Jet Lag: Adjusting to a New Time Zone Before, During and After Your Flight

When you travel by plane from one time zone to another, you may suffer from jet lag.

Jet lag鈥攁 term coined back in the 1960s鈥攊s caused by the gap between your normal circadian rhythms and the time zone at your destination. Your body may be active when you鈥檙e supposed to be resting, and your mealtimes are off kilter. Your eyes take in light differently as well.

In a way, jet lag isn鈥檛 a terrible problem to have. After all, you鈥檙e traveling, either for business or pleasure, and your body will adjust in time.

What are the symptoms of jet lag?

  • Being tired during the day and wakeful at night
  • Lost productivity
  • Impaired ability to concentrate
  • Headaches
  • Digestive issues

How long do these symptoms last?

Let鈥檚 answer that question with an example. If you travel from San Francisco to New York City, you鈥檒l lose 3 hours. It will typically take you 3 days to adapt to Eastern Time.听

The greater the time difference between your point of departure and your destination, the longer your symptoms will last, says Dr. Daniel Barone, Associate Medical Director of the Center for Sleep Medicine and Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology at 日本av色情片.听

鈥淛et lag can be more difficult to deal with when you travel east,鈥 he says. 鈥淥n your return trip to California, you鈥檒l gain back those 3 hours, and that adjustment is easier on the body. Making yourself stay awake at night is easier than getting up several hours earlier in the morning.鈥澨

Basically, one hour lost when you travel east equals one day鈥檚 jet lag. But when you travel west, it will take less time to recover from jet lag symptoms.

What can I do to ease the severity of jet lag symptoms?

Before you travel

Several days before your departure date, try going to bed earlier than you鈥檙e used to, Dr. Barone suggests, and use melatonin on those nights to help you sleep. Also, 鈥渦se the sunlight to wake up earlier. Morning exposure to the sun will help you adjust to an earlier rising time in your new time zone. If you鈥檙e traveling east鈥攊f you鈥檙e effectively losing several hours鈥攖hese guidelines will help you get used to the time zone at your destination.

And if you鈥檙e traveling west, put the foregoing suggestions into reverse: stay up and wake up later, in line with the time zone at your destination.听

In either direction, eating smaller meals in the run up to your departure date may help you avoid stomach problems after arrival.

On the plane

  • Try to sleep on the plane if it鈥檚 nighttime at your destination.
  • Resist the temptation to sleep on the plane if it鈥檚 daytime at your destination.
  • Drink plenty of water before, during and after your flight.

After arrival

Try to adapt as quickly as possible. Take a 20-minute nap, if needed, to ease your tiredness and other jet lag symptoms. As a rule of thumb, follow the sleep and waking patterns at your destination right away.听

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends staying in well-lit areas during the day and taking melatonin or other medication as directed by your health-care provider to help you sleep at night.

What if I鈥檓 only going to be away for a couple of days?

If you鈥檙e flying to New York City from California for a 1-to-3-day business trip, stick with your normal sleep and wake times. That way, you鈥檒l avoid jet lag when you travel east as well as west.

Summary

The CDC offers the following tips to take the bite out of jet lag:

  • Eat small meals to avoid stomach problems.
  • Avoid alcohol, as it disrupts sleep.
  • Use caffeine and exercise strategically. These may help you stay alert throughout the day, but avoid them in the evening.
  • Drink plenty of water before, during and after jet travel.
  • Take one or two short naps to help you feel less sleepy during the day yet still sleep at night.

A combination of these steps will help you overcome jet lag more quickly, Dr. Barone says.

Safe travels!

Make an appointment鈥痺ith a specialist by visiting the Center for Sleep Medicine鈥檚 website.听

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