BODY FATIGUE

JET READY, JET SET, JET... NO?

WRITER: JAMES ROACH // PHOTO ILLUSTRATOR: ANTHONY CASTO

When it comes to travel, it is not just a matter of remembering your passport, your departure time, and whether or not you packed clean underwear that leaves you feeling exhausted by the time you hit baggage claim. Internally, our bodies are physically affected by travel, as well.

Jet lag, also known as time zone change syndrome, occurs when people travel from east to west or west to east. Traveling north to south and vice versa does not produce jet lag because there are no time changes. Jet lag occurs when the “body clock” or circadian rhythm — the internal monitor that tells us when to eat, sleep, etc. — becomes disrupted. Circadian rhythm is set by cues such as light exposure, mealtimes, and social interaction. Crossing time zones causes those cues to disrupt the internal clock. The eventual cure is to get the body resynchronized to the new time zone.

Your body may express and feel this internal disruption in the following ways:

• Headaches

• Feeling “heavy-headed”

• Fatigue

• Insomnia

• Irritability

• Mild depression

• Difficulty concentrating

• Loss of appetite

• Confusion

• Dizziness

• Diarrhea

• Constipation

If you travel often, you may find that symptoms of jet lag are more severe when traveling from west to east rather than east to west. Also, symptoms tend to affect older people more severely than younger people — which is why your 5-year-old is bright-eyed and bushytailed before you have even unzipped the suitcase. Studies have also shown physically fit people who eat a wellbalanced diet are affected less than those who lead a sedentary lifestyle.

Jet lag increases in severity the more time zones crossed. Some experts say the lower oxygen levels in a pressurized aircraft can create a lethargic feeling, thereby increasing the severity of jetlag symptoms.

There are some ways to help your body adjust to the time and travel changes:

1. Simulate your schedule before you leave. Adjust your bedtime and mealtimes slightly to better match the new time zone (i.e., if heading west, stay up later).

2. Try to match the schedule during the flight. If you are on a redeye, try to sleep. If you are on a daytime flight, try to stay awake.

3. Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water, and avoid alcohol and caffeine several hours before sleeping.

4. Attempt to move around/walk during the flight. Avoid heavy exercise right before bed as this can delay sleep.

5. The effectiveness of using sleep aids to combat jetlag is debated in the medical community. If you think an aid like melatonin might help you, you will want to run it by your doctor before you try it. And you will need to plan taking it one to two hours before bedtime, and plan to sleep for at least ten hours. These sleep aids are for short-time use only.

6. Natural light therapy is arguably the best “all natural” method for combatting jet lag. Exposure to sunlight helps adjust our body clocks. Try to spend as much time as possible outside, and use a light box if necessary to create more light while inside.

7. Eat a healthy diet. High carb and fatty foods right before bed can be disruptive to sleep.

8. A hot bath right before bed can help relax the body.

9. Minimize sleep disruptions. Wear earplugs or an eye mask on the plane. Try to eliminate distractors while in hotels, like early-morning light through a window.

While NASA estimates you will need one full day to recover for every one hour time zone you cross, WebMD suggests you will need one day for every two time zones crossed. Ultimately, the key to curing jet lag is the same: time.