Roughly 94 percent of long-haul travelers suffer from jet lag. That could mean indigestion, wonky bowl functions, malaise, daytime sleepiness, difficulty sleeping, and reduced physical and mental performance, according to the World Health Organization.
So, exactly the symptoms that will make your business meetings or epic vacation a bust.
“Jet lag affects millions of travelers each day,” says Mickey Beyer-Clausen, CEO and co-founder of Timeshifter, an app that generates personalized jet lag plans based on a traveler’s sleep pattern and chronotype (the natural time you feel most energetic or sleepy), as well as the traveler’s itinerary.
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, in their mission to promote more mindful travel, sought to bring this technology, along with the jet lag-curing LED lighting power from Lighting Science, into a holistic jet lag-combatting travel package.
“Sleep with Six Senses” is an upgrade offered at Six Senses hotels in East Africa, Fiji, and Turkey, with plans to expand to more of the brand’s 16 resorts and 31 spas across 21 countries.
Here’s how the system works:
When guests arrive at Six Senses, they tap into the Timeshifter app, easing them into their new time zone via circadian neuroscience. Top-performers like astronauts, elite athletes, and business executives have begun to rely on Timeshifter during long trips, so why shouldn’t your bachelor party be any less sharp?
“A jet lag plan consists of small actions to be taken at specific times like light-dark exposure schedule. Light is the most important time cue for resetting your circadian clock so for a few hours/day, the app will tell the traveler when to avoid light and when to prioritize bright light,” says Beyer-Clausen. “Actions also include sleep and napping schedule and melatonin treatment plan (optional).”
Speaking of the right light, on the first night at Six Senses, after a nourishing dinner, guests retire to their rooms for a turndown service that includes specialty bedding and mattresses, as well as soothing Lighting Science GoodNight lamps that ease people into a restful sleep. When used in the evenings, this light should support a natural circadian rhythm, which is vulnerable to jet lag effects.
“GoodNight bulb is scientifically engineered to remove blue light which is responsible for activating the brain and keeping you awake,” says Anna Bjurstam, vice president of Six Senses Spas. “By creating a light bulb without this blue spectrum we are able to enhance restfulness by allowing the body to start to create melatonin and start the sleep cycle … you immediately feel more relaxed and sleepy.”
When’s the last time you came home missing your hotel bed.? I’d bet never — until now.
Sleep with Six Senses is a program designed by Dr. Michael Breus to help guests sleep better not just at the resort, but to take back home and help redefine sleeping habits.
“Six Senses vacations are about resting the mind, rejuvenating the body, and boosting the immune system, and all of this starts with a good night’s sleep,” adds Bjurstam. “Although a third of your life is dedicated to it, we might not be getting the best length or quality and so the goal is for our guests to feel recharged and relaxed after they leave.”
Even if you add an epic day of yachting or whiskey tasting.
