Jet Lag - Disturbances Of Sleep Timing: Sleep Disorders
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Jet lag
People who cross several time zones find that ambient light and other environmental cues may make their internal clocks go haywire. In addition to having headaches, stomach upset, and difficulty concentrating, they may suffer from shallow and fitful sleep.
Younger people usually adapt more quickly to time changes than older ones. It takes about a day to adjust for every time zone crossed. Many people have more difficulty traveling eastward, but older people may have more symptoms traveling westward.
The best way to handle jet lag is to try to sleep only at night and to get up early in the morning, although it may be difficult the first few days. This way your body can start adjusting to the new time zone as soon as possible (see "Ways to avoid jet lag" below). Short-term use of over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids to help you sleep at night also can be helpful.
Ways to avoid jet lagDon't time-shift. On a brief trip just one or two time zones away, it may be possible to wake up, eat, and sleep on home time. Schedule appointments for times when you would be alert at home. Gradually switch before the trip. An hour at a time, move mealtimes and bedtime closer to the schedule of your destination. Even a partial switch may make the trip easier. Switch as rapidly as possible. On a long trip don't turn in until it's bedtime in the new time zone. For the first day or two, spend as much time outdoors as possible to let daylight reset your internal clock. Use the sun. If you need to wake up earlier in the new setting (flying west to east), get out in the early morning sun. If you need to wake up later (flying east to west), expose yourself to late afternoon sunlight. Drink plenty of fluids, but not caffeine or alcohol. Caffeine and alcohol promote dehydration, which worsens the physical symptoms of jet lag. They can also disturb sleep. |
| Last updated: | January 23, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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