Travelling halfway across the world is fun, but jet lag can dim your enjoyment and make an otherwise delightful trip miserable.
Understanding Jet Lag: What It Is and Why It Happens
What is jet lag? Jet lag is a disorder characterized by a disruption in the internal body clock or circadian rhythm that occurs when you cross three or more time zones. For example, travelling from New York to visit Ras Al Khaimah, you must cross nine time zones. New York is on UTC-5 (Eastern Standard Time), whereas Ras Al Khaimah is on UTC+4 (Gulf Standard Time), which means a difference of nine hours or nine time zones.
The term jet lag is a combination of “jet,” a reference to airplanes and air travel, and “lag,” which means delay. Therefore, the literal jet lag meaning is the internal body clock delay caused by air travel. Jet lag is associated with air travel because travelling via airplane allows you to traverse multiple time zones rapidly, leading to a more pronounced lag in your internal body clock.
The Science Behind Jet Lag: Circadian Rhythms and Time Zones
Jet lag is caused by a mismatch between your circadian rhythm and your current time zone, a consequence of rapidly crossing time zones.
Your body has a circadian rhythm or internal body clock that tracks a 24-hour, light-dark cycle that is crucial to regulating your sleep-wake pattern. Naturally, your body clock matches or is aligned to your home’s time zone (the time zone where you live), so you can feel awake in the daytime and sleepy at night.
However, when you travel eastward or westward, you may have to cross one or more time zones. The globe is virtually divided into 24 individual 15º segments by imaginary lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole. Each segment is equivalent to one time zone, with each time zone roughly one hour apart from adjacent time zones.
When travel necessitates rapidly crossing at least three time zones, it plays havoc with your body’s internal clock. It throws off the alignment between your circadian rhythm and your location’s light-dark cycle. Your internal body clock is pegged to your original time zone, but you’re already in a new time zone. It may be 10:00 p.m. (and dark) where you are, but your body clock insists it’s still only 1:00 p.m. Consequently, you suffer from jet lag and cannot sleep.
Symptoms of Jet Lag: More Than Just Being Tired
Jet lag is essentially a sleep problem. When you are jet lagged, you feel drowsy during the day but are unable to sleep at night. The lack of sleep makes you feel stressed and listless, leading to even more issues, like irritability.
Jet lag symptoms include the following:
- Inability to fall asleep at night (insomnia)
- Fatigue or extreme tiredness
- Drowsiness and sleepiness during the day
- Inability to focus or concentrate
- Gastrointestinal symptoms (i.e., upset stomach)
- A general feeling of being out of sorts, “off,” or not being like yourself
- Mood swings or intense and sudden shifts in emotion (e.g., irritability)
Pre-Flight Strategies: Your Anti-Jet Lag Preparation
You can prepare yourself to minimize jet lag.
Adjust Your Sleep Schedule Before You Go
Align your internal body clock to your destination time zone before you leave. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends:
- Sleeping one to two hours later than usual if you’re travelling west
- Sleeping one or two hours earlier than usual if you’re travelling east
Do this gradually, adjusting your sleeping schedule one to two hours per day until your sleeping pattern is as closely aligned to your destination time zone as possible.
Note: Adjust your coffee schedule to your target sleep cycle. Do not have coffee or any caffeinated drinks at least four hours before you’re supposed to sleep.
The Power of Light: How to Use It to Your Advantage
Bright light wakes you up, while darkness induces sleep. In particular, blue light (a significant part of daytime light) signals wakefulness and alertness.
If you’re trying to sleep later than usual because you’re travelling westward:
- In the afternoon, open all your curtains and turn on all the lights, especially LED lights that are a source of blue light.
- At night, close your curtains to block out the darkness, but leave all the lights on until it’s time to sleep.
Use block-out curtains so that the early morning light will not disturb your sleep, and you can wake up later than usual.
If trying to sleep earlier than you’re accustomed to because you’re travelling eastward:
- In the afternoon, use block-out curtains to prevent sunlight from coming in. Dim all your lights, and turn them off when it’s time to sleep.
- In the morning, wake up earlier than usual and take a walk outside to get as much sunlight as possible.
What to Eat and Drink Before You Board
Before boarding the plane, eat only small, light, and easy-to-digest meals. Consider a salad, some fruits (especially bananas), and thin soups.
Avoid greasy and spicy foods, as these may lead to an upset stomach. Do not drink alcohol and coffee.
In-Flight Tactics: Beating Jet Lag While You Travel
There are things you can do in-flight to minimize your jet lag symptoms.
Hydration is Key: Why Water is Your Best Friend
Drink lots of water. Flying can cause dehydration, which can worsen jet lag symptoms, and drinking water is key to combating dehydration.
