Jet Lag Syndrome
Jet lag is the second most common sleep disorder. The affects usually occur with international flights, but also can occur with domestic flights between time zones.
Jet lag results from a mismatch between a person’s circadian (24-hour) rhythm and the time of day in the new time zone. Circadian rhythm is the internal biological clock that regulates body functions based on our wake/sleep cycle. It can be disrupted by changes in sleep pattern.
Jet lag is what you call knocking your “inner clock” out of synch, because when you are traveling across different time zones, especially traveling international, that can throw you off an entire day. For instance, if you are coming from the west going east, such as from New York to London or Los Angeles to Tokyo or Sydney, you cross the international date line which throws you one whole day off.
During the first few days after a flight to a new time zone, a person’s circadian rhythms is still anchored to the time of day at their home. Rhythms then adjust gradually to the new time zone.
A useful web-based tool for world time zone travel information can be found at:
www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html.
If three or less time zones are being crossed, the risk of significant jet lag is likely to be negligible. Many people traveling over three time zones for a vacation accept the risk of jet lag as a transient and mild inconvenience, while other people who are traveling on business or to compete in athletic events desire clear advice on prophylactic measures and treatments.
If two or less days are spent in the new time zone, some people may prefer to anchor their sleep–wake schedule to time of day at home as much as is practical. Thereby, the total burden of jet lag resulting from the short round trip is minimized.
Although it is not a serious condition, jet lag can make it hard for you to enjoy your vacation for the first few days. For business travelers, who may be expected to travel long distances and start work immediately after arrival, jet lag can affect mood, ability to concentrate, and physical and mental performance. Fortunately, you can take steps to minimize the effects of jet lag.
It seems as if women are more affected than men. And, according to medical reports, it is because of the natural hormone estrogen. It is triggered because the body is accustomed to your normal daytime and nighttime rhythms, therefore you are upsetting the body’s natural state of corresponding with a specific time of day. It can even interrupt eating patterns as well. It can take up to several days, to even a full week to regain some normalcy on the time and place, once you have had time to “sleep” yourself into adjustment mode.
The symptoms of jet lag vary by the individual person and symptoms can include or be a combination of dehydration which can trigger minor disorientation, and loss of appetite, headaches and sinus irritations, fatigue, grogginess, nausea and/or vomiting from an upset stomach, irritability, and mild depression.
Jet lag is not linked to the length of a flight, but the transmerdian distance traveled. For example if you flew from New York to Los Angeles which is approximately five hours you will feel some jet lag crossing the Central and Mountain time zones.
Jet lag can be extremely difficult in places like Alaska and Russia because of the fact that Alaska only sees a short amount of daylight and Russia has eleven different time zones and can really throw someone off if they were flying from Copenhagen to Tokyo.
Often people that are prone to this are given sedatives by their doctors to help them sleep through flights and wake up without the effects of jet lag when they land at their destination.
Before Travel
Exercise, eat a healthful diet, and get plenty of rest.
A few days before you leave, start going to bed an hour or two later than usual (before traveling west) or earlier than usual (before traveling east) to shift your body’s clock.
Break up a long trip with a short stop in the middle, if possible.
During Travel
Avoid large meals, alcohol, and caffeine.
Drink plenty of water.
On long flights, get up and walk around periodically.
Sleep on the plane, if you can.
After You Arrive
Don’t make any important decisions the first day.
Eat meals at the appropriate local time.
Spend time in the sun.
Drink plenty of water, and avoid excess alcohol or caffeine.
If you are sleepy during the day, take short naps (20–30 minutes) so you can still sleep at night.
Talk to your doctor about taking medicine to help you sleep at night.
Ways to recover quicker from jet lag are proper nutrition, exercise, and sleep. Travelers who do not sleep or get enough rest and relaxation will deal with it later when they land and the disorientation sets in. Sunlight, according to doctors, can help reset your body’s clock back in synch.
It is difficult to pinpoint the severity of jet lag because it affects people differently. People who frequently travel on international flights are less likely to deal with jet lag because they are used to the constant change, and have manage to adapt to those changes.
Some travel monthly for business and usually it is business travelers who deal with jet lag more than those who go for vacations. Business travelers fly at odd times which can throw someone off because they are flying out super early or catching the red eye somewhere to arrive the next day.
According to the Sleep Foundation, daylight is “a powerful stimulant for regulating the biological clock.” Staying indoors, they add, will only worsen jet lag.
Since light and social contacts influence the timing of internal circadian rhythms, a traveler who is staying in the time zone for two days should try to follow the local people’s sleep–wake habits as much as possible and as quickly as possible. This approach can be supplemented with the following information on specific treatments.
Consequently, schedules have been formulated for proposed “good” and “bad” times for exposure to light after arrival in a new time zone. Visit the website:
People react in different ways to time zone changes. Frequent flyers need to learn how their individual body responds and adopt habits accordingly. Advice from a travel medicine clinic may help with creating an effective coping plan.
Now, according to an Australian travel blogger, you may get rid of your jet lag faster if you put your bare feet on the ground (grass or sand). Apparently, you just wiggle your toes around for a bit. Of course, I can neither confirm, nor deny this theory, but it probably will not hurt, and might be fun and feel great!