Jet Lag

Home » Jet Lag » Causes

Causes

A Hypothetical Case
If a person flies across several time zones rapidly, then they cannot immediately resynchronize their biological clock with the new day and light cycle. The inability to adjust circadian rhythms during this "lag" time in synchronicity is called jet lag.

For example, a traveler bound for New York leaves Cairo, Egypt, at 6 a.m., travels eastbound for seven hours, and arrives in New York at 6 a.m., New York time. So, the traveler arrives at the same time that they left. However, according to the traveler's circadian rhythms and internal clock, it is 1 p.m., Cairo time, perhaps time to eat lunch, but not breakfast. In 10 hours, when it's 4 p.m., New York time, the traveler's body feels like it is 11 p.m., Cairo time, and time to sleep. It's daylight in New York, where people are just beginning to think about dinner. The traveler's body thinks it should be dark. As soon as the traveler attempts to adjust to New York time by staying awake, circadian rhythms are disturbed, and complications arise.

For maximum efficiency, the body's 24-hour circadian rhythm cycle is intrinsically tuned to the light-dark cycle of the external environment.

The body coordinates its wake time with all the body functions that are best run at certain levels during certain hours of the day. However, this synchronization is slow to adapt to changes in external stimuli, like day-night times. One's ability to synchronize his or her biological clock with the external environment is limited. And a person can only change their clock by a couple of hours a day. Thus, complications like jet lag arise. A traveler changing seven time zones may need a week to adjust.

Some people have greater difficulty than others managing the circadian rhythm disturbance of jet lag. Severe cases may lead to more serious sleep disorders, such as delayed sleep-phase syndrome and advanced sleep-phase syndrome.

© 1998-2010 Healthcommunities.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jet Lag Resources

	Join Our Jet Lag Forum Do you have a question, want to share medical advice, or just need to discuss your situation with someone else having a similar experience? The healthchannels forum is a resource for everyone to share and discuss their health and medical needs with others.	Advertising Disclaimer
	Living with...Share your story Do you have a personal health story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our "Living with..." sections.
	Our "Living With..." support pages are a place to share experiences about living with a certain condition, disease, disorder, or illness and for loved ones of those dealing with health-related issues. Many people, especially when newly diagnosed, find comfort in knowing that others are having a similar experience. Help others by sharing your story. View stories already submitted.
	Stay Updated Sign up for our newsletter and receive important updates on the medical conditions that are most important to you.
To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Healthcommunities.com's healthchannels toolbar. Advertising Disclaimer