The Tripsters: "Drink lots of water but lay off the booze"

By COLIN MOORE

A whopping 85 per cent of Herald Tripsters suffer from jet lag but most have found simple ways to combat the problem.

The most common remedy advocated is to abstain from alcohol while flying and to drink lots of water.

Catherine Smith, of Auckland, prevents jet lag by drinking "masses of water, walking, no alcohol and very little food on board."

She says she is not a good sleeper so now she takes her own pillow, eye shades, ear plugs and lavender oil.

These comforts help her to adjust to the local schedule as soon as she arrives at her destination.

Most Tripsters recommend getting into synch with local time as soon as possible.

That means resisting the urge to nap on arrival. The best approach is to stay awake until bedtime at the destination and then to take a sleeping pill on the first night to ensure a sound sleep.

Patricia Walton, of Hamilton, recommends the homeopathic remedy No-Jet-Lag, which can be bought from chemists. Exercise and sunshine are other cures advocated.

Bright sunshine helps to convince the body clock to readjust to a new time.

Research suggests that taking tiny doses of the synthetic hormone melatonin, as well as sunshine, helps the readjustment.

Some of the Tripsters have been prescribed melatonin by their doctor and found it works.

But some Tripsters consider jet lag to be the travel variety of an urban myth, attributing the symptoms to other factors.

"We feel that a lot of what is attributed to jet lag is actually tiredness caused by a busy time before departure," says Colleen Hodges, of Auckland.

"We also avoid any ill-effects from travelling by sticking to local meal and sleep times when we arrive at our destination."