It can turn your holiday in Europe into a sleepwalking blur and make you feel like a zombie in Zimbabwe - jet lag. Officially called circadian desynchronosis (I`ll stick with jet lag), it can range from a nuisance to an outright vacation spoiler. Fortunately there are a few things you can do before and after you get to your destination to help ease its effects on your body.

Basically jet lag is a disruption of your body`s circadian rhythms usually due to air travel across many time zones. Your circadian rhythms are like an internal clock that drives daily functions such as sleep-wake patterns, body temperature, and hormones. When this cycle is disrupted by things that throw your "body clock" off, jet lag can be the result. Symptoms of jet lag can be extreme fatigue, insomnia, disorientation, digestive problems, irritability, and depression.

So what is it about traveling that can cause these symptoms? The biggest cause is traveling to locations that are several time zones ahead or behind your home. For example, flying to Europe can take about 6 hours from the East Coast and most countries on the continent are five hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. This can throw off our body clock when you arrive at your destination the following morning when it`s still the middle of the night at home.

Hectic travel schedules and just missing your bed increase sleep deficiency, adding to the lag. Even more troublesome can be traveling to locations in northern latitudes during the summer months when the sun can set at 11p.m. or midnight local time. The extra light can throw off your circadian rhythms and make sleeping even more difficult, especially in a hotel room with inadequate shades.

Luckily, there are things you can do to help ease the symptoms of jet lag before, and during, your vacation.

---

Story image: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

What do you think of this story?
Click here for comments or suggestions.