Jet Lag Reduction a Goal of Lag: A Look at Circadian Desynchronization

Sept. 28, 2008 - PRLog -- Lag: A Look at Circadian Desynchronization, by Bill Ragan, M.S., was written in response to research that focused on a recent increase in complaints of jet lag. This increase, Ragan found, came from higher aircraft speeds as a result of new technologies. He said that as airplanes fly faster than they once did, they are able to fly across more time zones faster than in years gone by. This, Ragan said, can result in jet lag that may reduce performance, or ruin your vacation. Plenty of research supported this, Ragan said, and he pointed to sports tournaments held over recent years as an example of acute jet lag. One recent case, Ragan said, was the recent Hawaii at University of Florida game on 8/30/08. While it was an anecdotal example, Ragan said that Florida’s victory over Hawaii (56-10) could have been linked to the travel that Hawaii had to make before the game.

Ragan said that research uncovered while he wrote Lag: A Look at Circadian Desynchronization led him to believe that it would take about five days or six days for the Hawaii football team to return to their normal body rhythms after flying the long distance to get to Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida. Ragan indicated that many other factors may have had an influence on the outcome of the game, including Hawaii having a new coach, and Florida having Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Tebow. Ragan said that it was hard to ignore the travel that Hawaii made when considering the outcome of the game.

The following is a quote from Lag: A Look at Circadian Desynchronization:

" Courtney (1994) said that a 75% decline in the ability to perform complex cognitive tasks occurred in those who did not have experience dealing with jet lag syndrome…”

Researchers, Ragan said, indicated that even when specialized training in how to cope with jet lag was made available to those who traveled across time zones, performance deficits were still noted. These findings helped to make clear that the success of a European vacation could be in jeopardy because of jet lag. Is there a remedy? Ragan identified several interventions in Lag: A Look at Circadian Desynchronization, and also discussed how to avoid the long term effects of jet lag that have been found in flight attendants that travel across time zones more frequently than others do.

Lag: A Look at Circadian Desynchronization was published in 2007 by Lulu Enterprises, and is available from in the United States from Lulu.com, Target.com, Amazon.com, Aircraft Technical Books, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, and other popular booksellers online. Lag: A Look at Circadian Desynchronization makes a great Christmas gift for anyone interested in science, travel, aviation, medicine, or sports!

Links to Publication: http://www.lulu.com/wr1000 & http://www.myspace.com/shiftlag.

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ABOUT AUTHOR

Bill Ragan, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, received a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Cleveland State University and a Master's Degree in Psychology from Walden University. He is a lifetime member of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, a member of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, and affiliated with the United States Army Medical Department Regiment. Ragan's research interests include many aspects of clinical and aviation psychology.

Numerous concepts discussed in this book came from observations Ragan made when he worked in military aviation. His experiences and training on the Bell UH-1 Huey, the Bell AH-1 Cobra, and the Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopters motivated him to pursue aviation psychology and this investigation into lag.

MEDIA CONTACT: Please contact the author at billr@exchrome.com.

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