Phase Shift
This problem did not torment our ancestors. It was not at all until there were fast, and most importantly, available vehicles, passenger planes. When we overcome in a few hours the distances to which Marco Polo or Christopher Columbus took months and years - this is impressive and makes us proud of the successes of civilization, but the health is reflected strangely. Not only the brain vainly struggles to realize where the whole day was gone from the calendar or why we flew to New York on the same morning as they flew. The organism also does not cope with the new load for it - to translate its internal clock to local time. The fact is that our biological (or circadian) rhythms are produced by whole generations. Our ancestors lived in the same place or traveled with sense and arrangement, slowly and gradually adjusting to the new time of sunrises and sunsets. The production of hormones and biologically active substances (in particular, the melatonin "sleep hormone") and digestive enzymes, changes in blood pressure and pulse rate, skin condition - all this is subject to a certain schedule, much more stringent than our daily routine. A flight to another time zone, if the time difference is - more than two hours, causes a condition that specialists call desynchronosis. Desynchronosis - a disease associated with the violation of biological rhythms, their "system failure". His symptoms are drowsiness, weakness, memory and attention impairment, anorexia, irritability, anxiety, headaches. Many people do not have desynchronosis, but this does not mean that physiological changes do not occur inside the body. That's why for long flights it's always time to adapt. Many Western companies, sending employees on distant business trips, give them two or three extra days, so that a person can adapt to new biorhythms and only then deal with business. But this is not enough: even in a young healthy organism the final adaptation takes place not earlier than in two weeks.
By teaching the body to live in a new rhythm, one should not rush it and use artificial "switches" like sleeping pills or stimulant drugs. Try to just go to bed and wake up to local time. A good way to stimulate melatonin production is sunbathing (but do not overdo it: for the first time half an hour per day will be enough) and physical activity. The first couple of days of vacation on time rest, get enough sleep and do not strain the nervous system with tedious excursions. Tired body can spoil all the holidays: in the state of desynchronosis, chronic diseases are often exacerbated. Often, desynchronosis "catches up" with us after returning from travel. I experienced it on my own skin: after a week spent in Indonesia, two or three days in a row "turned off" at nine in the evening - just because it was already two o'clock in the morning on the island of Java. If after a vacation, instead of lifting your tone and working capacity, you feel a strong fatigue that does not last more than a week, it is worth visiting a therapist or neurologist. The doctor will exclude other causes and prescribe vitamin therapy and mild sedatives on a plant basis, and also recommend going to bed early and, if possible, do not overwork: ideally, if you can temporarily switch to part-time work or take work at home.
Heat and allergy
A man is a strange creature: we can dream of vacation in hot countries and go crazy when the mercury bar rises above the 25 degree mark. Of course, it is much easier to tolerate heat in a tropical resort near the water, when the beach bar is full of drinks with ice, and the room is air-conditioned. But these measures are sometimes not enough. The tropical and subtropical climate means not only heat, but also high humidity, and it generates stuffiness: the throat feels like squeezing, and the skin feels like in a hot bath, just does not rejoice at all. The fact is that moist air prevents the evaporation of liquid from the surface of the body, depriving it of the natural possibility of cooling. Therefore, even a healthy person in the first days of stay in an unusually hot climate, body temperature can rise by 1 - 2 degrees. At the same time, the pulse rate will increase, and the pressure will decrease: so the body tries to correct thermoregulation. Other unpleasant companions of stuffiness - insomnia, headaches, swelling of the extremities, sometimes the appearance of a rash on irritated skin. Suffering cardiovascular diseases in resorts with similar weather conditions and do not allow to rest: they have a hot heat can provoke a variety of anxiety, from tachycardia to heart attacks. Acclimatization should ideally become the same obligatory part of rest, as well as adaptation after the change of time zones, and it takes up to five to seven days. Throughout this time it is better not to "make sudden movements": do not lie on the beach and do not spend too much time in the sea, replace grueling excursions with leisurely walks in the evening, when the heat decreases. From 12 to 17 hours it is better not to leave the air-conditioned premises at all - arrange a siesta for yourself. Do not forget about water: the rate of its consumption in the tropics increases to 4 - 5 liters per day, so do not be afraid to drink more than usual. Clothes should be free, not adjacent to the body, from natural fabrics. And, of course, protect your head with a hat or a hat. Doctors consider the least harmful in a tropical climate tour lasting at least three weeks with a vacation of 28 days, so that upon return it was possible to reactivate before going to work. If you prefer short holidays - do not buy tours to exotic countries, travel better to a closer Europe, where the climate is soft and close to ours. If you still pull at sea - give preference to Black, Baltic or Mediterranean. Another danger of an unfamiliar nature is the local flora and fauna. On poisonous and potentially dangerous animals and plants you are obliged to warn at the travel agency and the hotel, in addition, experienced travelers before a trip spend a lot of time on the Internet, studying the features of the chosen place of rest. But even here surprises are possible - for example, in the form of suddenly manifested allergies. Pollen of exotic plants during flowering can cause hay fever even in those who have never suffered from allergies. Therefore, in the first aid kit next to other drugs must be present antiallergenic drugs. Allergies can also appear on unfamiliar foods, so try it in small portions and do not lean on the local cuisine in the first few days of vacation, while acclimatization takes place and the body is weakened.
