You might think that yet another long-haul flight is the last thing the Strictly Come Dancing judge would want to take, given he has endured a weekly commute from London to Los Angeles over the past two months.

As such he has clocked up a staggering 11,000 miles a week and a total of 768 hours in the air to appear on Dancing with the Stars, the U.S. version of the BBC dance competition. 

Bruno Tonioli (above, on holiday in the Maldives) has clocked up a staggering 11,000 miles a week and a total of 768 hours in the air over the past two months

However, if anyone can shimmy his way out of the disorientating effects of jet lag, it is Bruno.

‘It can be crippling,’ he says, ‘a huge shock to the system when the long-haul flights are so frequent. You cannot avoid jet lag but you have to be able to control it. that comes with disciplining how you spend your time during and after a flight and by learning how to cope with the psychological effects.’

It was six years ago that Bruno, 55, a dancer and choreographer from Ferrara, Northern Italy, appeared in the first series of Strictly and his mixture of exuberance and petulance was an instant hit with viewers.

In fact, such was his success that, along with fellow judge Len Goodman, he was asked four years ago to be on the judging panel of Dancing with the Stars, a commitment that required intensive travelling.

So how does he feel when he arrives back at Heathrow?

‘As if bits of my body are still arriving,’ he quips. ‘But this is how I feel for most of the time as I fly backwards and forwards. I’m forever feeling as though I’m in another dimension. But you just have to get a grip of yourself and ride it out.’

Jet lag, or to use its medical name desynchronosis, is disruption of the body clock, the brain cells that control the timing of biological functions (circadian rhythms) for when we eat and sleep. 

Silent flights: Bruno with fellow judge Len Goodman. the duo barely talk on board

Symptoms of jet lag can vary and the severity will usually depend on how far you have flown and how many time zones you have crossed.

If you travel over three or more time zones (Asia, Australasia, the Pacific Islands, U.S. and Canada or Central and South America) you will be at risk of jet lag because of the disruption caused to your body’s rhythm of daylight and darkness.

Most will have jet lag only after crossing at least three time zones, although some may experience mild symptoms after shorter journeys.

A disturbed sleep pattern is one of the most common symptoms and, although it can make you feel exhausted, you may find it difficult to sleep at the correct times. For example, you may be awake during the night and sleep during the day.

Other symptoms include indigestion-constipation, diarrhoea, nausea-loss of appetite, difficulty concentrating, feeling disorientated, anxiety, irritability, memory problems, clumsiness, lack of energy, light-headedness, confusion, headaches, sweating, muscle soreness, menstrual irregularities in women, and feeling generally unwell.

‘Travelling west  -  which I do to LA  -  is far easier to cope with than coming home east to the UK. Going to LA it’s a daylight flight and when you arrive the clock is eight hours behind UK time and so you have a longer day.

‘The body can adjust better to a longer day than the shorter one that you have when you travel east to come back here and the clock goes forward eight hours.’ 

Bruno with fellow judge Alesha Dixon on Strictly Come Dancing

So what does he recommend to beat jet lag? ‘I get my mind focused into training  -  like an athlete  -  and stick to a rigid routine of eating the right food at the right times and doing physical exercise whenever possible. But I also do my best to psychologically get on top of jet lag. I believe it is mind over matter.’

Bruno says that over the years his routine has been as rigorous as any business commuter and he believes anyone who follows his advice can beat it, too.

He makes sure he eats a big breakfast in the airport lounge and orders his favourite dish of two fried eggs on brown toast with two slices of Parma ham. the flight  -  which he takes with Goodman  -  leaves Heathrow for LA at 11.25am and the first thing he does is to put his watch back eight hours to 3.25am LA time.

‘On the outward journey I have a glass of champagne but I never drink much: there’s nothing worse than knocking back the booze as it dehydrates you. I read the papers before having anything to eat.

‘I always have a light lunch  -  salad followed by fruit  -  but no coffee, which is a diuretic and can also dehydrate you. People think Len and I while away the hours chatting on the flight and seem surprised when I say we hardly speak.

‘We are so tired having been in the studios doing Strictly on the Saturday night and then leaving for LA the following morning. After lunch I drink a litre of water to keep hydrated. After a couple of films I may take a nap. But by the time we land in LA at 3pm local time after 12 hours I feel like a zombie.

‘Getting into the airport and queuing at passport control is almost worse than being in the plane.’

After unpacking in his flat, Bruno walks in the fresh air and then does food shopping. ‘I know what I want to eat  -  usually a pasta dish which is full of carbs so it makes you sleepy.

‘Later that day I go for a meeting at the studio where we film Dancing with the Stars and by this time I’m very tired. however, I think positive and manage to keep awake  -  which is a good thing for myself and everyone else on the production.

‘After the meeting, I go home and eat my pasta at 11pm, then try and stay up for another hour at least. by then, I’m tired enough to sleep even though my body thinks it’s 8am.’

