PUBLISHED December 26th, 2022 06:00 am | UPDATED July 22nd, 2024 03:35 pm
Jet lag is not a made-up reason you sleep the day away as soon as you land at your destination. It’s a common sleep disorder and can happen to anyone, regardless of travel miles. But what is jet lag, exactly?
As you travel across time zones, your body experiences a shift in circadian rhythm – the human body’s sleep-wake cycle. It regulates your sleep, hormones, and other bodily functions. Fatigue and insomnia due to a disrupted circadian rhythm are the most common symptoms that can ruin your travel plans.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physician Anita Pee – a featured expert at All Things Health – shares her experience treating patients with prolonged jet lag symptoms. While avoiding jet lag is sometimes not possible, there are ways to deal with the effects and make your travel less frantic.
How to Beat Jet Lag
The causes of jet lag can be a combination of sitting on the plane for too long, decreased air pressure and oxygen levels in the cabin, and low humidity. However, the main culprit is a disrupted circadian rhythm. To counter the effects, help your body adapt slowly. Use these tips to shorten the time it takes for your body to get in sync with your location so you can fall back into your natural circadian rhythm.
Change your sleep schedule before travel
Do a sleep practice a few days ahead of your flight. For example, if your destination is five hours ahead of your home time zone, start winding down to sleep five hours earlier than usual. Research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that light flashes administered during sleep can influence the circadian rhythm and reduce jet lag more than continuous light. This means that dependence on natural daylight can be manipulated for phase-shifting.
Control your pre-travel jitters
Make sure to prioritise quality sleep before, during, and after your travel time. Staying up all night so you can sleep during the flight is not a recommended solution. Doing so will make you drowsy and less focused. Treat yourself to some in-demand movies on the flight’s entertainment system during the day, and get some shut-eye when night comes.
Stay hydrated
When the flight attendant asks if you’d like coffee or tea, order water instead. Mild dehydration can happen when travelling, which worsens jet lag symptoms. Bring an empty bottle of water, then fill it at a water refill station after passing security checks.
Acupressure massage
According to Physician Pee, “jet lag in TCM is understood as the body’s activities not being in sync with the rising and falling of the sun, in other words, the natural yin and yang rhythm of the day.” By stimulating several acupoints in the body, you can restore balance.
Physician Pee shares some acupoints that can help relieve jet lag symptoms:
- Fatigue and poor concentration – Bai hui (GV20, 百会) and yin tang (EX-HN3, 印堂)
- Insomnia – Nei guan (P6, 内关) and shen men (HT7, 神门)
- Headaches, neck pain, and insomnia – Feng chi (GB20, 风池) and an mian (EX-HN16, 安眠)
- Gastrointestinal discomfort – Zu san li (ST36, 足三里）
Keep moving and avoid overeating
It’s understandable you might be hungry and tired from walking around the airport. However, your digestive system doesn’t need the extra burden when adjusting to a new time zone. Eat smaller, simpler meals with enough calories to prevent bloating and an upset stomach. While at it, some simple exercises such as head rolls, neck turns, knee tucks and arm bends, can release muscle tension.
Chase the sun
Once you’ve arrived at your destination, try to be outside when it’s daytime, even if you’re tired. If there is a nearby park, walk or sit on the grass there. As much as you can, try to sleep at your usual bedtime. You may consider a melatonin supplement to help you fall asleep but speak with your doctor about potential side effects.
What to Do If Jet Lag Symptoms Won’t Go Away
TCM herbs prove to be an effective solution for treating jet lag symptoms. A meta-analysis published in the Frontiers in Pharmacology journal found that jujube seeds (suan zao ren, 酸枣仁) work better than the placebo and are comparable to diazepam – a drug prescribed as a relaxant. Aside from jujube seeds, Physician Pee usually uses a combination of these herbs to help her patients feel better after a long trip:
- Insomnia – Jujube seeds, arborvitae seed (bo zi ren, 柏子仁) or herbal formula Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan (天王补心丹)
- Fatigue – Astragalus (huang qi, 黄芪) and atracylodes (bai zhu, 白术)
- Dehydration or dryness of skin, nose, throat – Ghlenia root (sha shen, 沙参), ophiogon tuber, (mai dong, 麦冬), and Solomon’s Seal Rhizome (yu zhu, 玉竹)
- Gastrointestinal discomfort such as poor appetite and diarrhoea – Bao He Wan (保和丸) and Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Wan (藿香正气丸)
Physician Pee strongly advises people not to self-medicate. “Do consult a TCM physician on whether you and your children can take these herbal formulas. Certain dosages and herbs have varying effects on different body constitutions.”
Now you’re ready to be a globetrotter, unafraid of jet lag. Be prepared for your travel days in advance. And when you’re feeling under the weather, visit All Things Health for more self-help tips provided by health experts.
This article is brought to you by All Things Health.