How to beat jet lag - for real!
When travelling across several time zones, our bodies find it hard to adjust. A phenomenon known as jet lag, we end up tired, exhausted and unable to focus. It almost feels like you have a bit of a hangover.
"During jet lag, the body's natural circadian rhythm is messed up after crossing several time zones," explains sleep specialist Professor Kneginja Richter. This is reflected in symptoms similar to those experienced during a hangover. The expert has some advice on what helps.
Ms. Richter, when it comes to jet lag, what's worse: flying east, for example from Europe to Australia, or flying west, for example from Europe to the US?
Kneginja Richter: This depends largely on a person's chronotype [meaning their body's natural inclination to sleep at a certain time]. For late risers who are active at night - so-called owls - flying west is a little easier to cope with than flying east. For early risers - known as larks - who are more active in the morning, flying east is easier to deal with than flying west.
Since owls naturally have a later sleep/wake cycle, they experience a reset when flying west. Conversely, larks find it easier to fly into the future, towards the east.
Some people advise adjusting your sleep pattern to the time zone of the country you're travelling to a few days before the flight, so that your body gets used to it. Does this help against jet lag?
Richter: This can be helpful, yes. If I know that I am going to the US or Japan from Europe or Africa, I would ideally start adjusting my sleep pattern slightly a week in advance.
For example, if I'm flying east to Japan, I would go to bed a little earlier and get up a little earlier; if I'm flying west to the US, I would go to bed a little later and get up a little later.
It's about creating regular sleep patterns, not getting more sleep - going to bed at wildly different times each day is stressful for the body. You shouldn't mess up your body's rhythm too much when preparing for a trip.
Going to sleep half an hour or an hour earlier or later for a few days before your trip and then getting up earlier or later can be a good idea to help you adapt to the time in your destination country. Taking melatonin can help with falling asleep.
If I arrive in the US and start feeling tired in the early afternoon because of jet lag, can I go to bed at 3 pm or should I stay up until the evening to force my body to adjust to the new time zone?
Richter: It's better to try and adapt to the new time zone right away and force yourself to stay awake throughout the day. It's okay to allow yourself to take a nap for 20 to a maximum of 30 minutes - but make sure to set an alarm! If you don't, your nap will turn into a two to three hour nap, and that's a no-go.
My advice: Get as much light as possible at your destination during the day and completely darken the room you're going to sleep in before going to bed. It's also a good idea to ask the hotel for a room that's as quiet as possible. And last but not least: be sure to pack a sleep mask.
ABOUT: Professor Kneginja Richter is chief physician at the CuraMed day clinic in the German city of Nuremberg and teaches at the Nuremberg University of Technology. She is the spokesperson of the Scientific Committee and the Chronobiology Working Group of the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine(DGSM).
