Getting a good night's sleep

What Is Jet Lag And What Causes It? What is jet lag?

Jet lag (also often written as jetlag) is a common sleep disorder and, most importantly, it is a symptom, or set of symptoms, and not a disease. When we talk about a jet lag remedy or a jet lag cure therefore we are not talking about overcoming jet lag directly, but are looking at treating the underlying cause or causes.

Jet lag affects millions of long-haul travelers every day, whether traveling for pleasure or on business. In a recent survey of international business travelers, 74% of those questioned said that they suffered frequently from jet lag.

What causes jet lag?

Jet lag (which is also referred to as desynchronosis) is caused by a significant and rapid change in time zones which result in a difference between the local time and time recorded by your body’s internal clock.

For example, let’s say that you leave London at 9 pm and fly to Singapore. The flight lasts 12 hours and you land in Singapore at 9 am London time. However, because you have flown across several world time zones, the local time in Singapore is 3 pm.

In the space of just 12 hours you have flown half way around the world and your body clock now says that it is 9 am, although the actual time in Singapore is 3 pm.

So you can see the problem. Later in the day when everybody else is going to bed, your body clock will still be showing the time as late afternoon and you won’t be ready for bed yet. Similarly, the following morning when the bus arrives at your hotel at 10 am to take you on a sightseeing tour, your body clock will still be registering 4 am and you will be looking for a few more hours of sleep before you get up and going.

Your body contains it’s own internal clock which is powered by the environment around you including such things as temperature, humidity and, in particular, the normal daily change between daylight and darkness. These environmental factors cause your internal clock to run, rather like a normal clock, on a series of 24 hour cycles, sometimes referred to as your body’s circadian rhythms.

Your body clock in turn triggers certain events within your body, the most obvious of which is telling your body when to shut down for sleep and when to wake up and get going.

The fact that your body clock is out of step with local time upsets the whole rhythm of your day, giving rise to problems sleeping at night, staying awake during the day and eating when you wouldn’t normally eat, amongst other things. This, in turn, leads to jet lag.

Who suffers from jet lag and what are its symptoms?

What is the treatment for jet lag?

More Detailed Jet Lag Tips And Information

Recommended books from

The Living Clock: The Orchestrator of Biological Rhythms
by John D. Palmer
Amazon Price: $35.00
Customer Review: Palmer explains that he wrote this book because so many people he encountered were interested in what he does as a marine biologist. In truth it is a book about scientific curiosity and the process of discovery. I won’t give away the ending, found in the last chapter. Had Palmer’s objective been …

Basic Flight Physiology
by Richard O. Reinhart
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Customer Review: Book shipped the day I bought it, and was in perfect condition for a really cheap price!

The Global Soul: Jet Lag, Shopping Malls, and the Search for Home
by Pico Iyer
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Customer Review: It turns out that there are two kinds of people–those who are global souls and those who aren’t. In this book Iyer provides a useful definition of what a global soul is. Although he uses himself as a prototype (born in England to Indian parents, sent to boarding school in the US, current resident o…

The Cure for Jet Lag
by Lynne Waller Scanlon, Charles F. Ehret Ph.D.
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Customer Review: I’ve traveled from New York to all parts of the globe, including Japan, India, Europe, South America and South Africa — for business and for pleasure — and have suffered mightily from jet lag. It wasn’t until I discovered the Scanlon/Ehret book, The Cure for Jet lag, that I realized something coul…

Overcoming Jet Lag
by Charles F. Ehret, Lynne Waller Scanlon
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Customer Review: Excellent book for overcoming jet lag. I used it on a 7 day work trip to Malaysia, which is 13 hours time difference from home. The program helped immensely for adjusting to jet lag both upon arrival in Malaysia and when returning home. It is an easy program to follow and makes a lot of sense. I…

How to Beat Jet Lag: A Practical Guide for Air Travelers/Book and Eyemask and…
by Walter Reich, Norman E. Rosenthal, Thomas A. Wehr, Dan A. Oren
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Customer Review: I’ve used the system in this book for several years, and I have found it very effective, including for time changes of 8 or 12 hours. I am able to sleep through the night and to work without feeling like a zombie. It does require some discipline and the willingness to look a bit silly by wearing d…

Ear popping, jet lag and dry skin – how cabin crew beat the travel blues – Da…
5 Jul 2010 at 7:54pm
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By Daily Mail Reporter Air travel can play havoc with your health. So what steps do flight attendants take to avoid the pitfalls. We asked Spencer Barnett, …

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Santana Has Strong Outing, but Mets’ Bats Have Jet Lag – New York Times
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WASHINGTON ? After a draining three-day trip to Puerto Rico that culminated in a rain-delayed finale late Wednesday night, a weary group …

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Tiger’s Eyes Aren’t Smiling In Ireland – About – News & Issues (blog)
5 Jul 2010 at 4:16pm
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The guy is probably tired, what with the time change and jet lag. Perhaps that explains Tiger Woods’ 7-over-par performance today in the first round of the …
Six Year Old Girl: 1, Tiger Woods: 0 Waggle Room (blog)
R…

Bok travel incredibly taxing – SPORT24
5 Jul 2010 at 2:21pm
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The doc explained to me that one tablet is to help to recover from jet lag, while the other one was a strong sleeping tablet. …
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The information contained here should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of an appropriately qualified and licensed physician or other health care provider. The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and in no way should be considered as an offering of medical advice.

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