People who travel a lot experience jetlag. Athletes, who travel to different countries for their tournament, attribute their poor performance on jetlag. Business people, who go to various places for business meetings and other matters, hold jetlags as accountable for their bad days. This goes to show that jetlag affects not only the physical condition of the body but the entirety of an individual.
Jetlag, basically, refers to condition of the body being disoriented. More often than not, jetlags are a result of crossing time zones which affects the internal body clock of an individual. Some of the common symptoms of jetlag are inability to sleep at night, loss of drive, malaise, tiredness, inability to concentrate, and headaches.
Generally, the severity of jetlags is dependent on the direction of the travel. Most experts say that the occurrences of jetlags are lesser when people travel westward than eastward. This is because the body rhythm is extended up to 27 hours when a person flies westward. In turn, the body is able to catch up with whatever changes in the environment
Moreover, the so-called “circadian rhythm” is greater than 24 hours when a person travels westward. This is because the time of the day is lengthened, thus, giving more time for the body to adjust.
Here’s how:
- Staying outside during the day is recommended to cope up with jetlags. This is because the person’s body clock will be able to adjust at a faster rate if it will become accustomed to the new surroundings. Usually, natural light aids in coping up with jetlags.
- It would be better for a person to adjust their bedtime schedules so as to prevent the severity of jetlags. In this way, their body clock will be able to cope up with the changes in the time setting.
- It is best if people will start eating, sleeping, and doing their usual activities patterned to the local time setting of the new place and not from the usual time they do it back home.
- For people who travel because of some important event like the athletes or the entrepreneurs, it is best if they travel way ahead of time to their event schedules. This is to give them more time to adjust and get accustomed of the area.
So, jetlags are not so much of a problem. It is just a matter of adjustment and coping up. After which, people can now enjoy the new scenery. In reality, there are no quick fixes to “cure” the signs of jetlags. However, there are ways to deal with it so as to start healthier in the new environment.
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