JET LAG

Overview & Facts

Jet lag, also called jet lag disorder, is a temporary sleep problem that can affect anyone who quickly travels across multiple time zones.

Your body has its own internal clock, or circadian rhythm, that signals your body when to stay awake and when to sleep. Jet lag occurs because your body’s clock is still synchronized to your original time zone, not to the time zone where you’ve traveled. The more time zones crossed, the more likely you are to experience jet lag.

For example, if you leave New York on a flight at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, and arrive in Paris at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday, your internal clock still thinks it’s 1:00 a.m. That means you’re ready for bed just as Parisians are waking up. And because it takes a few days for your body to adjust, your sleep-wake cycle, along with most other body functions, such as hunger and bowel habits, remains out of step with the rest of Paris.

Types & Symptoms

Symptoms of jet lag can vary. You may experience only one symptom or you may have many. Jet lag symptoms may include:

  • Disturbed sleep such as insomnia, early waking or excessive sleepiness
  • Daytime fatigue
  • Difficulty concentrating or functioning at your usual level
  • Stomach problems, constipation or diarrhea
  • A general feeling of not being well
  • Mood changes

Jet lag symptoms usually occur within a day or two of travel if you’ve traveled across at least two time zones. Symptoms are likely to be worse or last longer the more time zones that you’ve crossed, especially if you travel in an easterly direction. It usually takes about a day to recover for each time zone crossed.

Jet lag is generally temporary and usually doesn’t need treatment. Symptoms often improve within a few days, though they sometimes last longer. However, if you’re a frequent traveler continually bothered by jet lag, your doctor may prescribe medications or light therapy.

Diagnosis & Medications

RECOMMENDED MEDICATIONS

  • Nonbenzodiazepines, such as zolpidem (Ambien), eszopiclone (Lunesta) and zaleplon (Sonata)
  • Benzodiazepines, such as triazolam (Halcion)

These medications, sometimes called sleeping pills, may help you sleep during your flight and for several nights afterward. Side effects are uncommon, but may include nausea, vomiting, amnesia, sleepwalking, confusion and morning sleepiness.

Although these medications appear to help sleep duration and quality, they may not lessen daytime symptoms of jet lag. These medications are usually only recommended for people who haven’t been helped by other treatments.

Light therapy

Your body’s internal clock or circadian rhythms are influenced by exposure to sunlight, among other factors. When you travel across time zones, your body must adjust to a new daylight schedule and reset, allowing you to fall asleep and be awake at the appropriate times.

Light therapy can help ease that transition. It involves exposing your eyes to an artificial bright light or lamp that simulates sunlight for a specific and regular amount of time during the time when you’re meant to be awake.

This may be useful, for example, if you’re a business traveler and are often away from natural sunlight during the day in a new time zone. Light therapy comes in a variety of forms including a light box that sits on a table, a desk lamp that may blend in better in an office setting or a light visor that you wear on your head.

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