Why Flying East Feels Worse: How I Deal With Jet Lag

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1. 01Why Flying East Feels Worse

   Good afternoon, everyone. I'm a flight attendant based in Dubai, so I cross time zones almost every week. I've noticed that jet lag feels much worse after some flights than others. Today, I'll explain why, and what helps me.

   大家午安。我是一名常駐迪拜的空乘，幾乎每週都要跨越時區。我發現，有些航班之後的時差反應比其他航班嚴重得多。今天，我來解釋一下原因，以及哪些方法對我有幫助。

2. 02What Is Jet Lag?

   Jet lag happens when your body clock is still on your home time, but you're living on a different local time. You feel sleepy at lunch and wide awake at night.

   時差反應是指你的生物鐘還停留在家鄉的時間，但你卻生活在另一個當地時間裡。你會在午飯時犯困，到了晚上卻特別清醒。

3. 03How Fast We Adjust

   According to the CDC, the U.S. public health agency, people adjust on average about one and a half hours per day after flying west, but only about one hour per day after flying east.

   根據美國公共衛生機構CDC，也就是美國疾病控制與預防中心的說法，向西飛行後，人們平均每天能調整大約一個半小時，而向東飛行後，每天只能調整大約一個小時。

   Source: CDC Yellow Book, "Jet Lag Disorder"

4. 04Why East Is Harder

   Why is east harder? The CDC explains that, for most people, the body's natural rhythm is slightly longer than twenty-four hours. So it's easier to go to bed later, as when you fly west, than to go to bed earlier, as when you fly east.

   為什麼向東飛更難呢？CDC解釋說，對大多數人來說，身體的自然節律略長於二十四小時。所以推遲睡覺，比如向西飛的時候，要比提前睡覺，比如向東飛的時候，更容易一些。

   Source: CDC Yellow Book, "Jet Lag Disorder"

5. 05The Power of Light

   The most powerful tool is light. According to the CDC, light helps set our internal clock. Morning light tends to move the clock earlier, which helps after flying east, while evening light moves it later, which helps after flying west.

   最有效的工具是光。根據CDC的說法，光能幫助調節我們的生物鐘。早上的光往往會讓生物鐘提前，這對向東飛行後有幫助；而傍晚的光會讓生物鐘推遲，這對向西飛行後有幫助。

   Source: CDC Yellow Book, "Jet Lag Disorder"

6. 06What I Do After Flying East

   Here's my routine after flying east. I take a walk outside in the morning, avoid long naps, and eat dinner early. For long flights across many time zones, I check official advice first, because the right timing for light can be different.

   這是我向東飛行後的習慣。我早上會到戶外散步，避免長時間午睡，晚飯也吃得早一些。如果是跨越很多時區的長途飛行，我會先檢視官方建議，因為接觸光照的合適時間可能會不一樣。

7. 07What I Do After Flying West

   After flying west, it's easier. I spend the afternoon and early evening outside, and I try to stay awake until the local bedtime, even when I'm tired.

   向西飛行後就容易多了。我會在下午和傍晚待在戶外，即使很累，也儘量堅持到當地的睡覺時間再睡。

8. 08Conclusion

   To sum up, jet lag isn't just tiredness. It's your body clock out of sync. Understanding which direction you're flying, and using light at the right time, can make your next trip much easier. Thank you.

   總結一下，時差反應不只是疲勞，而是你的生物鐘失調了。瞭解自己往哪個方向飛，並在合適的時間利用光照，就能讓你的下一次旅行輕鬆很多。謝謝大家。