Find advice and treatments for Jet Lag

The severity of the jet lag symptoms will be dependent on the distance travelled and the number of time zones crossed. Most people find that you need to cross at least three time zones before experiencing the symptoms of jet lag. The degree of suffering will vary from person to person with the most common symptoms being sleep disturbance. Sufferers may encounter difficulty adjusting to new time zones. For example, it may be day time in the new time zone but your body clock hasn’t adjusted and feels like it needs to sleep. Alternatively, it may be night time in the new time zone, yet you find yourself feeling wide awake and unable to sleep.

Other jet lag symptoms include:

• Indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea
• Headaches, nausea and loss of appetite
• Anxiety and irritability
• Feelings of disorientation, lethargy and light-headedness
• Feeling confused
• Difficulty concentrating and clumsiness
• Sweating

Jet lag doesn’t normally require diagnosis by a doctor. It can be self-diagnosed based on the symptoms and your past experiences with long-haul travel.

Jet lag is not a serious condition and is normally self-limiting; it will resolve with 2-4 days without intervention.

Most people have experienced jet lag at some point in their lives. It can leave you feeling tired, groggy, confused, and lethargic when travelling between time zones. Although it usually resolves after 2 – 4 days, it leaves the potential to ruin the start of a holiday or leave you ineffective on a big business trip.

There are several things you can do which will help reduce the effects of jet lag. These range from prescription medicines to simple lifestyle techniques, all designed to help your body’s circadian rhythm adjust to the new time zone.

Melatonin is a hormone released by the body to let the brain know it’s time for sleep. The release is triggered by a lack of daylight and is designed to prepare the body for sleep. The body stops producing melatonin when natural daylight returns. The cessation of melatonin release will help the body to wake up. If your circadian (natural) rhythm has been disrupted by jet lag then it can interfere with the normal release of this hormone.

Melatonin helps to treat the insomnia caused by jet lag. When Melatonin is taken correctly it can help adjust the body’s circadian rhythm to that of the new time zone. Usually one Melatonin 3mg tablet is taken at night, about an hour before going to bed. It should be used between two to four nights upon arriving in the new time zone. Melatonin is only recommended as a suitable treatment should your destination’s time zone be more than three hours different from the UK.

Non-medicinal techniques that can be adopted to help treat jet lag include:

• Avoid napping when you reach your new destination. It’s important to remain active until you reach the correct time for sleep in your new time zone.
• Spend time outdoors exposed to natural sunlight. This will help your body adjust to the new time zone.
• Change your meal times to correspond with your new time zone.

Some people find that using the tips above will sufficiently ease jet lag, however, others may still require further assistance to overcome the problem. Travellers may be tempted to take traditional sleeping tablets; this is not advisable as often the sleep produced by sleeping tablets is not natural and can have a ‘hangover’ effect in the morning. This can work to worsen the effects of jet lag.

Alternative Treatments

When you arrive at your destination:

Form a new routine and try and get used to this as soon as possible, for example eating and sleeping at the normal times of your new time zone. Avoid doing these things as you usually would at home.
It is best to avoid napping as soon as you arrive, it is natural to feel tired but try to stay as active as you possibly can until it is around a normal sleeping hour, this way your body should adapt a little faster.
One last tip is to try stay outdoors as much as possible, the natural light will aid in your body adjusting to the new routine you're trying to adopt.