During the late 1970s, a new range of travel options opened for holidaymakers as transatlantic journeys became much more affordable. Yet whilst the monetary cost of long-haul travel has steadily declined, the toll it takes on the body has remained unchanged.

Jet lag stems from several contributing elements, including the oxygen-poor cabin environment on aeroplanes, but the primary culprit is an abrupt shift between time zones. The body's internal clock cannot adapt swiftly enough, and it's typical for long-distance passengers to experience sleep disturbances alongside digestive problems.

Flying eastwards can trigger particularly brutal jet lag, with over-60s generally suffering more severely than their younger counterparts. Veteran travellers often swear by solutions like melatonin or strong coffee, but naturally the best source of wisdom on combating jet lag comes from airline personnel themselves.

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Alfonso de Bertodano, an airline captain with 35 years of experience, has a straightforward and proven strategy: "To avoid jet lag, if I'm going to be in a place for two or three days, I try to meet up with people who are eating lunch or dinner at their usual time. Otherwise, it will take you six days to get over it".

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Alfonso continued: "The reality is that I try to change my schedule as little as possible. I arrive at my destination at 8pm, which is 2am in Spain, and I go straight to bed. I don't go out for dinner, I don't go out for a drink."

Alfonso, an airline pilot who needs to be alert and refreshed for his job, shared: "I set myself a countdown of seven or eight hours and get up at whatever time it is, regardless of what time it is in that country.

"That way, I maintain my Spanish schedule. Because jet lag isn't just about sleep. It's about muscle tone, it's about the digestive tract... It's not the same to feed your body at 3 in the morning as it is to feed it at 10 or 11 at night."

He emphasised that mingling with locals and adapting to their routine as swiftly as possible is the secret to overcoming jet lag. "The ideal thing is to be with people who are having breakfast, lunch or dinner at their usual time, and you're with them maintaining neural activity, brain activity and muscle tone activity," advised the pilot.

Alfonso further added: "You'll adjust much more quickly than if you do it on your own. And when you return, it's exactly the same. That's why when you arrive, you might sleep for a little whilst, but I immediately set my alarm clock to wake myself up and get on with my daily life," explained the aircraft commander.

"It's tiring, but you get your body used to performing like that. In the end, you have to control your body because if you let your body control you, you'll end up curing your jet lag, or getting over your jet lag, in six days instead of 24 or 48 hours."