What traveler hasn't found themselves feeling tired after a long-haul flight, especially when their body is out of kilter with the local time? Jetlag can be a major downside when travelling to far-flung destinations, whether for business or pleasure, and not everyone is able to sleep on the plane.

To help travelers adjust more easily, a Polish start-up has designed an intelligent sleep mask called Neuroon that shifts the body clock in preparation for a long-haul trip by exposing wearers to short bursts of light while asleep. This can help reduce the effects of jetlag, which occur when traveling to destinations with time differences of three hours or more. Common symptoms include disturbed sleep and feelings of tiredness or irritability during the day. The technology is based on research from Stanford University, in the US state of California, which found that levels of the sleep hormone, melatonin, were altered by exposing people to short flashes of light while they slept. This, in turn, could be used to shift a person's sleep phase and help the body's circadian rhythm adjust to a new time zone. 

Biometric sensors built into the mask measure brainwaves and heart rate, recording sleep analytics for wearers to review on the accompanying smartphone application (for iOS and Android). The mask tracks the wearer's sleep architecture, showing phases of deep and light sleep, as well as REM and wakings. 

But the main advantage of the mask for travellers is the innovative "Jetlag Blocker" function. The user simply enters their destination, then the mask adjusts its light therapy process to prepare the body's sleep/wake cycle for adjustment to the new time zone. Therapy should be started a few days before taking a long-haul flight for the best chances of beating jetlag.

Neuroon is priced at $299 and is available online at Neuroon's official website.

You don't have to worry about jetlag if you planned to have an immersive trip to Thailand instead.