In my continued effort to find the best night’s sleep for myself, I have made some insightful discoveries; one of them has to do with my sleep environment. Whether on the road or at my own house, I have found that a quiet, dark, cool temperature room leads to better sleep. Your bedroom environment profoundly affects the quality of sleep you get.

 

Things that I have found to be modifiable are stress, noise, light, temperature, and the bed. I have talked about stress levels in past articles and I continue to work on reducing it; going to bed without worry and finding relaxation is a quest for me. I continue to use relaxation techniques to help improve in this area and have seen big improvements in the quality of my sleep.

In my continued effort to find the best night’s sleep for myself, I have made some insightful discoveries; one of them has to do with my sleep environment. Whether on the road or at my own house, I have found that a quiet, dark, cool temperature room leads to better sleep. Your bedroom environment profoundly affects the quality of sleep you get.

 

Things that I have found to be modifiable are stress, noise, light, temperature, and the bed. I have talked about stress levels in past articles and I continue to work on reducing it; going to bed without worry and finding relaxation is a quest for me. I continue to use relaxation techniques to help improve in this area and have seen big improvements in the quality of my sleep.

I have just returned from an eleven-day trip to the Far East. Within those eleven days, I crossed times zones 28 times. Needless to say, my mind and body felt the wear and tear. On this trip, I monitored that wear carefully by using my Zeo system. What I found was enlightening and I will share it with you.

 

Jet lag, medically referred to as desynchronosis, is a physiological condition that results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms. It results from rapid long-distance transmeridian (east–west or west–east) travel. The common symptoms include disorientation, irritability, fatigue, swollen limbs and eyes, headaches, cold-like symptoms, and irregular bowels. In essence, your body struggles to adjust to the exhaustion created by rapidly crossing time zones.

 

One of my favorite layovers is Dublin Ireland. The city is filled with entertainment options and some of the most friendly people in the world. It is a short eight hour flight from Atlanta and, once at the Dublin airport, it is easy to find transportation into the city.

 

In this update, I will highlight some of the recent places that I found interesting and enjoyable.

 

Lafayette is about a 2 hour drive southwest of New Orleans; a one hour drive from either the Baton Rouge or Alexandria airports; or, if you prefer, it is served by its own regional airport. It is in the heart of Cajun country and the city is as full of life as the residents who live there.

 

The flight from Atlanta on ASA takes a little over an hour. Normally, the route takes you south of Birmingham AL, over MS, Rouge LA  where the descent begins and flies over the beautiful Atchafalaya basin and into Lafayette.

 

The trip to London is relatively quick compared to many of the destinations to which I fly. With favorable winds, the flight time can be a little over seven hours to London from Atlanta and eight hours back.

 

London Heathrow is a new airport for Delta. We have been servicing the area by flying into Gatwick, which is a 65 minute taxi ride south of London. Heathrow is a much larger airport and probably the preferred destination for many. It is closer to the city and offers more connections than the smaller airport in Gatwick.

 

Ahhh, Naw'lins how sweet the sound. New Orleans is one of my favorite cities and was the recent venue of a triathlon. The Ochsner Ironman 70.3 was held on Sunday April 5th and there were 2500 athletes racing—I was one of them.

 

Athens is a big, spread out city with lots of traffic. But despite the sprawl, it is still the cradle of western civilization. At the very heart of the city lies the most magnificent plot of ground over which anyone can walk. Its heritage and pedigree are undeniable. Entering the heart of the city, you are entering an area where men have gathered for thousands of years. It is a special and magical treat to walk where ancient Greeks, Romans, and Ottomans tread.

The thing that strikes me most about flying into Lima Peru is the aridness of the countryside. Although situated in the tropics, rain in the city is rare. During this time of year, however, the climate is mild and the temperature is in the low 60s. Found on the western base of the Andes and by the coast of the Pacific Ocean, Lima's climate is moderated by the nearby Pacific Ocean's cold current.