Do you suffer from fatigue, insomnia and anxiety after a long air flight, such as between South Africa and Australia or New York? Don’t panic, you suffer from jet lag which is a normal reaction. It will pass within a couple of days.

Definition

Jet lag is a temporary disruption of the body’s sleep/wake rhythm caused by high speed air travel through different time zones.

Symptoms of jet lag

Besides fatigue, anxiety and insomnia, a jet lag sufferer may experience constipation, diarrhoea, confusion, dehydration, headache, irritability, nausea, sweating, coordination problems and even memory loss. Some individuals report additional symptoms, such as heartbeat irregularities and increased susceptibility to illness.

What is a time zone?

A time zone is a geographical region that has the same time everywhere within it. The world has 24 time zones, one for each hour in the day. Each zone runs from north to south in strips that are approximately 1,600 kilometres wide. (The actual width of each zone varies to accommodate political and geographical boundaries.) As the earth rotates, dawn occurs at a set hour in one time zone, then an hour later in the time zone immediately to the west and so on through the 24-hour cycle. Thus, when it is 6 am in the US, it is 5 am in the Eastern Time Zone, 4 am in the Central Zone and 3 am in the Pacific Zone.

Causes

The cause of jet lag is the inability of the body of a traveller to immediately adjust to the time in a different zone. Thus, when a New Yorker arrives in Paris at midnight, Paris time, his or her body continues to operate on New York time. As the body struggles to cope with the new schedule, temporary insomnia, fatigue, irritability and an impaired ability to concentrate may set in. The changed bathroom schedule may cause constipation or diarrhoea and the brain may become confused and disoriented as it attempts to juggle schedules.

Body time keeping

A tiny part of the brain, called the hypothalamus, acts like an alarm clock to activate various body functions such as hunger, thirst and sleep. It also regulates body temperature, blood pressure and the level of hormones and glucose in the bloodstream. To help the body tell the time of day, fibres in the optic nerve of the eye transmit perceptions of light and darkness to a timekeeping centre within the hypothalamus. Thus, when the eye of an air traveller perceives dawn or dusk many hours earlier or later than usual, the hypothalamus may trigger activities that the rest of the body is not ready for – and jet lag occurs.

Treatment

    • At your destination, walk barefoot on the ground, if possible, and/or swim in the ocean or soak in an Epsom salt bath. This will help ground your electromagnetic system.
    • As soon as possible, stand in direct sunlight for 10 to 20 minutes without glasses.
    • Start moving as soon as you get off the plane, for example, use the stairs and avoid the elevators, escalators and moving sidewalks.
    • Keep your mind off of the time difference. Don’t think about what time it is at home.
    • Get some exercise outdoors. Take a walk.
    • Keep drinking plenty of water.
    • Take a shower or bathe to help re-hydrate and refresh your body.

Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EAP) is available 24 hours a day if you want to know more about jet lag.