Jet Lag and You

If you are planning to fly abroad for your holiday, have you thought about how you are going to deal with jet lag? Perhaps you have a routine that helps you, or maybe you just resign yourself to a few days of feeling shattered. Jet lag is temporary. Just about everyone gets it. It is not possible to stop it happening, because it is a natural effect of subjecting your body to a long-haul flight.

What is jet lag?

Many of us are familiar with jet lag – being tired, being unable to sleep properly, feeling irritable, and finding it hard to concentrate after a long journey in the air. You may also get appetite changes or trouble with your digestive system. Jet lag occurs when the body’s internal clock is disrupted by flying across several different time zones.

Jet lag can vary from being mild and manageable, to causing severe disorientation and utter exhaustion. It becomes more of a problem if you cross five or more time zones.

Why does jet lag happen?

Circadian rhythm, which influences sleep and other processes in our bodies, works like an “internal body clock.” It relies on elements in our current environment, such as sunlight and temperature. Regular periods of darkness and light keep our bodies in sync.

When you fly across time zones, the day and night routines that your body usually follows are broken, and your sleep is disrupted. You may feel wide-awake at night because your body expects daylight and may be sleepy in the day when your body expects night. Your body will “reset” its circadian rhythm according to the day and night pattern at your new destination, but this process may take up to several days.

Getting exposure to daylight

Being exposed to natural light is important for getting your body clock back on track.

If you are only going to be in your new time zone for a few days, it is not worth attempting to adjust your body clock. You may be better off keeping your routines (eating and sleeping, story time, bath time) the same as at home.

Jet lag is worse on flights going from west to east compared to flights going from east to west. Your body is better at adapting to staying awake for a longer day (when you go west) but finds it harder to adapt when time is “lost” (going east).

If going west, try to get light exposure in the evening and stay away from bright lights at night and in the early morning (you can wear sunglasses). Light in the evening helps to delay your body clock and adapt to a time zone behind your own. For example, if you fly from Switzerland to Mexico, where Mexico City is seven hours behind Zurich, you will feel it is 1:00 in the morning even if it is 18:00 when you arrive.

If you are going east, you will need to advance your body clock, which is a much harder adjustment to make. Try to avoid evening light exposure by wearing sunglasses. You will need to get some proper daylight exposure, but it is debatable which part of the day is best for light exposure to help your body clock adjust faster.

There are various online jet lag calculators and jet lag apps that allow you to calculate the “best” time to get your light exposure. These may not make a huge difference, but you might find them a useful tool. Examples include the British Airways jet lag advisor and the “Jet Lag Rooster” site.

More importantly, do not get hung up about when to get exposure to daylight (and when to avoid it). The key thing is to ensure everyone gets some good quality light exposure every day.

Sleeping at your destination

Try to get at least some sleep during the night hours at your destination. Though daytime naps are not ideal, they can be difficult to avoid. Try to limit the length of these by setting an alarm to force everyone to get up (try not to nap for more than two hours). If you have a long daytime nap when you arrive, you may not wake until it is already dark outside, making it harder for your body clock to adjust.

Suggestions for those first few nights include:

• Blackout blinds

You can buy travel blackout blinds that attach by suction pads or special Velcro strips. These can be useful for your hotel room if the windows allow in a lot of light. Badly fitting curtains that don’t meet in the middle and therefore let in light can handily be adjusted with hair clips or other hair accessories! Try to keep the sleeping area dark until it is actually time to get up. This will help the whole family get back into a sleep routine. Also, teach your family to use sleep masks. There are lots of colourful cute sleep mask designs available for children.

• Get active

Walking and other gentle exercise in daylight will make your family feel better, and help with the sleep routine. If your children are getting tired but it is too early to consider bedtime, try to get them outdoors for a walk and some play.

• “Local” meal times

Whether you are hungry or not, try to eat something at each proper mealtime at your destination, even if the timings of the meals feel odd for your body. Waking up hungry will delay getting a sleep pattern back.

• White noise

Unusual sounds at your destination can be disruptive when you are trying to sleep. Earplugs may help (try these out at home before you travel). You could also have a radio turned down low as background “white noise.”

• Be cosy enough

Make sure everyone’s sleepwear is warm enough, even if you are travelling to a hot country. Hotel rooms can have over-enthusiastic air conditioning systems and too-thin bedding. Waking up feeling cold will disrupt sleep further.

What helps reduce the effects of jet lag?

• Don’t travel tired.

Make sure your last night of sleep at home in your own bed is as normal as possible. Don’t be tempted to stay up into the early hours getting the packing done, or finishing the things on your “to do” list. Get organised by doing as much as you can a few days in advance.

