Travel Light

On a recent trip to London I decided to go light; that is use light as a tool to trick the brain. Dr Martin Moore-Ede, a former professor at Harvard Medical School and one of the leading scientists in the circadian field has devised a practical strategy to adjust the body clock much sooner to the new time zone through controlled exposure to bright light. At last, a chance to arrive in London as fresh as the new day.

So boarding Virgin Atlantic 2 in Newark at 9:25pm I adjusted my watch to London time. The strategy according to Dr, Moore-Ede is that between 04:00 AM- 09:00 AM (London time) I should avoid light. With London five hours ahead it meant I had to be in the dark within 1 ½ hours after departure so I hurriedly found my seat , buckled up and fumbled for the amenity kit that held the key to the dark side; the eye mask. With pre-flight announcements, taxiing and attendants slamming into one another forty five minutes quickly passed and by the time we were airborne the window of opportunity was fading. If I skipped the free drinks, dinner and in-flight entertainment there still may be time to adhere to the good doctor's schedule so contorting my body into a well designed-uncomfortable- coach seat and snapping on the eye mask I attempted to get some shut eye.

The drone of the engines and cabin noise soon began to meld into a comfortable orchestration and I felt dreamy. I dreamt I was on a farm. The words "chicken or beef, chicken or beef" kept rolling around in my mind only louder each time. So real was my dream I was sure I could smell these farm animals until the words themselves pierced the pressurized air and I realized the vision of a women dressed in red with a tray of food was only the flight attendant asking my choice for dinner; chicken or beef sir?

At this point I gave up the experiment. The movies, trips to the bathroom and complimentary drinks sucked away the time and soon we were hitting the tarmac at Heathrow airport. Once again I had arrived in England feeling like a washed out rag. But all is not lost because airlines like Virgin Atlantic have adopted programs that mirror the suggestions of Dr Martin Moore-Ede. Virgin Atlantic's program is called the Good Night Flight Service and is offered for business class travelers on overnight flights from the east coast to London. Before boarding, the traveler is offered a meal in the airport lounge and when boarded given pajamas, (the snooze suit) and a soft pillow. No food and no interruptions, just a dimly lit corner of the plane where a flat bed seat invites you to unencumbered bliss. Upon arrival in London the traveler can have a shower a haircut and a complimentary breakfast in what Virgin Atlantic aptly calls the revival lounge.

I only hope that some day they will offer a similar service in coach class, or am I just dreaming.

To become more enlightened companies like Litebook for example offer products that use light not only to overcome jet lag, but to aid in shift-work adjustment and other light related therapies.