Tips to alleviate Jet lag

Globalization leads to major transformation in human life. People frequently migrate from one place to another. In crossing time zones, we may experience lots of problem. Jet lag is one of them which can result in headaches, stomach problems, nausea, trouble in concentrating, and sleeping. Jet lag, also termed as desynchronosis and flight fatigue, is a momentary syndrome that causes tiredness, insomnia, and other signs due to air travel across time zones. It is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, which is a disturbance of the internal body clock. Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles in the biochemical, physiological, and behavioural processes of human bodies. They control person’s daily actions like sleep, waking, eating, and body temperature regulation. When circadian rhythms are considerably dismayed due to frequent migration, it leads to jet lag.

Main cause of jet lag is the incapability of the body of a voyager to instantly adjust to the time in a different zone.

 

Major symptoms of jet lag:

Jet lag can lead to daytime fatigue, sick feeling, less alertness and gastrointestinal problems. But all these conditions are temporary. In addition to fatigue and insomnia, person suffering from a jet lag may experience range of physical and emotional symptoms such as anxiety, constipation, diarrhoea, confusion, dehydration, headache, irritability, nausea, stomach-ache, sweating, coordination problems, dizziness, daytime sleepiness, malaise and sometimes memory loss.

Risk factors:

According to the World Health Organization, people who consume alcohol or caffeine during or before the flight are at high risk of worsening jet lag symptoms. Because these may lead to dehydration and disrupt sleep pattern.

Recuperating from jet lag depends on the number of time zones crossed while travelling. Generally, the human body will regulate to the new time zone at the rate of one or two time zones per day.

To overcome the problem of jet lag, it is recommended by general physicians or therapist that people must sleep well before they begin their air travel. People must drink plenty of water before, during, and after flight. When they arrive at their destination, adjust sleeping and eating schedule to the new time zone. Though it is difficult if people crossed many time zones, but they must try to stay awake until the local bedtime, and wake up in the morning when the inhabitants do and go outside in the natural light. In order to set body clock according to local time, they may engage themself in social activities. It will help to alleviate from jetlag. When trying to stay awake, doctors suggest to eat protein and vegetables and avoid starchy foods.

Travellers must take some preventive measures while crossing time zone. Such as choosing flights that arrive in the early evening local time, by getting up and going to bed early for several days before, and for a westward flight, stay active during the flight by doing exercises, stretching, and walking along the aisle, evade heavy meals or vigorous exercise.

There is another way to lessen the impact of jetlag. Travellers can try natural light therapy. When they get exposure to sunlight, it helps to regulate circadian rhythms. It has been suggested by experts that on eastward flights, better to avoid early light exposure in morning and get as much light as possible in the afternoon and early evening. The light helps to shift body’s circadian clock, so travellers feel refreshed and wake at right times at their destination.

In last word, Jet lag, normally called as time zone change syndrome happens when tourists or people quickly travel and across time zones or when their sleep is interrupted. Jet lag is a kind of fatigue triggered by wandering across different time zones.