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Jet lag occurs when people travel by air from one area of the country or world to another. Jet lag is known as a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, or body clock disorder, because it disrupts the body's timing of sleep. Signs and symptoms of jet lag include difficulty sleeping, different appetite schedule, and inconsistencies with body fluid functions. People who may have jet lag can expect these signs and symptoms to last for a week or more.
Jet lag is a physiological condition that affects the sleep cycles and rhythms of those traveling across three or more time zones in a brief period of time. Symptoms include insomnia and irritability, and can be treated using drug and light therapy.
Traveling across time zones can leave you feeling lethargic and off-kilter, ready to sleep when everyone else is awake, or full of energy in the middle of the night. Melatonin is a hormone released by the pineal gland at night. The pineal gland regulates the body's rhythms of sleep and wakefulness, known as circadian rhythms. Taking melatonin is thought to "re-set" the body's internal clock, helping you adjust much more quickly to a new time zone and mitigating the effects of jet lag.
Under regular circumstances, circadian rhythms renew at the start of each new day, resetting the body's inner clock to the 24-hour cycle that controls our metabolic, hormonal and neural processes. Crossing more than three time zones on an airplane disrupts these functions, and the result is known as jet lag. Biologist Charles Ehret developed what he called an "anti-jet lag diet" that uses nature's time cues to help your body adjust to a new time zone.
Feeling sluggish, hungry and tired or agitated, awake and ill is not the way to start your faraway vacation, holiday break or two-day business trip. Try the U.S. Department of Energy researchers' jet lag prevention plan when you fly to help reset your body and keep you moving smoothly through various time zones and over long distances.
When traveling through several time zones, an individual's internal clock may be out of sync with the local time at the destination, often resulting in jet lag. The effects of jet lag are temporary and may range from mild fatigue to more problematic physical and mental symptoms.
Each of us has an internal body clock that is in sync with the time zone where we live. When it is disrupted by changing to three or more different time zones quickly, as happens when you travel by air, you may experience jet lag. Symptoms include headaches, exhaustion, insomnia, soreness, diminished concentration, nausea, irritability and loss of appetite. While jet lag does not present a danger to your health, it can put the damper on being able to enjoy yourself, once you reach your destination. There are alternative remedies that may aid in helping you deal with this condition.
