Travel Africa looks at a couple of new products to reduce jet lag, and highlights some of the tried and tested methods that will help you arrive feeling fresh.
Putting the squeeze on Most people know about the impact of flying long distances on our internal (Circadian) clock, but less know about another key factor – oxygen starvation, due to there being 20-25 per cent less oxygen in an airplane cabin than our bodies are used to. The influential, non-profit, Aviation Health Institute (AHI), as well as the NHS, believes that lower levels of oxygen play a significant role in jet lag.
To combat this when travelling to and from events, elite athletes in Australia have been wearing Skins Travel and Recovery tights underneath their tracksuits. These high-tech garments use gradient compression to maintain a healthy circulation, minimise swelling and dehydration by directly countering oxygen starvation. While helpful in keeping Olympians fresh, these tights are no less beneficial to travellers, whether flying long-haul for pleasure or business. In a recent study published in the Medical Journal of Australia, researchers found that Qantas pilots and passengers wearing these tights on flights that lasted over five hours had significantly improved circulation and mental awareness, and decreased leg pain.
Unlike other compression socks or stockings which apply pressure indiscriminately, Skins Travel and Recovery tights use fabric panels which are stitched together so that pressure is applied directly to specific muscles, which increases venous return (the flow of oxygenated blood back to the heart) by up to 30 per cent with all its attendant benefits.
Thankfully the Lycra and Meryl Microfibre has been treated with an antibacterial material to help keep you smelling as fresh as you feel. The Skins Travel and Recovery tights retail at £59.99 and come in twelve different sizes to ensure wearers can get a perfect fit. They are available at independent sports shops or online outlets.
For more details visit www.skins.net
Getting a jump start While the Skins tights successfully tackle the effects of reduced oxygen while flying, a novel new product is aimed at helping to counteract the affects caused by the disruption of your Circadian clock, the internal system that dictates the usual timing of eating, sleeping, hormone regulation and body temperature. One effect of long-haul flights across time zones is that your brain produces less alpha-waves (electromagnetic oscillations in the brain or brain waves), which are usually produced during a normal resting period. This usually results in travellers feeling disorientated and unable to concentrate at normal levels.
The Alpha-Stim SCS uses microcurrent electrical therapy to help the brain produce the same amount of alpha-waves that would be produced during a normal resting period, effectively jump starting the body’s cellular activity. While this product is new, the technology is not and has been used to treat conditions such as insomnia, chronic fatigue, depression and migraines. Retailing in the UK at £235, it is available at www.microcurrentsite.co.uk
Time-tested tips to further reduce jet lag
• Drink plenty of water before, during and after the flight to avoid dehydration. • Sleep well in the days before the flight. Start adjusting your bed times by an hour a day if travelling to a distant time zone. • Set your watch to the time of destination when you board the plane. • Sleep on the plane if it is nighttime at your destination. • Stay awake during your flight if it is daytime at your destination. • Avoid coffee, alcohol and unnecessary medication while in flight. • Eat lightly on board. • Exercise while on the plane. Don’t just walk around the cabin - stretch in your chair as well.
New on the scene
Clean drinking water – a light on the horizon Finding bottled water while travelling in Africa is usually not too difficult. Finding an environmentally friendly way to dispose of the plastic bottle, however, is next to impossible. With millions of bottles used each year by tourists in Africa, there is undoubtedly a problem with the sheer amount of plastic waste.
With iodine treatment of tap or river water leaving users with a real sour taste in their mouth, and with filters often being heavy, unwieldy or slow, there has been little incentive for travellers to look beyond the bottle. That is until now.
Using a hi-tech method, the SteriPEN JourneyLCD can purify water from sources you are not sure about. And weighing in at 4.5 ounces, it is not a burden to any day bag. Beaming rays of UV light into water, it destroys the DNA of any bacteria, viruses and protozoa present like giardia and cryptosporidium so they can’t reproduce and create havoc in your digestion system. To make things better, it’s fast, purifying one litre in 90 seconds. As you’d expect from the name, the JourneyLCD has a handy LCD screen to let you know when the purification process is complete.
Tests at four North American universities have shown that the SteriPEN destroys over 99.9 per cent of bacteria, viruses and protozoa. These levels of destruction exceed the requirements of the US EPA’s Guide Standard and Protocol for Testing Microbiological Water Purifiers.
Considering you only need to agitate the water by stirring the SteriPEN, there is little energy involved on the user’s part. With the batteries lasting for 100 treatments, the JourneyLCD clearly doesn’t eat up energy either. The lamps themselves, which emit the 254 nanometre wavelengths, last for 10,000 treatments, enough to purify 10,000 litres.
Water with significant discoloration or particulates can reduce effectiveness of the SteriPEN by inhibiting the penetration of UV light through the water. For situations like these you can use the SteriPEN’s Water Bottle Pre-Filter, or simply run the water through a coffee filter or bandana to remove sediment. If the particulates are very fine, like suspended talcum powder, it often needs to be allowed to settle to the bottom before treatment.
As UV rays can be damaging to eyes and skin, the JourneyLCD has various safety features: electrodes and water sensors in its neck prevent it from turning on until the lamp is completely immersed in water. Once submersed, the ultraviolet light is securely contained, both by the water and by the container.
While the SteriPEN JourneyLCD retails in the UK for £90, you’ll quickly recoup that after foregoing the purchase of bottled water on a few trips. And best yet, you won’t have to worry about disposing of all those bottles when they run dry.
For details about SteriPEN travel products visit www.steripen.com.
Shopping for renewables One business in Arusha is turning junk from local traders into jewels, transforming scrap aluminium from old kettles, frying pans, window frames and car parts into attractive and practical gifts.
African Revival take the salvaged aluminium to the foundry where it’s heated to over 600 degrees Celsius. The resulting molten liquid is then poured into sand moulds, creating salt and pepper sets, serving spoons, picture frames, mirrors, vases, platters and more. Once the aluminium pieces have cooled, and been removed from the mould, they are filed and polished, making them ready for sale.
African Revival also gives Tanzanian artists and craftspeople training and employment opportunities, allowing them to create new designs, which further contribute to a growing tourism industry.
For more information about African Revival email
Brilliant bush brew It’s no longer just those staying in 5-star lodges that can have the perfect shot of espresso before their pre-dawn safari drive. With the Handpresso Wild Portable Espresso Maker, and a little bit of personal power, anyone can get the perfect caffeine fix – even in the deepest, darkest bush. Light and compact, it is small enough to easily fit into your rucksack or handbag. And best of all – it needs no electricity. Simply pump the elegant gadget up to 16 bar pressure before inserting an E.S.E pod – widely available and just as easy to pack – and adding hot water (from a kettle or vacuum flask). All that is left to do is pour and enjoy.
The Handpresso Wild Portable Espresso Maker retails for £79 and is available through www.silvernutmeg.com
