Zzzz… The Day!
Jet Lag! We know it well. Here are some ways to hack the timezone hangover.
Our internal body clock is one of our most important biological assets. It is thought that the earliest organisms had to be able to distinguish between night and day in order to ensure proper DNA replication when harmful UV radiation may have disrupted the process.
As much of it happens behind the scenes, many of us do not fully realize how finely tuned our bodies are to the experiences of light and dark and how these cues become central to our internal repair and warding off of disease. When we sleep, we are awash in hormones. The pineal gland, a small structure in the centre of our brain has been called “the third eye”, for its link to light and dark. The tiny gland is responsible for the release of melatonin when the oncoming of night is sensed by the eyes. It’s rather common knowledge that melatonin helps us fall asleep at the right time while hormones, like growth hormone, rush in to start the repairs. As much as we think we know about our circadian rhythm, and more importantly, disruptions to it, researchers in all branches of biological specialty are still piecing together the complex chemical cascade that occurs within us, each and every day.
Researchers are now beginning to piece together the complex puzzle of human sleep and are finding links between circadian rhythm, sleep duration and major disease families like heart disease and cancer.
Another area of emerging study is how our immune system and inflammation in the body are tied to our circadian rhythm. Researchers suggest that it’s no coincidence that we feel more joint pain in the morning or that asthma symptoms are generally worse at night or early morning — due to circadian patterns of inflammation.
In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified night shifts as a probable carcinogen. A study of 75,000 registered nurses in the US found that “all cause mortality” increased after 5 years of rotational shift work — a cycle that significantly disrupts the body’s rest and repair cycle.
A more recent study indicates that the circadian rhythm disruption of shift work makes workers several times more likely to be hospitalized for Covid-19, even after taking into account the work environment, obesity, smoking, or other contributing factors. Some scientists believe that disruptions to day-night cycle can change how the immune system responds to infection.
Of course, these are cases of ongoing chronic disruption to circadian rhythm. There is an argument to be made that airline crew may experience this level of circadian flip-flopping but there are also many frequent flyers who certainly transit more than their share of time zones each month.
Fun Facts on Circadian Rhythm
For a long time we believed our internal clock was actually 25 hrs. New research suggests its closer to 24 hours and 15 minutes. However, it is recalibrated each day when you are exposed to morning light.
Our internal master clock is within the brain’s suprachiasmatic nuclei (SNC).
Even thought the clock is “internal”, it relies on environmental cues for guidance.
Your eyelids are not great at blocking out light. Even a little light can disturb your sleep.
At night, melatonin should be high and cortisol low. The opposite is true in the morning. If this is out of balance, you’ll feel “wired but tired” at bedtime.
Not everyone is the same. “Morning Larks” and “Night Owls” sleep pattern differences are thought to be genetic.
Digestive troubles when you travel? There is an increasing link between circadian rhythm disruption and GI tract upset.
Artificial light from electronic devices are somewhat new to the human experience. Viewing them before bed can significantly delay sleep onset.
Natural outdoor light resets your body clock each morning and sends important instructions to your nervous system, endocrine system, muscles, and immune system.
Courtesy of Carex Health
“Jet lag can affect gut inflammation and also the ability of our GI tract to ward off bacterial infection. ”
Ways to Lick the Lag
We may not be able to avoid crossing time zones when we travel abroad (or even across the country) but new research has given us some great ways to help manage jet lag and get us up and running in our new time zone.
Sleeping Beauty
Sometimes the simplest answer is the best. One way to mitigate jet lag is to give yourself an extra couple of days to acclimatize to the new time zone ahead of any important event you plan to attend. If you’re giving a presentation or running a marathon you don’t want to your brain and body to feel like it’s 3am when it’s time to perform. If you’re going east, like from America to Europe, you can try going to sleep slightly earlier each night in advance of your departure. The opposite technique can be used for traveling west. When you board your flight, set your watch to your new destination. If it is night there, try to sleep on the flight.
You Are What You Eat
Prior to departure, some travellers will gradually adjust their diet to match that of the new time zone. Like adjusting sleep, this may not work for all — and it tends to create some internal conflict with the home time zone, perhaps disrupting sleep. Try to stay hydrated before and throughout the flight as dehydration can exacerbate the feeling of jet lag. The use of melatonin is also common. Taken before bedtime at your destination, this hormone can help align your internal body clock to the new sleep time.
Dig the Blues
We know that morning light resets our internal body clock. When you’re traveling on your flight, if it’s night time at your destination, try to sleep. Use earplugs and a mask to help block out noise and light. When you arrive at your destination, get out in the morning light without your sunglasses. When it comes time for bed, ensure that your room is as dark as possible. Many hotels frequented by international travellers have excellent black out blinds for their windows. If they do not, ask if they offer “black out” curtains as some can hang them temporarily, at night. Another hotel hack is bring small clips with you — the kind you might use to hold bags closed in your pantry. Use these to clip together curtains that may be hanging open and allowing slivers of ambient city light into your room.
Find the Rhythm
At destination, try to keep your hotel room cool for sleeping. Take a hot bath before bed, as the drop in temperature, from the warm bath to the cooler room, can signal your brain that it’s time for sleeping.
Get outside and enjoy 30 minutes of direct morning light (without windows or sunglasses) to help reset your body clock. Need we remind readers not to look directly at the sun?
Science
Our understanding of jet lag and its impact on circadian rhythm and health is an ever expanding field. Due to advances in intercontinental travel and the frequency by which we use it, it’s understandable how this branch of health research is still advancing.
We are understand more about how our body keeps time, with particular interest on how circadian disruptions impact our immune system. Emerging fields, such as chronotherapy, in which the time of day during which medical interventions are applied can increase (or decrease) the effectiveness, is a fast moving area of medical research. Even the application of anti-inflammatories for Covid-19 patients has been noted to be more effective at particular times of the day.
This article does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the opinion of a medical professional before starting a nutrition or fitness program.