So you’ve just touched down amidst the sleepless streets of Bangkok, the fiesta-fuelled barrios of Mexico City, the wondrous mountains of Peru, the Aussie Outback or the bucket-list sights of New York City and all you can think about is hitting the sack? Sounds like a bout of the old jet lag; one of the most common travelling ailments on the planet and a bane of anyone eager to make the most of every second they have on the road.
Here, we take a look at all the ins and outs of the dreaded desynchronosis (yep, the official medical name sounds way more sinister!), to see how would-be travellers can dodge feeling dreary on arrival, whether they’re heading to the far-flung east or the wild, wild west.
What causes jet lag?
Whether you’re making a quick hop across the Atlantic Pond to case out the wonders of the Eastern Seaboard, are scooting over to the Orient from London to catch some sushi in Tokyo, or are just on a quick trip to the desert cities of the Middle East from somewhere like Beijing, the chances are you’re going to experience jet lag in some way, shape or form. That’s because the complaint is caused by movement along the Earth’s meridian line; its east-to-west or west-to-east circumference.
When travellers depart from one destination along this line and arrive at another, it’s not just distance they’ve covered but time zones too. That means when a flight is particularly long, it’s possible to arrive in one place that’s precisely a whole day ahead of the last. Believe it or not, extreme situations like that often aren’t a problem for travellers, because it’s not so hard to integrate with the new light-dark schedule of daytime and night time (it is the same as where they took off from after all).
Much harder to deal with is when you’re scheduled to arrive at a destination whose nights and days are entirely out of sync with those of your departure point. This causes the internal clock (the part of the brain responsible for controlling our natural circadian rhythm) to fall out of harmony with the environment, making travelers think it’s midnight when it’s not, or midday when it really should be the Witching Hour!
What are the symptoms and signs that I’m suffering from jet lag?
Jet lag manifests in most travellers in a similar way to general tiredness or mild insomnia. Many people will feel sleepy during the daytime (if they’ve gone from west to east), while others will feel wide awake during the twilight hours (if they’ve gone from west to east).
Of course, there are a whole load of additional symptoms that come as a result of the tiredness caused by jet lag, ranging from lack of concentration to slowed cognitive abilities to mood swings to a diminished appetite. These typically vary hugely from person to person and depend largely on the individual.
Who needs to worry about jet lag and who does it affect?
It’s generally thought that for cases of jet lag to have any real effect on a traveller, that person needs to move over at least three time zones in one go. That’s means anyone travelling around Europe or taking short continental hops is likely to be safe. Long haul flights with a time of more than five hours are thought to carry the highest risk of jet lag, as these transport passengers to places where the local times are significantly different from where they took off.
Of course, this only applies to flights moving across the meridian line of the world. Passengers going from north to south or vice versa will be sticking to the same time zone and will be totally fine. One exception to this is trans-polar flights, however, which are now becoming more and more popular ways for airlines to flit between the continental US, Asia and Europe over shorter distances but the same amount of time zones.
How can I manage or treat my jet lag?
There are a few practical ways in which travellers who know they’re at risk of jet lag can pre-empt or manage the problem. These are largely limited to solely common sense measures, like forcing yourself to stay awake in a new destination (despite how sleepy you may feel) in order to catch up with the local day-night routine. More recently, studies have shown that exposure to natural light on arrival can reduce the time it takes to get used to your new daily schedule, which is great news for anyone hitting the great outdoors!