Most of us have the pleasure (or obligation) of flying overseas for vacations, family visits or work. The more time zones that we cross in one journey, the greater the likelihood of suffering from jet lag. Some people may require several days or even a week or more to adjust to a new time zone, while others experience little disruption. How do we know in which group we fall? Here are the typical symptoms for most of us:
- Fatigue, temporary insomnia
- Disorientation, irritability, anxiety
- Headache, nausea
- Digestive problems
Why do people get jet lag? Since the dawn of jet travel we have learned that when traveling across a number of time zones, the body clock will be out of synchronization with the destination time, as it experiences daylight and darkness contrary to the rhythms to which it has grown accustomed: the body's natural pattern of eating, sleeping and hormone regulation is upset!
There are many home remedies that purport to reduce jet lag. How many of these have you tried?
Melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. One of melatonin's key jobs is controlling the body's circadian rhythm--our internal clock that plays an important role in when we fall asleep and when we wake up.
Adjusting sleep and wake time. Involves adjusting a person's bedtime and wake time to the destination time prior to traveling.
Homeopathy. The usual remedies include some or all of these ingredients: Arnica, bellis perennis, chamomilla, ipecacuanha, lycopodium
Valerian. An herb used as a natural sleep aid.
Avoiding alcohol and caffeine. Both can cause dehydration and disrupt sleeping schedules.
To date, with the exception of melatonin, there are no scientific studies to support or reject these remedies.
If you suffer from jet lag, here's my advice for your next trip: The focus of your efforts to minimize, even eliminate, jet lag must be on sleep. As soon as you get a good night's sleep (of eight hours) at your destination, your jet lag is essentially over. If you can at all accomplish this goal on the first night, you may not even get jet lagged at all.
Let's work backwards from that first night's sleep.
If you arrive at your destination in the morning or afternoon, the best advice for sleeping well will be to stay awake all day. This will be challenging if you failed to sleep on the plane, but anything more than a one-hour nap at your destination will probably interfere with your ability to fall asleep at night. Spending the afternoon outside in the daylight and fresh air will help the body to adjust to the new time zone and guarantees that you will be exhausted at bedtime.
If you arrive at your destination in the evening, then you will want to go to bed soon after your arrival. In this case the best advice for sleeping well will be to try not to sleep on the airplane during the flight. This will ensure that you arrive at your destination a little sleep deprived and eager to go to bed.
If you follow my suggestions on your next trip, let me know your conclusions. I will report the results in a future article.
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