Jetlag - Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Jet lag, also jetlag or jet-lag, is a physiological condition which is a consequence of alterations to circadian rhythms; it is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Such disturbances result from shift work, daylight saving time, chronic congenital disorders, or as the name implies, rapid transmeridian travel as on a jet plane. They are known as desynchronosis, dysrhythmia, dyschrony, jet lag, or jet syndrome.

Each year, millions of travelers take long journeys over one or more continents. Traveling across multiple time zones produces myriad symptoms known as jet lag. We're all familiar with the feeling of fatigue upon arrival at our new destination, but just as problematic are a number of associated symptoms. Jet lag is a sleep disorder that occurs when the body's biological clock does not correspond to local time. This is common when traveling across different time zones.

Causes of Jet Lag

You don't experience jet lag flying north or south. It is brought on only by flying a long distance (at least three time zones) east or west. One may feel unwell getting off a plane from Toronto to Miami, but that's not jet lag - it is the fatigue that comes naturally with travel. We all have an internal timekeeping system (the "circadian clock") that's centred in the hypothalamus, a part of the lower brain.

First, there are the environmental deviations of traveling--shifts in time, alterations in magnetic fields, modifications in climate, and diversities in cultures. As if this weren't enough, we are forced into a sickening environment while flying in commercial jets, where we are deprived of air and humidity and exposed to recirculated germs and chemicals, radiation, pesticides, noise, and dehydration.

Symptoms

Besides fatigue and insomnia, a jet lag sufferer may experience anxiety, constipation, diarrhea, confusion, dehydration, headache, irritability, nausea, sweating, coordination problems, and even memory loss. Some individuals report additional symptoms, such as heartbeat irregularities and increased susceptibility to illness.

Jet lag is a combination of fatigue and other symptoms caused by travelling across different time zones. The body may need a few days to a few weeks for its internal biological clock to adjust to abrupt change in time. It helps to be well rested before you travel and use of naps and exposure to daylight to readjust.

Treatment

A controversial treatment for jet lag is melatonin, a synthetic human hormone that promotes sleep. Several studies have shown that melatonin can alleviate jet lag. When melatonin was examined in scientific studies, eight of the 10 trials found that taking melatonin close to the target bedtime at the destination (10 p.m. to midnight) decreased jet lag from flights crossing five or more time zones. However, other studies show little or no benefit to melatonin in preventing jet lag.

The secret therefore lies in first understanding exactly what causes jet lag and what symptoms it is likely to give rise to and in then putting together a plan for the management of jet lag, allowing you to reduce its effects both in terms of time and severity.