Rest regulations don't cover this...

[XJTAv8r]

International pilots and freightdogs will want to read this:

When the Clock Lies

Tuesday, November 7, 2006; Page A02

People who regularly experience jet lag, or who alternate working day and night shifts, may face greater risks than they know.

Researchers at the University of Virginia came to this conclusion based on experiments they did with mice whose waking and sleep hours were repeatedly shifted either forward or back by six hours. While younger mice were apparently not harmed, older mice were hit hard by the time changes, especially when their "daylight" was being shifted six hours earlier -- comparable to the time shift that travelers flying from the United States to Europe experience.

Among the older mice whose light cycle was shifted six hours earlier, 53 percent died over the eight weeks of the experiment. Among those whose light cycle was shifted back, 32 percent died. Only 17 percent died among the mice who had no shifts at all. When the frequency of the shifts was increased, the number of mice that died increased as well.

The team, led by biologist Gene Block, initially thought that chronic stress caused by the day-night changes could be causing the deaths, but they found that daily levels of corticosterone -- a hormone released at times of stress -- remained constant. As a result, they hypothesized that forced changes in the circadian rhythms of day and night led to sleep deprivation and suppression of the immune system, which in turn undermined the health of the mice.

Previous experiments have shown that nearly all tissues and organs have circadian rhythms, which adapt to change at different rates. The time-shifted mice may have died, the authors speculate, because their various internal clocks got seriously out of sync.

The study, in the journal Current Biology, concludes that the findings "raise important issues about the safety of counter-clockwise rotating shift work and the potential long-term health consequences for airline crews regularly crossing time zones."

-- Marc Kaufman

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/06/AR2006110601007.html

 

[snow-back]

I'm glad I'm not a mouse.

 

[Falconjet]

What, is this about the third time this article has been posted, or the fourth?

Just wondering how many times I'm going to open a new thread and see this article.

FJ

 

[XJTAv8r]

What, is this about the third time this article has been posted, or the fourth?

Just wondering how many times I'm going to open a new thread and see this article.

FJ

I'm sorry that I'm not in the habit of researching the archives of flightinfo.com to see if a subject has been previously discussed.

 

[Junkflyer]

More bad news for mice. They will be stuck on RJ's forever.

 

[warbirdfinder]

Thanks for posting the study, I have been looking for it.

 

[XJTAv8r]

Thanks for posting the study, I have been looking for it.

You're welcome. :beer:

 

[Falconjet]

I'm sorry that I'm not in the habit of researching the archives of flightinfo.com to see if a subject has been previously discussed.

No worries XJT, I'm sure it will get posted at least one more time on here.

Just thought it was interesting.

FJ

 

[Looking]

If we did not have a 24 hr clock to live our lives by, our natural circadian rhythm would be about 25 hrs.
Our body's circadian rhythm recovers 1.5 Hrs pr. Day. So, then one can
figure out oneself how long it takes to recover/adjust to a new time zone.
From research on Jet Lag, it is recommended to attempt to stay on your home base time zone if you have less than 24 hrs layover, and to try to adjust to the new time zone if the layover is more than 24 hrs.
We get 2 credit of sleep credit for every hr of sleep with a maximum of 16 credits = 8hrs of sleep; and, we loose on (1) credit for every hour awake = 16 hrs awake. Furthermore, it is recomended to always make sure you build up your sleep credit prior to starting a long haul flight.

 

[DustyBottoms]

You're welcome. :beer:

Yes, interesting. thanks.

I'm sure me being a big pu$$ has something to do with it, but for the last year all I have been flying is red-eyes, and flip-flops and I have been getting sick at least twice a month. The fip-flops are the worst as you try to get two nights worth of sleep in 23 hours of time. Then, switching back to a morning schedule on days off becuase of a 3 year old daughter doesn't help, either.

The last time I had a fever, or even a sore throat before I started flying these trips was over ten years ago. There is definitely a connection.

 

[Fins Up]

Those mice need to get organized.

 

[jonjuan]

Those mice need to get organized.

They're probably better at it than most.

 

[El Pobre]

I wonder if they will do a study of mice that measures the life expectancy of mice that work in a stable secure environment and mice who daily face the possiblity of being furloughed, getting thier mousey paychecks cut in half, and new cats (competitors-like Virgin, Sky Bus, Go etc) around every corner.

I know alot of stressed out mice...errrr pilots out there that do nothing but day flying.

 

[ultrarunner]

I've met a bunch of 40 year old freight pilots, ups, fdx, etc....and not one of 'em looked a day over 60!