Jet Lag – What is?

Franz Halberg, introduced a term called “Circadian Rhythm”. Circadian Rhythm is a term to define about a 24 hr body clock in which the anatomy of any living being is measured. To be precise, it is the activity of the living body in 24 hours’ clock. Everything in the Universe has a rhythm. The earth follows a 365 days rhythm of revolving around the Sun. music is measured in rhythm. Tides have a high and low rhythm. Rhythm is something to divide time into equal parts. The day has a 24 hr rhythm; hours have rhythmic minutes and seconds. Hence, there is a rhythm that a living being follows. The heart beat or the pulse rate can be called the rhythm of the Human body. This study of rhythm of living being is called chronobiology

Jet-Lag is a term to define in one word the de-synchronosis (medical term) of the body clock with the time zone clock flowing air travel. Jet Lag usually happens with non frequent fliers. The lesser the capability of one’s anatomy to naturally adjust to time zone transition, the more the affects of Jet Lag.

Our body is used to certain activities at certain fixed times. Breakfast, Lunch, Supper and then a sleep at night, is the common routine. This routine gets disturbed when we board a plane and fly into different time zones of the world. The body clock de-synchronizes with the time zone clock. This happens because as we travel through time zone changes, we go through an unusual change in days and nights. The rhythm in which the body is accustomed to, changes when it one travels across time zones. As per the fair guidelines, it takes 1day per East ward time zone traveled and 1.5 days per West ward time zone traveled to recover from Jet Lag.

There are varied symptoms of Jet Lags which range from nausea, sinus irritation, indigestion, loss of appetite, headache, insomnia, grogginess, etc. It is said that people suffering from Insomnia suffer less from Jet Lag because they are able to adjust to the changes faster than others.

The best way to reduce or avoid Jet Lag is to have meals basis the hours and not the clock. You might just land up taking an extra meal in between your sleeps but that’s going to adjust the time of the body. Better remedy is to take a nap during the transition phase of the body’s adjustment to the new time zone.

Lighter side: People suffer from Jet Lag syndrome when usually they are on a business tour and they have targets given by their boss. An executive, who has to travel from India to Switzerland on a couple of days of clinching a business deal for his company, will surely fall in a Jet Lag. But if he is allowed a 5 days company sponsored holiday in Switzerland with his better half, after the 2 day business meet is over, he will never suffer from a Jet Lag.

Linus Orakles
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