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tips & suggestions for overcoming jet lag

A common sleep disorder, jet lag happens when you travel across time zones and have trouble adjusting to the new rhythm. Here's a rundown of its causes and the ways with which to combat it when it strikes \ By Dr. Amalia Messika

and help it adjust to new surroundings. The field of studies related to this is chrononutrition, and researchers have shown that if main meals are eaten during the daytime – i.e., breakfast at 7am, and dinner at 7pm – the body clock is nudged into synchronization, the same way it is when exposed to daylight. 05 Flight timing It’s best to arrive at your destination when it’s still daytime so as to avoid going to sleep before evening (around 21:00-22:00). 06 Daylight exposure Getting lots of exposure to daylight on the day of your return is highly recommended. Stay outside for as long as possible, even if the weather isn’t great and the sun isn’t fully out. 07 Medication Melatonin is frequently taken to help reduce the symptoms of jet lag. It’s a sleep-inducing hormone that augments in the body as darkness falls and decreases in the morning. Melatonin can help the body adjust more quickly to a new time zone and can improve quality of sleep as well as reduce the amount of time it takes to fall asleep. Usually, melatonin is taken for a few days post-arrival, and then again, for a few more after getting back. Dr. Messika leads CBT workshops at the Institute for Sleep Medicine at Ichilov Hospital

01 What is the body clock? Your internal body clock enables you to get in sync with your surroundings and adjust your sleep patterns to the local daytime and nighttime. It is flexible but may require some time until it fully adapts. 02 Synchronization For some, only a day or two will be necessary for the body clock to get in sync, while for others, it’ll be a week. This is partly due to genetics, age differences, and/or chronobiological disorders such as chronic sleep disorders or an out-of-sync body clock.

03 Sleep habits It’s usually recommended that those who fly a lot defer the moment they go to sleep on the days preceding their flight in order to get their body accustomed to the new sleep pattern – and advance it when flying east. In both cases, the change should take place gradually. Your body clock can get used to new time zones, but it needs time get accustomed to the change. 04 Eating patterns Some body clocks are located in the digestive system, so meal timings can modify the body clock’s functioning

10 ATMOSPHERE MARCH 2023