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Jet Lag Guide
What Causes Jet Lag
Also known as desynchronosis (which literally translates as "out of time"), jet lag is a condition caused by a significant and rapid change in time zones such that your body's natural rhythms and cycles are suddenly and completely thrown out of balance.
Your body is regulated by its own internal clock which operates on a cycle of roughly 24 hours.
These daily cycles, also referred to as your body’s circadian rhythms, from the Latin 'circa' (meaning about) and 'dies' (meaning day), are very largely regulated by your environment and, in particular, by light and darkness.
In the evening your eyes sense the failing light and send signals to your brain which, in turn, releases hormones into your body and begins the process of 'shutting down' in preparation for sleep. Similarly, in the morning your eyes sense the returning daylight and again send signals to your brain to reverse this process.
When your body, nicely settled into its rhythm, suddenly finds that it's receiving its twice daily signals at the wrong time, it becomes confused and, although your mind can adjust quickly to the environmental changes, your body responds far more slowly.
This can then result in all kinds of physical distress, from a passing headache to stomach aches, nausea, irritability and loss of mental clarity.
The most prevalent jet lag symptom, however, is severe physical fatigue and a complete disruption of your usual sleep cycle – a situation that often leads to short-term insomnia.
Think back to the business traveler in the opening scenario. He felt mentally alert, and certainly excited to find himself in a new place, but his body, accustomed to sleeping at that hour, was severely fatigued. And, although giving in to the body's exhaustion and taking an extended nap helped cure his immediate fatigue, it ultimately did nothing to promote an adjustment to the new cycle.
This struggle finds its root in the fact that your body cannot recognize and adapt to new surroundings as quickly as your mind. While you might consciously acknowledge that it is mid-morning in your new location, you body may still behave, and react, as if it were the middle of the night.
One other important factor in the case of jet lag is stress.
For several days before your journey you may well find yourself running around like a mad thing doing those 1001 last minute jobs. You quite possibly aren't eating or sleeping properly and are worrying about your family, whether the house will be safe and possibly about the flight itself.
Once you do get underway you have to contend with the journey to the airport, parking the car, wrestling your luggage half a mile to the check-in desk and hanging around because your flight is delayed. When you get on board the aircraft, you sit for hours in a cramped seat, unable to sleep and getting more and more restless.
Finally, you arrive at your destination and face yet more problems in getting through customs and immigration and wrestling that luggage out to find a bus or taxi for the hour long journey to your hotel. Is it any wonder that you're stressed!
Just how quickly your body adapts is very much dependent upon two things.
The first is the time difference between your point of departure and your destination. Left to its own devices, your body will generally take about a day to adjust for each hour of time difference. So, if your destination time is seven hours ahead of the time back at home, your body will take about a week to adjust.
The second factor is the steps that you take to help your body to adjust. By thinking ahead and taking action before you depart, during your flight and after your arrival, you can shorten both the time it takes for your body to adjust and the severity of the symptoms experienced while it does so.
Next >>> The symptoms of jet lag
The information contained here should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of an appropriately qualified and licensed physician or other health care provider.
The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and in no way should be considered as an offering of medical advice.
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