Enemies Invisible
The most important "scarecrow" for travelers to exotic lands is, of course, dangerous infections. However, the probability of bringing with you some rare disease in Ukraine is actually not higher than the probability of catching the flu or chickenpox in an airplane or at an airport - the latter, especially large international ones, are grandiose hotbeds of microbes. The least infectious danger from the favorite vacations are the European resorts, the largest - the countries of Southeast Asia and Africa. Yes, and on our Black Sea coast the epidemiological situation leaves much to be desired. In hot countries, do not eat food that is cooked or stored outdoors: with sufficient heat and humidity, microorganisms multiply rapidly in it. Pay attention to cleanliness in cafes and restaurants. Drink only bottled water and avoid drinks with ice: it is usually prepared from tap water, and it is not of the best quality. This recommendation may seem strange, but in exotic countries where there is a risk of intestinal infections, it is better to drink the cool drinks of international brands known to you. "Although they are far from ideal for quenching thirst, at least you can be sure that they are cooked on the basis of purified water and using international quality standards. Frequent washing of hands is also a necessary measure, but give preference to special disinfectant solutions (in the form of gels) and antiseptic napkins - they can be purchased at pharmacies and cosmetic shops. Many vaccines can protect against many dangerous infections. Now in the world there is one mandatory vaccination, without a certificate of which is not allowed in certain states of Asia, Africa and South America - against yellow fever. The certificate that the vaccine was made is an international model approved by the World Health Organization. In addition, the embassy sites usually indicate which vaccinations are recommended before the trip: the certificate will not be checked at the entrance, but the protective measures may not be superfluous. Such diseases include typhoid fever, cholera, diphtheria, meningococcal infection (causes meningitis) and some others. There is no vaccination from malaria, so if you are to travel to a country where this disease is common, you will have to take antimalarial medications that the doctor will advise.
For many countries, vaccination against hepatitis A is desirable, but there are, as they say, nuances. "For Americans and Western Europe, vaccination against hepatitis A before going to developing countries with a tropical climate is mandatory. In Ukraine, hepatitis A is quite common: most Ukrainians have transferred it in a latent form as a child, so they do not need the formation of immunity. For an adult, this disease is more dangerous than for a child, and is much more difficult for them to bear. Vaccination from this virus involves the use of two doses at intervals of six months, and before you go on vacation, you may not be able to get a second one. So if you want to get vaccinated, first give an analysis for the presence of antibodies to the hepatitis A virus, you probably will not need a vaccine. If there is no opportunity to be examined, it is better to be invited. In the presence of immunity - vaccination is safe. Simultaneously, intramuscular human immunoglobulin can be administered. In any case, consult a doctor. It is worthwhile to take up vaccinations long before the trip. It is best six months before a planned vacation to consult a infectious disease doctor. In the department of especially dangerous infections of your territorial SES you can find out where to get the yellow fever. By the way, vaccinations should be taken care of not only in case of a trip to developing countries. In summer, there is a risk in the European forests to be bitten by a tick and become infected with tick-borne encephalitis - there is also a vaccine against it.
The power of art
Taking care of the bodily, it's time to think about spiritual things: after all, we go on vacation not only to enjoy the body with sun baths, bathing and tasty food, but also to get new impressions. It is wrong to think that the latter is not too much: "overdose" of impressions is also harmful. Fatigue, apathy, lack of appetite, sleep disturbance - this condition can "cover" you after a few days of intense excursions and walks in unfamiliar cities. Particularly impressionable is the state which the Italian psychologist Graziella Margherini in 1979 called "Stendhal's Syndrome." The French writer, traveling in Italy, described in his notes a temporary insanity during the examination of the beauties of Florence: "When I was leaving the Church of the Holy Cross, my heart began to beat, it seemed to me that the source of life was exhausted, I walked, afraid to collapse to the ground .. . "Palpitations and a premature condition at the sight of beautiful works of art are symptoms that Dr. Margerini observed more than a hundred times, and this, only in Florence, where the number of architectural and pictorial masterpieces is simply off scale. In particular, she told the story of a young American, who for some time lost his memory when looking at the sculpture of David by Michelangelo. Typical patient with this syndrome, Dr. Margerini describes: "A foreigner, most often a native of Eastern Europe, is not married, is fond of art, the predominant sex is female, the predominant age is 25 to 40 years." That is, our compatriots are in the risk group. In addition, the strength of the manifestation of symptoms depends on the emotions that the traveler showed in anticipation of meeting masterpieces: the more impatience there was in them, the more likely the appearance of "Stendhal syndrome". In its extreme manifestations, "Stendhal's Syndrome" can cause aggression directed at a masterpiece: the vandal, who poured Rembrandt's "Danau" acid in the Hermitage in 1985, experienced something similar. In other words, a person is not always able to cope with the strong emotions that cause a work of art.
However, in recent years, the "Stendhal Syndrome" is spoken and written less often: it can be assumed that we began to travel more, and this lowered the significance of each separate meeting with the new and beautiful. It is useful to have a camera with you: the view through the lens slightly removes us from the masterpiece, puts a wall between us, which reduces the direct impact; moreover, our thoughts at this time are not occupied with the work of art, but with the building of a frame. However, in many museums and temples it is forbidden to take pictures. It's good, when a like-minded person is traveling with us, with whom we can discuss impressions: thus we "release" the emotionally saturated situation. If the partner was not found - keep a diary, electronic or paper. When planning a vacation, do not try to see and experience for a short time as much as possible: if your everyday life is poor with emotional impressions, a vacation can become a serious test for the nervous system and the body as a whole. It is much more useful and interesting to devote a vacation to one or two new places, but to study them thoroughly, as far as possible.