SWEET TRAVEL DREAMS

On this morning when the clocks spring forward, sleep patterns of many readers have been disrupted, resulting in a mild kind of jet lag.  Everyone knows that jet lag is what travelers get when they pass through too many time zones in a day. The symptoms include disorientation, irritability, profound fatigue and insomnia. In short, jet lag can leave you feeling your worst just when you want and need to feel your best.

A recognized medical malaise, jet lag is caused by disruptions in one's circadian rhythms. Studies show that travelers who smoke, have rigid eating habits, pack at the last minute, rush to catch planes and fly from west to east through time zones are likely to suffer the most severe symptoms.  Modern jet-lag cures rely on high-tech approaches involving bright lights or on medications such as melatonin or ambien, but most travelers follow a simpler strategy. When flying west to east, they avoid food and drink that will make it harder for them to sleep on arrival. When they fly the other way, they stretch their day with a few cups of caffeinated coffee or tea.  Government researchers have developed a diet plan to help travelers minimize the effects of jet lag. The trick is to prepare the body for the time change by alternating feast and fast days. Three days before departure, eat hearty, high-protein, high-carbohydrate foods. The next day, eat sparingly and stick to fruits, salads and light soups. The day before the trip is another feast day, and the day of travel is a fast day. The first day there is a feast day. Many travelers report the diet does work, but it also requires a significant amount of planning in those generally hectic days before a long journey.  The ability to sleep on an airplane sometimes seems genetic in origin. Some travelers can nod off as soon as the plane's wheels leave the ground. Others find it impossible to get any rest at all, no matter how long the flight. Travelers use many tricks and techniques to blot out all the sleep distractions of an airplane cabin. Go easy on the alcohol and caffeine in flight, but do drink lots of water and fruit juices. Bring along an eye mask, ear plugs or earphones, and an inflatable pillow. Another good technique is to find a way to fly in a class other than coach. Sardines almost never look well-rested.  Upon reaching your destination, try to adjust your sleep schedule as quickly as possible to the local time. If arriving early in the day, avoid collapsing in bed. If you must take a nap, keep it short and try to get a bit of fresh air and daylight before you do. If possible, go to sleep when it gets dark, and try to wake up at your normal time the following morning.  Jet lag may be a bad dream for travelers, but trips don't have to be trans-Atlantic to disrupt one's sleep patterns. In fact, many people have trouble falling asleep anytime they're not safe and snug in their own beds. Combine that difficulty with other in-transit stresses, and travelers, both novice and expert, sometimes find themselves tossing and turning all night.  Here are hints for getting a good night's sleep when away from home.  Whenever traveling, try as much as possible to stick to your normal daily routines. Keeping your body tuned to its regular rhythms will, more than any medicine, help you get a good night's sleep. Avoid late-night caffeine and large meals, neither of which are conducive to a restful night. Also, make a special effort to fit some form of physical activity into every day.  Insomniacs should make a special point to request a quiet hotel room on a high floor away from street noises and elevator shafts. Bringing ear plugs and eye masks can be very helpful. Some travelers also lug along electronic "white noise" devices that soak up stray sounds, while soft music or even static on the radio can soothe others into slumber. Several hotel chains, including Hilton, are introducing special "quiet rooms" in their guest room inventories.  If you're allergic to feather pillows, try slipping it into a plastic dry-cleaning bag under the pillowcase. Or request a foam pillow. It's no shame that many otherwise worldly travelers find comfort bringing a familiar sleep object from home. A few even go so far as to pack their own pillows. And, of course, any tonic or technique you use to relax at home will come in handy on the road.  Sleeping pills should be your last resort, especially those that contain Benadryl, which can leave you groggy in the morning. Or worse. Several recent presidential diplomatic gaffes have been attributed to the post-travel effects of sleeping tablets. As an alternative, take two aspirin.  On many shorter trips, the trick is not getting to sleep, but staying awake and alert for long hours at a time.  For example, catching a pre-dawn flight to make a mid-morning business meeting won't work if fatigue makes your eyelids droop during the meeting. Sleep experts agree that with training, most of us can stay awake for as long as two days straight with little loss of intellectual function. Proper diet, exercise, mental stimulation and will power can overcome occasional, short-term fatigue.  The most sensible way to be at your best for a morning meeting is to arrive at your destination the night before. If that's not possible, keep the following in mind.  In physiological terms, staying awake and alert is dependent on maintaining a steady supply of blood and oxygen to the brain. If catching an early morning flight, eat a hearty, protein-rich breakfast before you get on the plane. If you feel drowsy during the flight, take a nap. Drink plenty of fluids. Fruit juice or water are best, but a cup or two of coffee or tea will be fine. Don't overdo either the caffeine or sugar. Both can upset your stomach, unsettle your nerves and leave you feeling edgy.  Most over-the-counter, anti-sleep cures rely on caffeine. Avoid drugs with amphetamines, which can cause you to distort information and make mistakes. Tobacco and alcohol both cut oxygen to tissues in the heart and brain. Finally, make a point to get up and move around during a flight.

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