Jet lag can be reduced by altering circadian rhythms before travel. Exposure to bright light for three hours after waking helps eastbound travelers adjust, while exposure before bedtime helps westbound travelers. Precautions can adjust wake-up time by two hours, while not taking precautions can result in antidromic reentry. A phase lag is easier to adjust than a phase lead.
Jet lag, a condition that can cause fatigue or difficulty sleeping for a person traveling across multiple time zones, could be reduced if the person takes precautions to alter their circadian rhythms in the days leading up to travel. The term “circadian rhythms” refers to the body’s natural 24-hour wakefulness cycle, which is largely influenced by exposure to light. Scientists have found that being exposed to bright light for about three hours after waking up in the days leading up to travel could help people traveling east adjust to their destination’s later time zone. Westbound travelers might benefit from exposure to light during the three hours before bedtime to help them wake up later.
Learn more about regulating jet lag:
Travelers who increase their exposure to light three days before travel may be able to adjust their body’s wake-up time by two hours.
Not taking precautions to regulate the body’s cycle before travel could result in antidromic reentry, which is when the body’s circadian rhythms shift in the opposite direction than expected.
It has been found that a phase lag, where the time zone of the travel destination is behind the traveller’s normal cycle, is easier to adjust than a phase lead, which is when the time zone of the destination is ahead .
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