Experts from an Australian airline and the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre have been looking into the best ways to help beat jet lag – and it turns out that chocolate is one of the key elements
A sweet surprise awaits holidaymakers as researchers suggest that tucking into chocolate could be just the treat to boost your mood on long flights.
The recent study has revealed chocolate as one of the “key elements” in beating jet lag, particularly if it is filled with some spicy options like chilli.
Qantas, in collaboration with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, embarked on ‘Project Sunrise’ to investigate how certain foods could minimise jet lag during long-haul travel.
As Qantas gears up for their direct London to Sydney flights slated for late 2025, the findings of their study come at an opportune time. In 2019, Qantas conducted three research flights for Project Sunrise, tweaking meal times and leveraging specific dietary choices to help sync passengers’ biological clocks, including pairing proteins like fish and chicken with swiftly-digested carbs, alongside comforting delights such as soups and milky desserts.
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Part of the tactic involved increasing travellers’ tryptophan levels, an amino acid known for its sleep-inducing properties. Peter Cistulli, a professor of Sleep Medicine from the University of Sydney, conveyed optimism about the ongoing study, highlighting “clear signs” that the gastronomic strategy can alleviate some of the strain of extended air travel.
Researchers travelled on the aircraft and monitored 23 volunteer customers who were fitted with wearable device technology during the 20-hour flights as they followed specially designed menu, lighting, sleep and movement sequences.
The inflight trials involved tailored cabin lighting schedules to facilitate adaption to the destination time zone and integrating simple stretch and movement activities.
They also adjusted the timing of meal services to align the passengers’ body clock and encouraged waking and sleeping by using specific menu items including fish and chicken paired with fast-acting carbohydrates, as well as comfort foods like soups and milk-based desserts to encourage sleep.
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Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce has expressed excitement about the potential to reduce jetlag and transform international travel for all passengers.
“Given our geography, Qantas has a long history of using imagination and innovation to overcome the tyranny of distance between Australia and the rest of the world,” said Mr Joyce.
“Now that we have the aircraft technology to do these flights, we want to make sure the customer experience evolves as well, and that’s why we’re doing this research and designing our cabins and service differently.
Meanwhile, there are numerous tips and tricks available to combat jet lag and secure a decent amount of sleep on flights.
A woman’s ‘clever’ hack for better sleep on planes recently took the internet by storm, requiring just an armrest and a jacket. In her TikTok video, she demonstrates how she folds a jacket or blanket and uses the armrest to fashion a makeshift headrest, insisting that “it doesn’t matter if you have an aisle seat or a window seat it works everywhere”.
The comments section was abuzz with travellers commending the ingenious method, calling it “so smart” and “perfect” for lengthy journeys.
One commenter shared: “I’ve been doing this for years and it’s so much better than sleeping on the food tray”. Another traveller, who apparently had a less-than-comfortable flight experience, remarked wistfully: “This would’ve been helpful about 2 days ago,”.