The researchers believe that these simple steps will help you stay alert and full of energy even after a long trip.
For most people, the prospect of a long-distance move hardly looks appealing: A 19-hour flight or bus ride can be exhausting. However, each of us would like to be cheerful and full of energy after such a long trip, and scientists believe that this is quite possible, but you need to know some of the nuances, Science Alert writes.
According to Lee Signal, professor of fatigue management and sleep health/associate dean for research at Massey University, the main thing to do is to lower expectations a bit.
People are really not adapted for sleeping in an upright position. For example, earlier studies have shown that pilots who have to sleep on a bed during in-flight rest breaks sleep lightly and fragmentarily. However, the results of the study also show that pilots, despite poor sleep, perform very well throughout the long-distance flight. Thus, scientists have concluded that even a small amount of light sleep is beneficial.
Professor Signal also notes that not only the duration of the flight, but also the consumption of alcohol and caffeine will affect the quality of your sleep and fatigue. However, if you have adjusted to the time zone from which the flight departs, daytime flights will make sleeping on board much more difficult, while nighttime flights will make it easier to sleep.
The fact is that all humans have a circadian timekeeping system that is responsible for our internal clocks, and thus programs us to sleep at night and stay awake during the day. If we go against this biological system by changing the time of sleep and wakefulness, it can lead to serious problems.
Signal notes that on night flights, it will actually be easier to fall asleep, and therefore be more rested in the morning. However, it’s important to remember that caffeine works as a stimulant, and it doesn’t depend on how often we drink it. Alcohol, on the other hand, makes us drowsy. However, this drink, unfortunately, prevents our brain from working in REM sleep. Although you may fall asleep more easily after drinking alcohol, your sleep will be more disrupted as your body metabolizes the alcohol and tries to catch up in REM sleep.
At the same time, some people believe that taking sleeping pills or melatonin can help them sleep on an airplane. However, Signal notes that this is extremely individual. Before using sleeping pills or melatonin, you should consult a doctor and use only what you have been prescribed. The thing is, some sleeping pills don’t allow you to fall asleep properly and can make you feel drowsy and weak when you wake up. At the same time, taking melatonin biologically in the daytime and evening will shift your circadian timekeeping system, which can be a problem later on.
Signal notes that the best preparation for a long flight is to collect things that can make your life easier. Specifically, we are talking about an eye patch that can dim the light and earplugs that muffle sounds. It’s also a good idea to take a pillow that will help you relax your neck, as relaxation itself is an important condition for falling asleep.
