It may seem fancy enough to boast around, that you are traveling from one corner of the world to another, updating your status on social media with location check ins or pictures, but the reality is drastically different. Traveling across time zones is a real deal when it comes to catching up on your lost sleep. The corporates may find it a premium privilege to be traveling to different parts of the world for meetings, or contracts, but it may not seem like a wise decision to travel more than you should.
A person may feel drowsy, tired, irritable, lethargic, and slightly disoriented, due to destruction of sleep traveling rapidly across time zones
When a person’s sleep-wake patterns are disturbed, jet lag occurs. The more time zones a person crosses in a short period, the more severe the symptoms are likely to be. A person’s symptoms and recovery period depends on their age. An older person will take more time to get their body back into a normal sync. Children tend to recover faster than older adults.
The symptoms of jet lag include:
- Sleep disturbances, insomnia, lethargy, and fatigue
- A heavy, aching head
- Irritability, confusion and difficulty focusing
- Mild depression
- Loss of appetite
- A dizzy, unsettled feeling
Most people are prone to irritability due to lack of sleep. They undergo rapid mood swings and are easily angered at trivial issues. The number of time zones crossed also plays a major role in the severity of jet lag symptoms. The more time zones one crosses, the worse the symptoms may be.
Treating Jet Lag:
There are no treatment options for jet lag, except catching up on some good sound sleep and maintaining appropriate eating times.
How to prevent Jet Lag:
- Choose a flight that arrives in the evening or before 10 pm at your desired destination, if it is crossing several time zones. By doing so, you can resume your daily sleep time with no intervention.
- For an eastward flight journey, be an early to bed and early to rise kind of person, continuing for several days before your departure.
- For a westward flight journey, sleep as late as possible
- Sleep at night times in your destination
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol for a few days
- Get maximum exposure to sunlight at your destination during the day
It is recommended to adapt to the new time zone as quickly as possible by having a proper balanced diet and regular exercise, with normal sleep times according to the time zone in your destination.
Sambav hopes you could follow the preventive steps before your flight departure to avoid severe jet lag, and have a comfortable stay at your intended destination. Check out the Sambav’s Health Wallet App for more interesting features!
