The sleep disorder o’jet lagged‘ is a temporary sleep disorder that can affect people who travel across multiple time zones. This occurs when the body’s internal clock is not yet accustomed to or in sync with a new time.
To exemplify, we can assume that we live in CDMX and travel to a country whose clock is ‘back’ by eight hours. Our body gets used to the schedules of the country’s capital, but when arriving at another with different time zones, it will be disoriented and therefore tired.
Disorientation regarding light exposure and meal times may also occur. Some of the symptoms include fatigue and difficulty concentrating, so how can we cope with it in work life?
More than ‘getting used to’ the new time zone
After the borders were opened and the restrictions were lifted due to Covid-19, Thousands of people have moved or traveled due to the freedoms that the home office offers. However, some had health conditions.
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When traveling the circadian rhythm is affected with physical, mental and behavioral changes. according to the doctor Carmen Amezcuaintegrative psychiatrist, 80% of people who fly from Mexico to the east (Europe) suffer from jet lagwhich can ruin vacations or business trips.
The brain is an organ that has a cellular habit. When this is modified there are alterations
at an immunological, hormonal and neurotransmitter level, which modifies sleep and accentuates
when traveling to another continent”, he says.
The specialist explained that a healthy traveler takes around two to three days to adapt to the
use of another country’s timeHowever, jet lag can cause severe damage to people who
have some previous condition, especially in older adults.
It can also bring hormonal changes, especially in the production of serotonin and melatonin, the latter influences the sleep cycle and when one of these two hormones is affected it causes irritability, anxiety, inattention and even depression, among other conditions.
How to cope with jet lag disorder?
There are some measures to avoid or cope with Jet Lag. First of all, according to the doctor, it is important to prepare before traveling so that the transition is less aggressive.
- Days before the trip, it is recommended to review meals and bedtime to adapt the body to the change in time zone.
- During the journey, you should try to regulate your exposure to light to adapt to the new location, stay hydrated, rest on the plane and try not to sleep until it is night at your destination and synchronize your food with local time.
- Amezcua mentions that there are certain herbal medicines that help the body to adapt and suffer less from jet lag, such as the use of medical cannabis or herbs such as orange blossom, lemon balm, calendula, valerian and passion flower to help the sleep cycle, or ginseng and cordyceps to stay awake.
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