Globetrotters know flying across time zones can be all fun and games until headaches start to kick in, sleep cycles get disturbed, and frequent moments of inappetence prevents them from enjoying even the most sumptuous local cuisine. If you’ve had any of these unfortunate events disturb your travel plans and work productivity, you’ve most likely experienced a jet lag.
Jet lag, also known as jet lag disorder is our body’s reaction to abrupt changes in new environments that are two or more time zones ahead/delayed. This can affect even the most seasoned flyers like pilots and business travelers.
Your body has a clock system called circadian rhythm that schedules your body for its sleep and wake up time. Your circadian clock is synced depending on your original time zone.
Jet lag is caused by a temporary discoordination with your circadian clock and your new time zone or sleep-wake schedule. This is why when you expose your body to abrupt schedule changes, its normal functions related to sleep, coordination, and gastrointestinal processes are disrupted. While your mind may be ready to fly west, your body may still be stuck home and is still hours ahead.
Jet lag can take days, weeks, or longer to improve, which may affect daily activities. In addition, although jet lag may be a temporary disorder, frequent exposure also poses significant long-term risks such as disturbances in menstrual cycle, cognitive defects, and temporal lobe atrophy.
One popular and effective treatment for jet lag disorder is Light therapy. Light therapy has been considered as a popular and effective treatment for jet lag disorder and has been backed by research since 1980.
Your body clock is largely influenced, among other factors by light, which is indicative of the rising and setting of the sun. This means that adjusting to a new time zone also means adjusting to a new daylight-night time and awake-sleep schedule.
Essentially, light therapy assists your brain and body in adjusting to a new time zone by conditioning yourself to light at an appropriate time. This allows your normal body functions to be in sync with your new schedule. By regulating light exposure, you can adjust faster with new conditions.
Studies show that exposure to light therapy helps people adjust their circadian clocks to new time zones more efficiently and effectively. Treatment of jet lag by Light therapy involves an exposure to natural or artificial light such as red light therapy.
Red light therapy is a non-invasive, quick and easy treatment for jet lag that brings concentrated natural light to your body cells in order to condition it for a new day-light schedule. Red light therapy emits natural light that can boost cell energy without the putting your body at risk of the damaging UV rays from the sun.
If you travel westwards, you can use Red Light in the evening to help you adjust to a later time. On the other hand, if you travel eastwards, you can expose yourself to red light in the morning in order to acclimate your body to an earlier time zone.
Kaiyan produces high-quality Red light therapy home devices that utilize medical-grade LED (Light-emitting Diode) in order to produce a natural red light that is ideal for adjusting to new time schedules.
The great thing about this device is that, if you often work away from sunlight, this indoor light therapy device can be a convenient way to adopt your circadian clock to a new time zone. Check out our top picks for the best FDA-cleared light therapy masks.
Experiencing jet lag may be the ultimate bummer for travelling, but sufficient knowledge and proper treatment can keep you away from ruining your travel plans and goals.
References:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-prevent-jet-lag/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2829880/
