Meaning, Causes, Symptoms, Prevention and Recovery from Jet
Lag- the feeling of fatigue and malaise, when we travel across the time zones and,
sometimes, from North to South in the same time zone.
What is Jet Lag....?
When there is a disturbance of Sleep/ Wake
cycle of the body, the symptoms of Jet Lag becomes evident. Air travellers,
Pilots, Cabin crews and shift workers experience Jet Lag. Older people and
those going eastwards get severe Jet Lag symptoms.
Body system Problem responsible for Jet Lag:-
- There is a set pattern of the body for Sleeping, Eating and Regulation of Blood Pressure, which is regulated by a hormone called Melatonin.
- When the person crosses many time zones in a few hours of time, it gets disturbed. And the combination of symptoms- insomnia, tiredness and lethargy, is seen that are out of the ordinary. Those symptoms are collectively called as Jet Lag.
Melatonin hormone and its function:-
Melatonin is secreted from the gland
called Pineal Gland. The hypothalamus gland also regulates the Sleep/ Wakecycle of the body. The way it does is by regulating the hormone level from the
intensity of the light impulse it gets from the Eyes.
When
we travel and the time zones differ, the sunlight time will also differ than
expected by the Hypothalamus Gland. That creates mismatch between what the
outside condition is and what the inside already assumed, which will cause
Disorientation sometimes.
Also, Melatonin is partly regulated by the
Feeding time. This will also change; so, the body will react to that, which is
called Jet Lag.
Fun Fact : Flight arriving early in the evening of the local
time will result in less Jet lag to the passengers because they can sleep right
after going to their place; so that their Circadian Rhythm start to settle.
Symptoms:-
- As we just learned that the hormone Melatonin will get disturbed primarily, all the functions of this hormone will get hampered.
- Insomnia- Inability to Sleep properly.
- Tiredness
- Disorientation
- Nausea
- Decreased Alertness
- Mood Swings
- lethargy
- Upset Stomach due to Sleep Disturbances
Additional Info:
- The atmospheric pressure in most of the commercial airlines is less than the normal ; so we can inhale less O2 , which means that our Brain will also get less of it. That will contribute a ton to the Mentally Disoriented State. So, O2 modulation therapy could be tried to alleviate the symptoms of Jet Lag.
- Less legroom in the Flight can also contribute to the tiredness that we feel after long air journey.
Time zones:-
- As the earth is revolving, there is a day in some countries and night in others. To set this difference, there is different time at all the places in a single moment.
- The different times of different places are called time zones. There are 24 different time zones across the globe. And it changes every 1000 miles.
Do’s and Dont’s:-
Do’s
|
Dont’s
|
Get Sunlight after reaching
to the Destination
|
Excessive usage of Gadgets
|
Drink lots of water
|
Drinking
Alcohol
|
Frequently walk in the flight
|
Excess Caffeine
|
Taking too
many naps during journey
|
|
Rest before trip
|
Eating heavy meals
|
Recovery:-
- Body generally recovers from the Jet Lag at a rate of 2-3 time zones / day. So, if the person is travelling from Canada to India, there is a time difference of 9.30 hours that means the person crossed 9.5 time zones. So, the average time of recovery will be 3 -4 days.
Treatment:-
- As it is the disorder of melatonin disturbance, studies argued that melatonin as a medication can treat it . But, these are just arguments, not proven yet....!
If you suffering from any serious medical condition, speak to
your Doctor before long Air travel.
Take printout of this article for whenever you go abroad and
share with those who are planning to go Abroad.
Take care Everybody....!