Jet lag — it’s the unwelcome visitor that always accompanies long-distance journey, leaving us feeling disoriented and fatigued. Whether or not you’re a frequent flyer or embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime journey, understanding how one can mitigate jet lag’s results is important for a profitable journey.
Understanding jet lag
Jet lag is a circadian rhythm sleep-wake dysfunction. It happens when fast journey throughout a number of time zones disrupts our inner physique clock. Our circadian rhythms, synchronized by cues corresponding to daylight and darkness, regulate our sleep-wake cycle, guaranteeing we really feel alert through the day and sleepy at evening. Nonetheless, after we shortly journey throughout time zones, this synchronization is thrown off stability, resulting in signs like daytime sleepiness, nighttime insomnia, fatigue and cognitive impairment.
The extra time zones you cross, the extra extreme your signs could also be. Adjusting to a brand new time zone tends to be more durable if you journey east than if you journey west. It’s estimated that it takes someday per time zone that you just cross to your physique to regulate to the native time.
Whereas jet lag can have an effect on anybody, pilots, flight attendants, and frequent enterprise vacationers usually expertise jet lag extra continuously attributable to their in depth journey schedules. Some information counsel jet lag signs could also be extra extreme and will last more in older folks.
Rising proof even means that jet lag can precipitate temper disturbances, with extra depressive episodes after westward journey and manic episodes after eastward journey.
Methods for lowering jet lag signs
Fortuitously, a number of methods might help decrease the influence of jet lag. Speak to a sleep physician to find out if any of those choices are best for you:
Preserve your house schedule: Sticking to your common sleep-wake schedule, notably for temporary journeys, might help scale back jet lag signs by permitting your physique to keep up its accustomed rhythm.
Use shiny mild: Shiny mild is a crucial cue that may have an effect on the timing of your circadian rhythms. For instance, publicity to shiny mild within the morning could assist advance your sleep-wake schedule earlier than you journey east. Conversely, inappropriately timed publicity to mild and darkness throughout and instantly after journey can improve jet lag signs.
Alter your sleep schedule: You may assist your physique put together for journey by adjusting your sleep schedule earlier than your journey. For instance, you may shift your sleep schedule earlier for just a few nights earlier than you journey east. Think about using an app, corresponding to Timeshifter, that can assist you alter your sleep schedule when touring.
Take melatonin: Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Taking melatonin at bedtime for just a few nights after your arrival could show you how to alter to a brand new time zone when touring east. Melatonin is probably not useful when touring west lower than 12 time zones.
Eat caffeine: Caffeine could assist enhance alertness and scale back daytime signs of jet lag, however it can also disrupt your sleep at evening.
Along with these methods, get loads of sleep through the nights earlier than your journey, keep away from alcohol throughout your flight, maximize publicity to sunlight upon arrival, and train earlier than and after journey to assist handle jet lag.
If you happen to need assistance getting ready for an extended journey, speak to the sleep staff at an accredited sleep heart.
Medical assessment by Helena Schotland, MD
