JET-LAG AND MOTION SICKNESS

Jet lag. Present day aircraft operating round northern and southern la titudes cross time zones at almost the same rate as the earth rotates, and it is these rapid transmeridian transitions that lead to the synd rome commonly referred to as jet lag. On arrival at their destination, individuals find themselves out of synchrony with the social and time cues of their new environment and, until they adapt, may experience s ymptoms such as malaise, gastrointestinal disturbance, loss of appetit e, tiredness during the day and poor sleep. The severity and exact nat ure of the problems vary with the direction of travel and the number o f time zones crossed, and some people react more unfavourably to inter continental travel than others. Clearly, with increasing numbers of pa ssengers undertaking such journeys, there is considerable interest in strategies to reduce the immediate effects of jet lag or to facilitate acclimatisation. Motion sickness is a generic term which embraces sea sickness, airsickness, carsickness, space sickness etc, names that ide ntify the provocative environment or vehicle. It is a normal reaction of humans to exposure to certain motion stimuli that occur during pass ive transportation.