The Effects of Jet Lag on Your Body: Tips for a Smooth Recovery

Traveling across multiple time zones can cause havoc on your internal clock mostly if you are a regular traveler. It does not only disrupt your body’s internal clock but can lead to various physical and mental symptoms. These include sleep issues due to jet lag, and digestive disorders, and can affect your overall well-being.

It is crucial to understand the symptoms and how the disruption of your circadian rhythm (i.e. internal clock) called jet lag impacts your body. This will help you decipher how to recover efficiently and make long-haul travel easier.

Common Symptoms of Jet Lag

• Poor quality sleep: It can be difficult to get quality sleep once you travel. Even when you do manage to sleep, it might not be very restful. You could wake up often during the night or have a hard time staying asleep.
• Tiredness and exhaustion during the day: You may feel more tired than usual during the day. Tiredness when you arrive somewhere new happens because your body is still in sync with the time zone you came from.
• Problem with memory or focus: It happens to the best of us. Have you ever felt disoriented after getting little sleep at night? This magnifies when you experience jet lag especially if it’s your first time travelling. It could affect your ability to perform daily activities that requires concentration or focusing on tasks.

How Jet Lag Affects Your Body

• Digestive Issues:

Your body expects food at your usual mealtimes, but in a new place, you may be eating earlier or later than usual. This can cause loss of appetite, bloating, nausea, or overeating at unusual hours.

• Weakened Immune System:

Quality sleep is essential for the production of white blood cells, which help fight infections. When you experience jet lag, it often causes short, fragmented sleep. This can reduce the ability of your body to fight off viruses and bacteria.

• Irregular periods:

It is common for women to notice an impact on the timing of their menstrual cycles due to jet lag. Quite often, your period can be delayed or come earlier than expected. People on oral contraceptives can also experience complicated hormonal imbalances due to jet lag.  Additionally, people on medications that have to be taken at certain times of day might end up taking them at the wrong times for their bodies if they don’t shift their circadian clocks to the destination time zone.

• Long-term health consequences:

Shift workers, medical professionals and flight crews have an increased risk of developing physical health effects due to repeated disruptions in their internal clock. These conditions include type 2 diabetes and different types of cancer such as breast cancer and melanoma.

Tips for a Smooth Jet Lag Recovery

Jet lag can be frustrating and problematic. Fortunately, with the right strategies, you can adjust quickly and reduce its effects. Here’s how to manage jet lag effectively:

• Stay hydrated: Drinking enough water before and during the flight helps to prevent dehydration, which can worsen jet lag.
• Limit alcohol and caffeine: Reduce the intake of coffee and alcoholic drinks on the plane. This is essential once you arrive at your destination or a few hours before bedtime. This willl improve your chances of getting good sleep.
• Use Melatonin Supplement: Your body naturally makes melatonin to trigger sleepiness, but it is also available as a supplement. You can go for NATURE’SFIELD MELATONIN which relaxes your body and helps you fall asleep. It also enhances your body’s natural production of melatonin and restores your internal clock with time.

Jet lag can be tough, but, you can adjust by incorporating the about tips. Staying hydrated, getting sunlight, following a regular sleep pattern, and avoiding long naps will help your body reset. Light exercise and good sleep habits also speed up recovery. If you are struggling to sleep, NATURE’SFIELD MELATONIN can help regulate your body clock. This can make adjusting to a regular sleep pattern easier.