What is Jet Lag and How to Overcome it?

Posted on: Apr 21, 2022 | | Written by:

What is Jet Lag and How to Overcome it?

Wondering why you had been feeling drowsy post a 10-hour flight journey—feeling almost relieved that you opted for travel health insurance? Well, the experience could be quite overwhelming for you if you are travelling across multiple time zones for the very first time. But a frequent international flier would be familiar with the term “jet lag”.

What’s jet lag?

Jet lag is a condition where you suffer from insomnia and other related health issues due to travelling across two or more time zones within a very short period. You experience Jet lag when your body’s clock is not in sync with the sleep-wake cycles of your current geographical location.

For example, your flight departs from New Delhi at 10 p. m on Monday (Indian time) and arrives in Washington DC at 4 a. m (Washington time), Wednesday. However, your internal clock assumes that it is 1.30 in the afternoon, as it would be in India (considering an average non-stop flight takes 15.30 hours to reach Washington DC from New Delhi). That means your body is ready for lunch as the rest of Washington DC is still sleeping. That’s what is known as jet lag. Jet lag is medically termed as a type of circadian rhythm sleep disorder.

Circadian rhythms:

Your body has its own natural timing device. Your biological clock prompts you when to sleep and when to wake up, in turn impacting your hormones, digestion, body temperature, etc. Your body, led by your brain, follows set patterns based on a 24-hour day. The patterns in which your body functions on a given day are known as circadian rhythms.

What causes jet lag?

When you fly across multiple time zones within a few hours, the circadian rhythms of your body are disrupted, causing jet lag. This is because your biological clock is still in sync with your original time zone and not with the time zone you are presently in. Travelling in a plane may often cause severe jet lag because your body moves way faster than your brain. Hence, it becomes tough for the circadian rhythms in your body to process the change in time. Some other causes of jet lag are:

● Sitting on a plane for a very long period of time

● Oxygen deficiency

● Decreased air pressure in the cabin

● High cabin temperature and low humidity

How common is jet lag?

Jet lag is pretty common in people flying across different time zones—noticed more often if you are:

● Travelling eastward as compared to travellers flying westward. Medical experts are of the opinion that it’s easier for people to stay awake longer than to fall asleep earlier than usual.

● Flying greater distances, cross multiple time zones, or take multiple stop-over flights to reach your destination. That’s because your body needs to make more adaptations than normal.

● Travelling frequently, such as pilots, flight attendants and business travellers.

● An older adult as compared to a younger adult

What does jet lag feel like?

If you fly eastward, you lose several hours while travelling. In that case, your biological clock is still struggling to cope with a new nighttime schedule. Therefore, you may find it hard to fall asleep. However, if you fly westward, you gain several hours while travelling. Hence, your body clock is still not synced to a new daytime schedule and you may feel sleepy during the day.

Some jet lag symptoms are:

● Insomnia

● Daytime drowsiness

● Headaches

● Difficulty in focusing or concentrating

● Fatigue

● disorientation

● Stomach upset

● Irritability

How’s jet lag diagnosed?

Jet lag can be diagnosed based on the above-mentioned symptoms. Most travellers experience minor symptoms that usually go away on their own within a few days. If symptoms are severe, your healthcare provider may conduct a sleep study for a better evaluation of your condition.

How’s jet lag treated?

There’s no established method of treating jet lag. However, a few practices may help you get back to normalcy:

● Exposure to sun:

Sunlight influences your internal clock by regulating melatonin—a hormone that synchronizes cells in the body. When light enters your eyes, the tissue cells in your retinaprompt the hypothalamus in the brain, signalling the body to wake up. You may try getting your body clock in sync with the new time zone by exposing yourself to daylight.

● Get quality sleep:

Getting sound sleep on the flight may help your body cope well with the change in time zone.

● Keep yourself hydrated:

Drink plenty of water to fight dehydration resulting from long flights. However, try avoiding caffeine and alcohol which may cause dehydration.

● Eat sensibly:

It’s always better to choose food that your body is familiar with. This may help keep your digestive system at ease.

Preventing jet lag:

A few basic steps may help prevent jet lag:

● Reach your destination early. If you have an important event or meeting to attend, reach your destination a few days early. This gives your body the required time to adapt itself to the new time zone.

● Take plenty of rest before travelling. Also, try to get a good night’s sleep on the plane.

● Drink plenty of water during and after your flight. This would keep you hydrated throughout. Try avoiding caffeine and alcohol.

● Modify your schedule as per your destination’s time zone little by little before travelling. If you are flying west, go to bed a few hours later for several days before you leave. If you are travelling eastward, try sleeping a few hours earlier for a few nights before you leave.

● When you expose yourself to light in the evening, it may help fine-tune your body to a later than usual time zone (if travelling westward). However, expose yourself to morning light to adapt to an earlier time zone faster (if travelling eastward).

● Stick to your new schedule as per the new time zone.

● Move your body on the plane. Try breathing deeply, rolling your feet, raising your knees, contracting and relaxing your leg muscles, etc.

When will jet lag go away?

The duration of a jet lag depends on various factors—distance travelled, health condition, your unique circadian rhythm, etc. You may feel fine within a few days of your arrival in a new place or you may stay jet-lagged for an entire week or so.

When should I call the doctor?

Call a doctor if your jet lag symptoms get worse with time. Keep your travel health insurance close by.

Conclusion

A few strategies may help ease your jet lag-related discomfort. You may also consider consulting a sleep specialist. Keeping travel health insurance handy may help you sail through in case of an emergency. It’s, however, a matter of time that your internal clock eventually gets tuned to the changing environment.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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