This
clock is in control of the circadian
rhythms that you experience, meaning that it tells your body at
what time you are ready to go to sleep and then what time to awaken
the next day. By passing through to new time zones so quickly,
your body clock does not have the time it needs to adjust and this
can lead to:
- sleep disturbances
- loss of normal functionality
- irritability
- loss of alertness
- sickness and a lowered immune system
-
menstrual symptoms for frequent travelling women
Jet lag is a temporary condition. Signs of it appear one to two
days after air travel across at least two time zones. How severe
it is and how long it
lasts depends on the number of time zones you cross. It is also related
to the direction of travel. Flying east tends to be harder to
adjust to than
flying west. Estimates are that it takes one day per time zone
for your body clock
to adjust to the local time. Crossing more than six time zones can require
even more time for your body to adapt. Some people are able to adjust more
quickly than others to rapid shifts in time zones.
How Can Light Therapy Help?
A large contributor to the symptoms of jet lag
is that your body experiences darkness and daylight at the incorrect
times during the day. However, the body can be reset to its
new time zone by following a careful program of light therapy
which means that rather than taking a week to adjust to a new time
zone, it can take as little as one or two days.
The light therapy should be undertaken at different
times, depending on the length of the flight and the direction
you are
travelling in. The following rules have been found to be useful,
however, you should always refer to manufacturers guidelines or
seek professional advice as improper use
can lead to the symptoms becoming worse:
- travelling eastbound across up to six zones:
light in the morning;
- travelling westbound across up to six
zones: light in the late afternoon;
- travelling eastbound across
6-10 zones: avoid light in the morning
and
seek
light at
noon.
- travelling westbound across 6-10 zones: avoid
afternoon light and seek it at midday.
Light therapy sessions for approximately 30-60
minutes on the day of travel and for 15-30 minutes on the days
after arriving will help a great deal. It is also possible
to plan ahead. Try
to slowly adjust your body clock by shifting the times that you
sleep
and wake in the days leading up to the trip - the Lumie
Bodyclock is
excellent for this purpose.
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