British Airways has called in a specialist to find a cure for jet-lag, potentially a dream come true for sleep-deprived frequent flyers.
Sleep researcher Dr. Chris Idzikowski will spend the next six months studying the best way to snooze at 30,000 feet as well as tricking passengers' body clocks to cope with time zone changes.
"There is definitely a way of controlling the biological clock by avoiding or exposing oneself to light, and we want to see if we can find a way of teaching passengers how to do it," Idzikowski said.
The study, which BA hails as a world first, will look at the differences that east-west and west-east flying has on the body clock, at best sleeping positions and the ideal time to take a nap to reduce jet lag.
Devices to block out light, even after arriving at the airport, and recreating the aroma of a passenger's bedroom on the plane are some of the more radical ideas which will be examined.
For long-suffering red-eye regulars, a cure for jet lag may appear to be as far off as a cure to cancer.
In the meantime, Idzikowski recommends a few simple steps. Do not eat too much or drink alcohol during a flight, wear comfortable clothing, and buy a pair of noise-reduction ear plugs.
In what has been dubbed "the battle of the beds", BA and Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways have been trying to outdo each other with new first-class flat bed offerings.
Idzikowski, former chairman of the British Sleep Society, said the study could also provide solutions for the humble economy class passenger.