On average, women need about 11.5 cups of water per day, while men require about 15.5 cups. Note, however, that we also get about 20% of our water intake from the food and beverages we consume.
The amount of water we must drink also varies depending on age, gender, height, weight, activity level, climate, and food and beverage consumption. You can consult a nutritionist for a precise calculation of your water intake requirements.
The Best Foods and Drinks for the Flight
Consume foods and drinks that are rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that supports the production of serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin helps regulate sleep patterns, among its many functions, while melatonin helps maintain your internal body clock. Melatonin-rich foods and drinks are also recommended.
The following are foods rich in tryptophan:
- Meat and poultry
- Fish and seafood
- Eggs
- Dairy (e.g., cheese, yogurt)
- Grains (e.g., quinoa, oats, buckwheat, wheat)
- Nuts and seeds (e.g., black walnuts, cashews, pistachios, pumpkin and squash seeds, chia seeds, almonds, peanuts)
Among the above, eggs, fish, and nuts are also rich in melatonin. Tart cherries and goji berries are also excellent sources of melatonin.
How about beverages? Water is the best drink. Milk is also a good option if you’re not lactose-intolerant, as milk is rich in both tryptophan and melatonin.
Qantas Airlines actually operated research flights to test strategies for minimizing jet lag symptoms. Their initial findings indicate that tailoring the lighting and mealtime schedules to the destination time zone, facilitating simple stretching and movement activities in-flight, and providing a tryptophan-rich menu effectively lead to less severe jet lag, better sleep quality in flight, and faster jet lag recovery.
Should You Sleep on the Plane?
It depends. Check the time at your destination and use that as your basis. If you ‘re accustomed to sleeping from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., and you’re mid-flight when the clock strikes 10:00 p.m. at your destination time zone, sleep on the plane. If it’s daytime at your destination, stay awake.
For better monitoring, change your watch or mobile phone clock to your destination time zone.
Post-Flight Recovery: Landing Fresh and Ready to Go
Here are tips on how to recover from jet lag faster.
Sunlight and Exercise: The Post-Arrival Power Duo
Exposure to sunlight during the day will help you stay alert in the daytime, so try to get as much sun as you can at your destination. If you must stay indoors, use indoor light, particularly LED light, which has more blue light than fluorescent light, to get similar benefits.
Note: There are beachside resorts in Ras Al Khaimah that are ideal for soaking up the morning sun. These include Rixos Al Mairid Ras Al Khaimah, which has a 1.5-kilometer private beach, Mövenpick Resort Al Marjan Island (as well as the other hotels in Al Marjan Island), and Anantara Mina Al Arab.
You should also exercise. Research by Arizona State University professor Shawn Youngstedt and his colleagues indicates that exercise can help push back or advance someone’s circadian rhythm.
- Exercising at 7:00 a.m. or between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. can help advance your body clock, i.e., sleep and wake up earlier than usual.
- Exercising between 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. can help delay your body clock, i.e., sleep and wake up later than usual.
Their study also found that exercising between 1:00 and 4:00 a.m. or at 10:00 a.m. has no effect on the body clock.
Napping vs. Pushing Through: Finding Your Balance
If you arrive in the daytime, try to hold on and push through without sleeping until it’s time to sleep according to your current time zone’s 24-hour cycle. If you must, you can nap, but be strategic about it.
Take only short naps, no more than 30 minutes each time. More importantly, make sure not to take any more naps at least four hours before your bedtime.
Eating Local: How Food Helps You Adjust
Eat according to the current time zone. If you eat breakfast at 7:00 a.m., do not change your routine, but follow the local time, not your original time zone. That said, stick to the food you’re accustomed to in the first few days to minimize digestion problems.
Jet Lag FAQs: Your Top Questions Answered
How Long Does It Take to Recover from Jet Lag?
Typically, recovery from jet lag takes from a few to several days. It depends on various factors, such as the number of time zones you crossed, your pre-departure preparation, and what you did and ate in-flight. If you were able to train your body clock to adapt to your destination time zone before you left home, it may take you no time at all to recover from jet lag.
Are Jet Lag Pills and Supplements Effective?
Jet lag pills and supplements can be effective, but it’s best to consult your doctor before taking them. Melatonin supplements may induce sleepiness, while caffeine supplements may induce wakefulness. In either case, timing is crucial, as melatonin is best taken about 30 minutes before your desired bedtime, while you must avoid caffeine at least six hours before your target sleeping time.
Jet Lag in Children: What’s the Best Approach?
If planning to cross at least three time zones with children, make sure to include them in your time-zone and body-clock-adjustment preparations. Gradually adjust your house’s lighting and your children’s wake-sleep cycles according to your destination time zone. You can also change the time you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, slowly changing it so it follows your destination’s meal times.
