Having a break from the hum drum of life and taking a holiday is one of the highlights of summer – but the joy of that rest and reset can quickly be undone by the effects of jet lag. Jet lag disorder can cause a lot of physical and behavioural upset and – for some of us – even start to dictate how far we travel on holiday and in which time zones.
So, what is it? Well, it occurs when we travel quickly across multiple time zones and temporarily affects our sleep patterns. It can cause us to feel unwell, leave us struggling to wake up in the morning and result in daytime sleepiness, challenges sleeping at our usual bedtime, poor quality sleep, and difficulty focusing and concentrating. It can also cause some digestive symptoms like nausea, constipation, indigestion or changes in appetite. And jet leg doesn’t just stop at the physical – it can also cause a temporary feeling of mild anxiety.
American travel journalist Horace Sutton is said to have made the phrase a common term back in 1966, when he used it in an article. Interestingly enough he described it as being not dissimilar to having a hangover, which many of us can relate to, with between 60 and 70 per cent of international travellers experiencing it, and in one survey up to 45 per cent described their symptoms as severe. How much we are affected may be dependent on the regular medications we take or our genes, but it is also likely to be worse when we fly east because you’re getting ahead of time and losing hours. How many time zones we travel over, how frequently we fly, and the older we are can also affect how long it takes us to recover.
There is science behind jet lag and it is all based on your internal body clock, or circadian rhythm that regulates your sleep/wake cycle. When our natural light during the daytime hits the back of our eyes (our retina), a signal gets sent to part of the brain called the hypothalamus. This communicates with a small organ called the pineal gland and limits it releasing melatonin, a hormone which makes us sleepy. During night time, when there is very low natural light, it does the opposite and we get a surge in melatonin, which makes us sleep.
When we stay in a certain time zone, our circadian rhythm gets set and it expects the same pattern of wake and sleep times. When we travel across different time zones, our circadian rhythm gets confused as it is still set on our old time zone, needing a few days to adjust. And it is this temporary mismatch which causes the symptoms of jet lag.
The bad news is that we can’t prevent jet lag – but the good news is we can take action to limit its effects.
Pre-flight
Make sure you rest well before your flight and however busy you are organising your trip, make sure you don’t skimp on sleep beforehand; this can give you a bit of a reserve when it comes to combatting jet lag. You can also try adjusting your sleep schedule very slightly before you go away; so, if you are travelling west then attempt shifting your bedtime to an hour later for a few nights beforehand, and an hour earlier for travelling east. When you are booking your holiday, aim if you can to arrive a few days before you have anything meaningful to do; if you are going to a wedding abroad, make sure you have some time for your body and its circadian rhythm to adjust, especially if you really want to enjoy the event.
Jet lag can feel like a hangover (Photo: Todd Pearson/Getty/Digital Vision)During the flight
Pretend you have already arrived and set your phone or watch to the time of your new destination before you take off. This will help you sync your sleeping patterns, meal patterns and awake times on the flight to match those of your new time zone in advance. There are lots of tempting distractions on the flight, including films and chatting to your travel companions and catching up, but to help you all with the jet lag, make sure you try to reflect what is happening in your destination. A bit like a hangover, dehydration can make jet lag worse so avoid caffeine and alcohol, and drink adequate amounts of water before and during the flight, as well as after.
Post flight
It is so tempting to go straight to sleep once you arrive in your destination, but if it is daytime there then you are just going to delay your circadian rhythm from adjusting, so rest – but don’t sleep. Try instead to do something that requires little focus and concentration, but that will keep you mildly active and awake. If you really can’t manage without some sleep when you arrive then be strict – set an alarm for a few hours’ time and make sure you get up when it goes off. Take the first few days of your break away easy and go gently on yourself; your body will adjust but it needs time to do so naturally. Make the most of the natural daylight there when you can and make sure you have a nice quiet, dark bedroom for sleep. The same applies when you return; try not to go straight back into intense work but plan a day or so with not much to do, or at least lighter responsibilities, until you adjust back into your home time zone.
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