Beating Jet Lag

(Published on 27 February 2007 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Been travelling a lot lately and as a result groggy eyed and bit spaced out. Most unlike a Miss Know-All to be in such a state, sweeties… it almost feels as though I am sleep walking all day long or perpetually stoned. While I packed yet another suitcase and headed to the airport – I decided to find out how one could beat jet lag.

The term jet lag is often used to describe the general exhaustion of travelling. That is technically incorrect if there is no change in time zone. Jet lag is a physiological condition which is a consequence of trans-meridian travel and happens as a result of changes to the body rhythm. Alterations in work shifts can also result in a similar condition. In medical terms this symptom is called desynchronosis or dysrhythmia.

Jet lag occurs because the body cannot adjust to changes in rhythm. A person’s body gets used to the daylight rhythms it is habituated to. The body clock of a person travelling across time zones goes out of sync with the destination time. As a result it experiences daylight contrary to the rhythms it is familiar to. The condition is not linked to the length of the flight, but to the trans-meridian distance travelled. Travelling east is worse as it accelerates the passage through time. Travelling west gives additional hours and as such can be easier to adjust to.

The symptoms of jet lag can be quite varied. People are known to experience headaches, fatigue, dehydration and loss of appetite, insomnia, grogginess, nausea and upset stomach. The quickness with which the body readjusts itself to the new rhythm in its new environment depends from person to person. Young individuals adjust faster. Physical fitness also helps. Here are a few tips to beat jet lag:

4Seasoned travellers set their clock to the destination time zone, as soon as it is practical.

4Flights should be scheduled so that you arrive well in advance. If you lack luxury of time then travelling westward would be a better option. Studies show that flying westwards causes less jet lag than flying eastwards.

4In day time flights it is advisable to stay awake and keep mentally active. Exercise as much as you can on the flight; stretch, walk down the aisles or rotate your feet.

4On long haul flights that entail travelling during the night it is advisable to get some sleep on the plane. The timing of this should be decided in advance so that some meals on board can be missed. Depending on the length of the flight, sleep until the breakfast time of your place of destination.

4To compensate for the dry air on board, re-hydration is advised. Intake of water and fruit juices is recommended. Fizzy drinks and alcohol should be avoided.

4Avoid coffee. Caffeine stimulates water loss as well as keeps you awake.

4The last meal prior to the time allotted for sleep should be high in carbohydrates and low in protein in order to induce drowsiness.

4On reaching your destination try and fit in immediately with the new environment. There may be other environmental factors to consider such as heat, humidity or even altitude. If one has travelled westward, one should retire to bed early.

4In this period of adaptation - alcohol taken late in the evening is likely to disrupt sleep and as such is not advised.

4Taking drugs can alter biological clocks, depending on the time they are taken. Coffee and tea are stimulants. Taken in the evening they would help in recovery after flying eastward and in the afternoon after flying westward.

4Exercise speeds up the adaptation to a new time zone. Exercise at a light intensity is adequate for stimulating synchronization to new rhythms. Exercise that is too strenuous may disrupt rather than promote sleep.

Jet lag generally lasts a few days. A recovery rate of ‘one day per time zone’ is the suggested guideline. However, not too many of us zigzagging across the globe can give ourselves a day to recover and recharge our batteries. To think of it pretties, even if I did get an extra day to recover from jet lag – I’d rather be at the closest mall, shopping till I dropped dead… than be holed up in my hotel room getting paranoid about my body and its daylight rhythms! A cup of strong coffee… and I’ll be fine.


Miss Know-All
miss.know.all@gmail.com

Crazy about walnuts...

(Published on 20 February 2007 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

My neighbour has a terrific photogenic memory. Aunt Sheila will not only remember what you served her for a meal ten years ago but will also recollect the colour of the table mats you had used. While I struggled with dates, she would remember the exact date on which her third born lost his fourth tooth. I needled her to reveal her secret – and all she came up with was – walnuts! Aunt Sheila believed that as walnuts looked like the brain – they were good for the brain. Now I truly don’t know whether there’s much truth in that – but I did decide to research a bit and find out why she was so nuts about walnuts!

Walnuts are the rounded, single-seeded stone fruits of the walnut tree which is a member of the Juglandaceae family. The walnut is enclosed in a green, leathery husk which is inedible. Inside the husk is the wrinkly walnut shell, which is in two halves, and encloses the kernel. The Romans considered certain nuts to be food of the gods. During the Renaissance, walnuts were used to treat head ailments because of their close resemblance to the brain. (That explains where my Aunt Sheila got her facts from.) Walnuts grow in France, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, India, China, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Walnuts need to be dried after harvesting. However, fresh walnuts taste a lot better than ones that have been kept for long. Walnuts can be over-dried, which spoils their flavour and makes them taste rancid.

