h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As there are lots of travellers around here, some advice on jet lag might come in handy:

http://www.h2g2.com/A435458

greetings,
Bossel

I like it Bossel Should be able to be made into an Edited Guide Entry nae bother One thing, didn't they try some 'cure' involving a giant bank of ultrapowerful lights. Trying to kick the bodyclock into the 'correct' time? Well, until later...
BCNU - Crescent

Nod - good entry.

I heard about a cure based on shining lights on the back of people's knees... don't believe it, though...

I didn't hear of such a treatment (nor of its success), but some sarcastic remark on that could surely be included

I love this line here: "time zones have been set up perpendicular to the sun's virtual path along the equator." As if we could redraw our time zones parallel to the equator, and the eart would immediately accomodate our new whim...

It's a very good entry, but I think it could benefit from a bit of extra information on the circadian rhythm. It's not a widely-known term... in fact, when I used the term to describe my own body's reaction to working on the late shift, my coworkers gave me a blank stare. I think it would also help people understand the medical implications of jet lag. Also, I noticed that you mentioned the dry air on an aircraft. What isn't widely known is that the air on an aircraft has to be recycled, and thus carries much higher concentrations of CO2 than normal air. The medical effects of this would also be worth a mention. I came across some advice to travellers once that said you should always open the vent above you whether you need cooling or not... it will ensure that you get your fair share of oxygen. I don't know how much truth there is to that, but then I'm scouting, not researching.

Anyway, these are just suggestions, really... it's already a very good article, but I think it would be a little bit better.

Thanks for your comments, the entry has been amended.

Bizzarely, colonel - what you suggest has already happened. Some cruise ships back in Empire days apparently solved the time problem by keeping to GMT time throughout. Which also meant that the phenomenon of Englishmen and mid day sun was lessened...

Of course - ships go slower than 'planes...

In the Empire days it required over 20 days to make a transatlantic crossing over 4 or 5 time zones... plenty of time for the body to adjust. In modern days that trip could take as little as 4 days, but that still gives you plenty of time to adjust, since you only have to make up one hour each day.

You've made some good changes, but I have a problem with this line here: "Your inner clock is no more synchronized, ie, brain and body refuse to work properly at times they are used to relax at -- and vice versa." It's not well constructed, and is confusing to boot. Try replacing it with something like: "Your body's inner clock, which tells you when you should be eating and sleeping, gets thrown out of synch with the outside world. The result is that you find yourself wide awake with a case of the munchies at 3am, and your only option is to find the cheap restaurants where all the potheads hang out." Or something to that effect.

I'm really impressed with the amount of stuff you found from the CO2 tip... I learned something new. Keep up the good work.

After having upgraded the entry, would you please have another look at it ?

I don't think "curement" is a word...

My own (bad) suggestion - take the opportunity to pull an all-nighter : after that your body clock will be so completely, uh, forked, that the few hours due to the flight are completely irrelevant...

sounds good, thank you -- I never thought of making good use out of it!

Hear ye, hear ye! It is with great appreciation that the Powers of the Towers announce that this article, by name of Jet Lag, has been approved for the Edited Guide. All those who have contributed to it, both in forging the article itself and bringing it to perfection in the Peer review Process, are duly thanked, and can consider themselves very cool people.

The Powers of the Towers ask to take notice of the fact the Editing Process, which follows the Peer Review and the subsequent Aproval, is a demanding task with a great grinding of gears and hevay churning of overheated brains. Therefore, you are asked for your patience until you can bask in the glory of seeing your article on the Front Page. But it will get there, for sure. Furthermore, this thread will be moved off Peer Review and onto the Conversation Space for the Jet Lag article, since it is... approved.

You say that jet lag is experienced in both East to West and West to East journeys. But it is much worse in one of these than the other. My own experience of one transatlantic flight was that there was no jet lag going east to west, but the jet lag was awful on the West to East journey. As far as I know this is a general phenomenon.

Editorial Note: This thread has been moved out of the Peer Review forum because this entry has now been recommended for the Edited Guide.