Don't let jet lag spoil your trip!

Jet lag, more formally known as desynchronosis, is a temporary disorder caused by a disruption of your body’s normal circadian rhythm or internal body clock. As any international traveler can tell you, jet lag occurs after rapid travel across multiple time zones. The most common symptoms are sleep disorders and daytime fatigue, but they can also include anxiety, constipation, confusion, dehydration, headache, irritability, nausea, dizziness and memory loss.

What’s in a Zone?

The cause of jet lag is the inability of the body to immediately adapt to a different time zone. Your body has an internal 24-hour clock located in the hypothalamus of the brain which is triggered by environmental factors, the most important of which is light.

When the hypothalamus senses light, it stops the production of melatonin. This allows your body to “wake up” and begin its normal daily functions. When the hypothalamus senses an absence of light, it signals for the production of melatonin which helps put the body to sleep. Therefore, when an air traveler leap frogs through time zones, and thus perceives dawn and dusk with several hours difference from what a biological clock is expecting, the hypothalamus triggers activities for which the rest of the body is not prepared.

Go West!

Travelers flying east typically experience more severe symptoms, because they “lose” time. For example, if your body believes it is 1 a.m. (New York time) but your brain is sensing the 7 a.m. bright morning sunlight in Paris (you lucky dog), you will still be very sleepy due to your preprogrammed sleep cycle. We cannot immediately adapt to the new time zone, but gradually the internal clock will acclimate–usually at the rate of 1 time zone per day.

Travelers flying west have a little easier time because it is easier to extend your waking cycle (when you “gain” time) than it is to shorten a waking cycle. Adaptation usually occurs at a rate of 1.5 time zones per day.

Early to Bed

To help prevent jet lag, you can start adapting your body prior to your trip by gradually moving your bedtime and/ or wake time towards your destination’s time zone. Stay well hydrated during your travel, and avoid caffeine and alcohol, which not only promote dehydration but also disrupt sleep cycles.

Once you board your flight, change your watch to your destination’s time zone. Try to sleep on the plane at times that are appropriate at the destination. Between naps, get up and move about the aircraft, stretch your legs and find some way to engage your brain (puzzles, books, conversations). If you are on a flight that will cross more than 8 times zones, consider scheduling your flight in such a way that you can take a 1-2 day layover halfway.

Why not just take a pill?

Medications may help, but should be used only after you have consulted your physician. Mild sedatives (benzodiapines, like Valium or Ativan) may help you get to sleep and adjust to the new time zones, however, using these medications on the flight itself will increase your risk of developing blood clots in the legs. Use of these medications may also cause morning-time “fuzziness” and even memory loss. Ambien, a well-known sleep aid, has the same potential side effects, but can also cause bizarre behavior and sleep walking, which could be an issue if you are staying in an unfamiliar place.

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Dr. Beth Phillips, MD, is the Director of Medical Operations at AirMed International