How Does Jet Lag Affect the Body?
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What is Jet lag?
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Jet lag is a sleep disorder that arises when traveling between time zones. The disorder is triggered because a sudden shift in time zones, and the sleep schedule one tries to assume, breaks up the body's normal sleep rhythm. The affect of jet lag is more noticeable for each time zone crossed in a short period of time for up to 12 time zones. A 12-hour shift would be a complete reversal of hours; further shifts after 12 would bring the time shift closer toward the same time as departure. (Only the day would be different.) Since air travel frequently involves crossing long distances and many time zones, the disorder is named after jet travel.
Symptoms associated with Jet lag
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The main symptoms of jet lag are spells of exhaustion and insomnia. Since the body gets used to sleeping and waking during certain hours of the day, attempting to change those hours dramatically confuses the body's natural daily cycle. When someone forces her body to be awake during hours in which it is used to being asleep, she may feel unusually high fatigue and the need to rest or sleep. Conversely, when one attempts to sleep during hours in which he has been used to being very alert, it can be difficult to get to sleep. The sleep disruption caused by jet lag can lead to other symptoms, such as headaches and irritability. Nausea and digestive problems are also a common side effect of jet lag, in part due to the fact that a time shift also creates a sudden shift of food intake patterns. (Also, the type of food eaten often changes substantially.) Rarely, more severe issues can arise from jet lag, such as a weakened immune system or heartbeat irregularities.
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Coping with Jet lag
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Jet lag is caused not only by the crossing of time zones, but by a person's need to shift her schedule to one that is in line with her destination. By shifting one's schedule less than the full amount required by a shift in time zones, she can lessen the affects of jet lag. This often involves going to sleep earlier than one would normally, or waking up earlier than normal. Similar steps can also be taken to ease jet lag before departure, such as gradually shifting her sleep schedule toward the time schedule of the destination ahead of time. Being physically fit and remaining active on the plane can also help reduce the affect of jet lag. Often, shifts that involve only one or two time zones will have no affect on a person at all. Larger shifts affect most people; conventional wisdom states that it takes about one day to adjust for each hour of time shift experienced.
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