Get some sun: Getting outside during daylight hours can jump-start alertness.Making healthy choices may help jet lag symptoms go away sooner. There’s a good chance your symptoms will go away in a few days without any treatment. Still, you can treat most jet lag symptoms on your own. Researchers have yet to uncover a jet lag cure. If you “lost” several hours during travel, you may have difficulty falling asleep as your body adjusts to a new nighttime schedule (when it’s used to being alert and awake).Ĭonversely, if you “gain” several hours during travel, you may get sleepy during daylight hours (when your body would normally be asleep back home). That’s because greater distances require your body to make a bigger adjustment. Overall, you can expect more severe jet lag when you fly farther. General feeling of being “off” or not like yourself.You may experience one or more jet lag symptoms: Warm cabin temperature and low humidity, which can cause dehydration.Lack of oxygen and decreased air pressure in the airplane cabin.Other aspects of travel can also contribute to jet lag and may make symptoms worse: Plane travel makes jet lag worse because your body moves much faster than your brain and circadian rhythms can process the time change. Jet lag symptoms result from your body’s natural rhythms being out of sync with the day- and nighttime hours of your destination. Jet lag usually happens when you travel by plane two or more time zones away. Researchers say that’s because your body can adapt more quickly to staying up late than going to bed earlier than normal. Medical experts generally agree that flying eastward may cause more severe jet lag symptoms than flying toward the west. Some people (especially children) may not notice any problems adapting to a new time zone. However, people can experience jet lag in different ways and to varying degrees.
Jet lag is a common issue many people experience when traveling. Think of jet lag symptoms as “growing pains” while your body gets used to your new surroundings. Your body will adjust to this change in environment. Jet lag means your body is out of sync with the daylight-nighttime schedule of your destination. How does jet lag happen?įlying through two or more time zones can upset the circadian rhythms your body knows well. For example, when light enters your eye, cells send a message to your brain that it can stop producing melatonin (a hormone that helps you sleep). But outside factors (such as light) can affect these rhythms, too. Your body sets these rhythms naturally, guided by your brain. They also affect several other body processes, such as your hormones, digestion and body temperature. These rhythms tell your body when to sleep and when to wake up. What are circadian rhythms?Ĭircadian rhythms are patterns your body follows based on a 24-hour day.
Jet lag is a type of circadian rhythm sleep disorder. When you travel across more than two time zones by plane, your body’s “internal clock” (or circadian rhythm) needs time to adjust to the new sleep and wake cycles at your destination. Jet lag describes common sleep problems (such as insomnia) and other symptoms people experience after traveling a long distance quickly.