Originally Posted by
Cleared4appch
Do people ever really fully adapt to the constant circadian swaps with international flying? Or is it just one of those things where it’s next to impossible to do, and you’re always going to be tired to an extent and you just deal with it?
I did a masters (don't recommend) in Human Factors and did my big project on just this subject. Long story short....you'll never adapt. All you can do is mitigate. To a further extent....even working nights in and around your home time zone is better for you than long haul schedules. But neither is good. If you can manage it smartly (takes a lot of self discipline) then you can make out OK. Personally, when I kicked the cargo schedules and adopted a regular circadian rhythm.... I lost a bunch of weight, dropped my blood pressure so low I had to go off my meds, and lowered my blood sugar from pre-diabetic to middle of the normal range. The last two are surely due in large part to the weight loss. A lot of my co workers were better than me at managing it....even though I should have been the poster boy for long-haul self care (I just wasn't). The common 24 hr layovers make it *very* difficult for you to be rested and healthy.