Is eating a handful of walnuts every day one of the easiest ways to improve ones diet and health? The latest news about walnuts will make you want to – well, go nuts! When eaten as a part of a healthful diet, walnuts promote healthy cholesterol levels and healthy arteries. Walnuts have been identified as one of 14 ‘Super Foods’ because of their high omega-3 content. Walnuts are the only nut that contain a significant amount of omega-3s. No other nut matches the nutrition value of a walnut! They are low in saturated fats, have no cholesterol, and are high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (the good fats) which can lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels (LDL). Walnuts also contain iron, minerals and fibre, and contain no sugar. People who ate nuts once a week are known to have a 25% less chance of a heart disease than people who avoided nuts completely.

Walnuts are also known for their high antioxidant activity. Antioxidants help counteract the effects of oxidation, a process that is constantly occurring in the body. Naturally occurring antioxidant enzymes work to protect our cells and our DNA from oxidative damage. Oxidative stress occurs when the body’s natural defences can’t keep up with oxidative damage. Daily processes like breathing, eating, exposure to pollution, and over-exposure to sunlight can all create oxidative stress. One way to combat oxidative stress is to eat more antioxidant-rich foods, like walnuts.

Dr. Steven Pratt, Scripps Memorial Hospital, San Diego, and author of the best-selling book “Super Foods Rx” recommends including the nutrient-rich walnuts in our daily diet to promote good health and longevity. In his words: “What’s the single easiest, most delicious and health-promoting snack food on the planet? My vote goes to walnuts…”

I’ve started seeing a close resemblance between squirrels and my Aunt Sheila. They both have very prominent incisors, are quick and sharp in their reactions and above all the two of them love nibbling at nuts all day long!

Miss Know-All
miss.know.all@gmail.com

Are you addicted to email?

(Published on 6 February 2007 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

This is a confession. I have to admit that I am addicted to email. The first thing I do in the morning before I even brush my teeth is to check my mail box. The last thing I do before jumping into bed at night is to quickly check on my email. If for some reason I am unable to get online before hitting the pillow – I am restless all through the night… believing that there’s something lurking in the shadows of the virtual world. A feeling of uncertainty at what awaits me in my mailbox engulfs me. An uneasy fear.

Before you guffaw and pass off this write up as just another writer whining and wanting to turn yet another non-issue into an issue… think again for I am not alone. Many people suffer with what psychiatrists call – addiction to email!

Dilbert, the comic strip character once complained to Dogbert, “I’m addicted to email. My endorphins spike when I get a message. And when there are no messages, loneliness and despair overcome me.” Though over-the-top, Dilbert’s feelings are quite common. A lot of internet users today look to the web for solace and company. According to a study, nearly 41 percent of adults in America clamber out of bed and check their email first thing in the morning. What’s even more amazing is that more and more people now believe that it is unthinkable to go beyond two or three days without a virtual fix!

Email addiction can be compared to drug addiction. All the symptoms of addiction are present. There is a rush when one hears the sound of an email alert… and withdrawal symptoms come into play in the form of depression when the inbox is empty. An email addict has a perpetual craving to be wired. How else would you explain travellers on transit rushing to internet cafes or to wi-fi enabled locations at an airport?

Office goers are known to work right through the day with their mail boxes open – with one eye (or ear in the case of an email alert) firmly planted on the inbox. This has resulted in chronic multi-tasking and as a result shrinking attention spans. What we fail to realise is that this addiction to email has a devastating effect on one essential thing: productivity. If you’d like to enhance your productivity, give up the tendency to multi-task—and stop checking and rechecking your email inbox in the midst of other assignments.

It is wise to look for rehabilitation to counter any addiction. Email addiction cannot be taken lightly. For email addiction there are solutions short of rehab. Here are some tips to help loosen the grip of the ‘web’ noose:

g Emails are supposed to ease and streamline communication. Work with your email, not against it. Make the system you have chosen work in your favour and to suit your requirements.

g Send certain messages, like greetings, thank you notes and congratulatory notes by snail mail. Alternatively, take the help of the organiser to pre- plan and send these messages at an earlier date.

g Set a rigid email timeframe. This is difficult and requires immense will power. Enforce rules and convince yourself that email is not allowed before or after the set timings.

g Turn off the ‘ding’ sound that alerts you to new messages. It can be distracting and an annoying interruption.

g Try to close up email shop completely for a few days. As a rule not accessing your emails over week-ends is a good start.

I’ve made up my mind. I am going to turn a new leaf. I am not going to let myself turn into another internet junky! I am glad I have been able to extract myself before I got entangled in the vicious World Wide Web.


Miss Know-All
miss.know.all@gmail.com