With the flight time from Boston to Australia pushing 21 hours, the Australian airline Qantas has been studying how to make that journey more pleasant and the aftermath more bearable by instituting measures to reduce jet lag. Working with the University of Sydney’s sleep researchers, circadian rhythm scientists, and nutrition and movement experts, the airline has developed novel cabin lighting and physical space, mealtimes, and menus. They match the lighting and mealtimes to passengers’ biologic clocks to promote better on-board sleep. They serve menu items like fish, chicken, fast-acting carbs, and milk-based desserts that increase production of the natural sleep-promoting amino acid tryptophan. They provide physical space for passenger stretching and exercise. The airline has even ordered special versions of Airbus A350s that support all these modifications that they call Project Sunrise. Hopefully, US carriers will follow their playbook.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-06-ways-jet-lag-long-haul-flights.html
#quantas #jetlag #circadian #sleep #tryptophan
