{"id":357,"date":"2015-10-09T08:44:03","date_gmt":"2015-10-09T08:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drmanvirbhatia.wordpress.com\/?p=357"},"modified":"2021-05-01T11:44:24","modified_gmt":"2021-05-01T11:44:24","slug":"why-whenhow-and-what-is-jet-lag-how-to-avoid-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neurologysleepcentre.com\/blog\/why-whenhow-and-what-is-jet-lag-how-to-avoid-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Why, when,how and what is jet lag? How to avoid it?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Frequent travelers, it\u2019s time to fight our worst enemy: jet lag.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While there\u2019s no easy way to completely beat jet lag, there are several steps you can take to ease the pain of crossing multiple time zones quickly.<\/p>\n

Essentially, jet lag is a series of symptoms that occur when our internal body clock is disrupted. We all have a\u00a0built-in body clock<\/a>. It\u2019s a small group of cells made up of unique \u2018body clock\u2019 genes,\u00a0called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN<\/a>. These cells turn on and off and tell other parts of the body what time it is and what to do.<\/p>\n

The body clock keeps us in tune with the pattern of day and night. It means we sleep at night, but also affects hunger, mood and blood pressure.<\/p>\n

One of the main signals that help to regulate our body clocks is light, which\u00a0helps us to reset our internal clocks<\/a>\u00a0each day to match the sun.<\/p>\n

Common symptoms involve fatigue, confusion and lack of awareness. Imagine those symptoms lasting for days as you grapple with the mental and emotional adjustment to your new surroundings.<\/p>\n

As if that\u2019s not bad enough, jet lag has also been shown to seriously disrupt our genes<\/a>, throwing them off their normal rhythms. It\u2019s also been shown to\u00a0reduce neuron growth in the brain<\/a>, decrease learning ability and memory capacity and\u00a0induce stress<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are several things, however, that do help.<\/p>\n

Hydrate yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Drinking water throughout the trip helps ease that process. It doesn\u2019t stop jet lag but it helps make sure dehydration doesn\u2019t compound your fatigue.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Shift your time for long trips.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A few days before you leave, you start to shift your sleep schedule one hour each day. Try to also move your mealtimes. That might mean a super-early trip to the gym in the morning and going to bed before your favorite TV shows are over.<\/p>\n

Sleep.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you can sleep on the plane\u2014even for a few hours\u2014it makes a big difference. Earplugs and an eye mask will help<\/p>\n

Avoid alcohol.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Again, the issue here is dehydration on long overseas flights. don\u2019t have too much or you\u2019ll have a nasty headache and never properly adjust to the new time zone.<\/p>\n

Avoid naps.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Try to stay awake until your bedtime in your new time zone. It may be painful, but it really is necessary to make the rest of your trip enjoyable and productive. Go for a walk outside. The fresh air and<\/p>\n

sunshine make it much easier to stay awake than if you\u2019re stuck inside.<\/p>\n

Stretch.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It helps your body feel more normal and not as confined on a plane. This doesn\u2019t combat jet lag per se, but it does reduce some of the scars of travel.<\/p>\n

\"jet<\/a> \"images<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Share List<\/span><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>