Then Bruno sleeps the night through. ‘That’s the trick, not to give in to sleep for as long as possible after you land or you wake up in the middle of the night unable to doze off again and start worrying about if you are going to be exhausted.’

The next morning Bruno spends up to an hour-and-a-half on the treadmill and doing weight-training, stretches and yoga before getting ready to go for another morning meeting.

‘Exercise gives you plenty of energy. having done my workout I feel I’m almost human again and, for the next couple of days and when we shoot the U.S. show, I am.’ 

But as Bruno and all other commuters know, flying east to come home is far harder than going west. ‘Len and I leave LA on the Wednesday-evening at 5.30pm. we regular commuters call this the “red-eye” as it can be terribly tiring if you cannot get to sleep and your eyes tell the story when you arrive.

‘I take something to help me nod off because I don’t feel very sleepy. I have dinner and then settle down.’

Despite the fact that it is classified as an illegal drug in some countries, many long-haul commuters take the hormone supplement melatonin which  -  because it’s naturally produced by the body to trigger sleep at the appropriate times  -  can decrease jet lag symptoms in those who, like Bruno, take long-haul flights.

Produced in the pineal gland  -  located in the centre of the brain  -  the melatonin signal forms part of the physiological system which creates the sleep-wake cycle by causing drowsiness and lowering the body temperature in readiness to sleep.

Melatonin has been found to lessen the time it takes to fall asleep, reduce daytime tiredness and boost alertness during the day. It is available on prescription in the UK, and online.

Some say it does not work and others report side-effects such as nightmares, headache and depression, and the jury is still out on whether it could damage the body clock.

‘I take Tylenol PM, an American over-the-counter product. It’s an antihistamine with sedating properties similar to Nytol or Benadryl in the UK. This helps me because I need that sleep on the flight in preparation for landing back in London at midday on Thursday.

‘I never give in to sleep when I’m back in the UK, despite the fact that I feel like the living dead and as though my brain and body are disconnected. I open all my mail and read my emails. You must stay awake all afternoon. This is crucial otherwise you won’t be tired enough to sleep at night. You have to ride out the jet lag. It is psychological. Just tell yourself I WILL overcome it.’

He makes sure his London routine is similar to his LA one to keep his body on an even keel.

‘I go out and do my food shopping, cook a meal and stay up until 11pm. I go to the gym the following morning and am then able to take the day off. then on Saturday I’m ready for the evening show.’

Bruno is the first to admit that signs of jet lag can make filming Strictly stressful. ‘It’s a live show so a lot of adrenaline is pumping and this means my “self-edit button” does not always kick in and I may say something ruder than I otherwise might have said.’

Bruno also has to deal with the visible symptoms of jet lag. ‘The skin becomes dehydrated and I always keep it well moisturised with Dr Hauschka’s Rose Day Cream.’

So what happens about jet lag when he’s on holiday?

‘Thailand is seven hours ahead of UK time and even though I’ll be travelling east, I’ll lie on the beach all day, reading, swimming, relaxing. But whether one is working or on holiday, there’s no point in worrying about jet lag.

‘You get on with whatever you are doing and train yourself not to keep thinking about it because jet lag is all mind over matter.’

Strictly Come Dancing Live 2011, ticketzone.co.uk

Professor Jim Horne heads the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, and is professor of psychophysiology.

He believes jet lag certainly does exist and that our body clock takes time to adapt to a new 24-hour clock. if daylight and darkness and set mealtimes  -  which regulate our bodies  -  are disrupted, then our sleep patterns are disrupted too.

‘However, sleep dysfunction is also affected by state of mind. if you’re enjoying life then mind over matter is important. Lack of sleep can give you a bit of a high and if, like Bruno, you’re doing things that have a buzz, then it is amazing what the body can cope with. Excitement, rather than stress, can help combat jet lag.’

‘Yes. look at pilots who really enjoy their jobs. It all depends on how much you rely on flying and whether you have established a set routine. and then again Bruno is flying first Class with less of the stress and struggle of economy travel.’ 

An Italian dish for Bruno: Pasta with tomato sauce basil and grated Parmesan

‘Yes. It takes time for the body to adapt. Younger people can cope with it by just riding it out when they get to their destination, whereas older people pace themselves and know what’s best for them and devise strategies to help them cope.’

‘No, it’s irrelevant. if you want to adapt to your environment, get as much light at the normal daylight time as soon as possible after landing. Daylight has a very powerful effect on the body and helps the body clock to adjust.’

‘Food is up to the individual. I’m not convinced that any diet really helps cope with jet lag. Alcohol can interfere with the body clock. with dehydration from coffee and alcohol you lose body fluids that can exacerbate jet lag symptoms. the accomplished traveller has plenty of fluids.’

It is a hormone of the dark and helps shift the body clock. It facilitates sleep, helping the body to know when to sleep. For jet lag, take it two hours after sunset if going east or if waking early going west. But it’s not as powerful as natural daylight.