Air travel is not only going on holiday – jet lag of airline employees, case narrative and brief review of literature

The purpose of this paper is to show a link between exposure to jet lag and occurrence of insomnia and symptoms of depression on the basis of a case narrative concerning a stewardess. Jet lag or, in other words, the time zone change syndrome is a group of symptoms occurring during travel along parallels of latitude (east-west, west-east), which is connected with a change of time zones. The essence of jet lag is inconsistency between the endogenic sleep-wake rhythm and the rhythm required in the new time zone. The symptoms of jet lag are daytime sleepiness, fatigability, weakness, dizziness, impaired focus of attention/memory/executive functions, sleep disorders, moodiness and disorders connected with the gastrointestinal tract. Prolonged exposure to jet lag in airline employees may lead to the occurrence of insomnia and depression. The treatment of choice is chronotherapy using melatonin and phototherapy. The present paper also discusses the specifics of treatment of depressive disorders in airline personnel, taking into account the legal regulations applicable in aviation medicine.