Scientist spells jet-lag

Press, 21 December 1977, Page 25

Scientist spells jet-lag

NZPA London. New Zealanders flying to London need between eight and 13 days to recover fully from the effects of jet-lag, says a British medical scientist. A chromobiologist, Dr George Christie —who has made several detailed studies into the effects of “timezone desynchronisation,” better known as jet-lag—told the N.Z.P.A. that air travellers needed on average several days to regain biological synchronisation after long flights. Scientific studies had shown that a total recovery period of one day was needed for every 90 minutes of timechange flying west and every 60 minutes of timechange flying east. Contrary to popular belief, the actual number, of hours spent in the air, or whether passengers travelled at night or during the day, made little difference, he said. The time difference between New Zealand and Britain at present is 13 hours. Dr Christie said that a major study carried out with passengers who flew from London to the west coast of the United States, and back again, showed that people suffering from jet-lag became “inarticulate, hesitant, were twice as likely to make mistakes of judgment, and recorded sleep-loss, irritability, and indigestion.” “In spite of all the information which has been collated from morg than 20 published studies, many companies still refuse to believe or acknowledge that the problem exists,” Dr Christie said. “Some companies regard the whole thing as nonsense,” Dr Christie said, “but it is a medically scientifically proven fact.” There was no pharmaceutical panacea. The only “cure” was to allow sufficient periods of relaxation before starting work. , Dr Christie said that few studies had been made on the effect of jet-lag on sportsmen. One which had been made on the physical effects of jet-lag had shown a 7 per cent decrease in muscle strength for several days after a long flight.