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How NASA is Changing the Way We Travel

Traveling is wonderful, and traveling often is even more fun! But, there is a downside to everything, and traveling often to different places across different time zones comes with extra baggage: the dreaded jet lag! But what if there was a way or a new technology that would create jet-lag free travel. Well, NASA is developing precisely that right now, and it could change the way we travel forever.

Our circadian rhythm, or how our bodies naturally are awake during daylight and asleep during nighttime, can become imbalanced if travelers are constantly flying between time zones. Daylight produces blue light, which tells our brains that it’s time to be in a wakeful state, but if you see too much or too little blue light due to travel, it can definitely throw off the biological sleep clock.

 

NASA designed the Lighting System to Improve Circadian Rhythm Control to help regulate the sleep cycles of astronauts at the International Space Station. This new technology can be applied commercially to also improve the sleep cycles of shift workers–and possible plane travelers in the future! This is something that NASA is doing further research on, as it can benefit travelers who pass through different time zones often.

 

NASA isn’t only developing new tech for sleep, but they are also putting research into reducing aircraft noise, including a “nearly silent” supersonic jet that went into production in May 2018.

 

So, if you travel frequently, for work or otherwise, keep your eyes on NASA and their blue light technology developments!

 

Do you have any tips for preventing or for dealing with jet lag? Do you have any trips you’ve taken that have given you serious jet lag? Let us know!