survive on 5 hours of sleep a day, while others depend on 10. The lifestyle you lead also affects your true sense of time. Some jobs require working the night shifts, or rising at dawn, you just can't assume working from 9am to 5pm is "correct."
The logic behind the standard work day has always puzzled me. I mean, if everyone worked from 9am to 5pm, when would shopping get done? How could you go out to dinner, or even see a movie? Or maybe this explains why so little work gets done at work, everyone is running their own errands when they should be working! Clearly, our modern world could not exist with the strict regimen of the standard workday. It is a flawed generalization that cannot be applied to everyone.
In fact, I believe flying can be one of the most time efficient things you can do in your life ixnay gamma rays. As determined by the twin-paradox, with the power of gravitational time dilation, the faster you move, the slower time passes for you. Just think that if you flew through enough time zones, you can arrive somewhere "yesterday." Of course, you have not time traveled, you are just taking advantage of rules of the world you live in.
Once you realize your time is thine own, how can you lag? Hence, the next time you are flying think about how much time you are saving, and if you are taking a red-eye, even better.
