Desynchronosis, better known as jet lag, is pretty much guaranteed after crawling off long flights from Australia to Vietnam.
Although many breakthroughs have been made, no jet lag remedies on the
market are a quick fix for the chronobiological ailment; what your body
needs is time to readjust.
With
bodies designed for walking, or perhaps riding a horse, humans were
never meant to travel as quickly as modern flight allows. The chemical
clock in our bodies that tells us when to eat and when to sleep can go
haywire for the first week after a long flight. Unfortunately, jet lag
can make getting adjusted to an unfamiliar place that much more
difficult when you first get off the plane.
What Exactly is Jet Lag?
Crossing
three or more time zones can wreck havoc on biological patterns and
circadian rhythms. Melatonin, which is produced naturally in the body
during darkness, causes us to feel drowsy when there is a lack of light.
Until melatonin levels are regulated and become adjusted to your new
time zone, your chemical clock that suggests when to sleep will not be
in sync with your new location.
Symptoms of Jet Lag
Travelers
experiencing severe jet lag may feel lethargic during the afternoon,
wide awake at night, and hungry during odd times. Headaches,
irritability, and a lack of daytime focus make the culture shock of a
new place take that much more of a toll.
Jet
lag doesn't only affect sleep; hunger strikes at odd times as your
digestive system fires up based on your old time zone's schedule. Meals
eaten at regular times are less enjoyable and can even be harder to
digest.
As
our bodies often perform internal maintenance while we sleep, jet lag
can actually weaken immune systems, making those germs encountered on
public transportation even more of a problem.
Some common indicators of jet lag are:
Insomnia
Daytime drowsiness
Waking up too early
Lack of appetite
Lack of focus and mild depression
Headaches and irritability
Natural Jet Lag Remedies
While
there are not any magic jet lag remedies, you can take some steps upon
arrival and on the flight to lessen the recovery time required.
Use Discipline:
Time to throw out the old adage of "listen to your body." The most
effective jet lag remedy is to force your body into its new routine.
Avoid the temptation to lay down in the middle of the afternoon;
instead, wait until proper time to sleep at night. Although easier said
than done in Asia, don't snack at odd times even though you feel hungry.
Eat meals at set times regardless of whether or not you are hungry.
Get Lots of Sunlight:
Your melatonin cycles -- and ultimately your internal clock -- are
dictated by the amounts of sunlight coming into your eyes. Although you
will certainly be tired after the long flight, your first day on the
ground is not a good day to spend lounging around the hotel. Get
outdoors, stay physically active during the day, and see some sites.
Avoid Caffeine: With
your body's clock already in turmoil, adding a stimulant is only going
to confuse things that much more. Despite needing a boost to keep going
the first afternoon in your destination, avoid drinking caffeine after
midday until you get readjusted.
Start on the Plane: You
can begin your jet lag prevention before you even get off the plane.
Set your watch to the time in your future destination, then do your best
to sleep and eat based on the new timezone rather than the old. Get up,
move around the plane to avoid lethargy, and avoid just snoozing
through the entire flight.
Extreme Jet Lag Remedies
One
study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine proved that a 0.5 mg
dose of melatonin -- available for purchase as a nutritional supplement
-- taken on the first day of your trip can help alleviate jet lag if
proper amounts of sunlight are absorbed. The FDA does not recommend
melatonin as a jet lag remedy.
A
study conducted by Harvard Medical School showed that fasting for at
least 16 hours before your arrival can help to override the body's
natural clock. Fasting triggers an innate survival response that makes
finding food more a priority than following circadian rhythms.
How Long Does it Take to Get Over Jet Lag?
Depending
on age, physical fitness, and genetics, jet lag affects people
differently. Studies show that you should allow one full day to recover
from jet lag for every time zone traveled either east or west.
The
US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control states that the direction
traveled makes a difference in how long that jet lag persists. If
traveling west, divide the number of time zones crossed by two to
determine how many days jet lag can be expected to last. When traveling
east, expect a recovery time of roughly two-thirds the number of time
zones crossed.
.jpg)