• Switch your schedule before you travel.

You could try adjusting your home meal times and your home sleep and waking times to be a little closer to the ones in your new time zone. This helps with reducing jet lag effects but may not be realistic in a busy household that needs to get kids to school on time.

• Plan a stopover.

A chance to wash, freshen up and stroll around will energise you and make you feel more mentally alert.

• Avoid alcohol on the flight and think about how much caffeine you are drinking.

If you know you will be landing at night, avoid caffeine in the latter parts of your flight. Alcohol, tea, and coffee can be dehydrating, particularly on flights. Try to drink plenty of water. If you are suffering from lack of sleep, alcohol will make you feel worse. Standard advice is to avoid caffeine completely on long flights. However, if you normally drink quite a bit of coffee, then going cold turkey on a long haul flight is not a good idea. Avoid giving caffeine such as cola drinks to your children, and avoid chocolate, too.

• Try to create a comfortable environment on the plane

The body is able to rest better when it is more horizontal, but many of us deal with fairly cramped conditions on board. For comfort, take your child’s favourite cuddly toys. Changing your children out of travel clothing may help, e.g., putting on pyjamas, but make sure you have a warm layer or an extra blanket, too. Many airlines used to provide sleep masks and earplugs, but I haven’t seen these handed out on a plane for a long time. If you think they’d be useful for you, bring your own.

What is melatonin and does it help?

Melatonin is a hormone that is produced by a gland in the brain. Normally, your body starts producing melatonin at dusk, and then stops as morning approaches. When taken as tablets, melatonin does not send you to sleep, but it can help reduce the severity of jet lag.

Melatonin is sold in pharmacies and health food stores in a number of countries, including the U.S., where it is not classified as a drug but as a supplement. It is therefore not regulated in the same way that medicines are.

In Switzerland, melatonin is available only by prescription, under the brand name Circadin. It is only licensed for use in people over the age of 55 with certain sleep problems. It is not prescribed for jet lag. However, you can get melatonin from your doctor if they are willing to prescribe it “off-label.” This means giving it to you outside its normal licensed use. In this case, the cost is unlikely to be covered by your health insurance company.

Although it is possible to buy melatonin online, discuss it with your own doctor first. Melatonin is not a panacea; it may not work, and you may suffer side effects.

What about sleeping tablets?

Depending on the situation (considering any medical conditions you have and any medicines you are already on), taking sleeping tablets for a few nights after arrival can help some people manage their sleep disturbances better. Sleeping tablets should not be used for more than a few nights. There is a risk of dependence and of developing more sleep problems after stopping them. See your own doctor before you travel, to discuss your needs.

Should children use sleep medications?

You should not use melatonin in children. Although melatonin is used by paediatricians for certain sleep disorders in children, this is a highly specialised use, and it should not be used for jet lag in children.

You may have heard parents mentioning the use of antihistamines to help their children get some sleep. This is not a recommended use. Antihistamines are commonly used in children for allergies, insect bites, hay fever, etc. Getting drowsy is a known side effect of some antihistamines, but this side effect will not necessarily work to order. Making your child drowsy may help them get some sleep, but it will not help their body clock to adjust.

Daily activity, daily doses of daylight to help your child’s body clock regulate itself, allowing naps if necessary (not too long and not close to bedtime), and eating regularly will help your child recover from jet lag.

Will jet lag get better?

Full readjustment of your body clock back to normal can take as much as one day for every time zone crossed. Don’t plan lots of things in the first few days of your holiday. Try not to consider these days as “wasted” holiday days. Have a collection of gentle pursuits such as colouring, puzzles, and sticker books available, and use those early days to relax. Don’t worry too much about unscheduled daytime napping in the first few days – just try to limit the length and timing of these. Ensure everyone goes out to walk and play in the fresh air during the daytime. Exposure to natural daylight will help restore a normal circadian rhythm. But do try to avoid the bright lights on electronic devices such as iPads when dealing with jet lag.

Allow jet lag to recover naturally, and you will all be in a better position to enjoy the rest of your family holiday properly.

By Dr. Jahura Hossain

Born and brought up in London, Jahura is a U.K.-qualified doctor. She has worked in hospitals, general practice, public health, prison medicine, and the pharmaceutical industry.

© Copyright. Jahura Hossain. 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without the express consent of the author.

Illustration by Lara Friedrich

Lara has been a freelance illustrator for Mothering Matters since early 2013. She is a demo singer for the songwriter Kate Northrop and has also written an article for the newspaper March Anzeiger. Lara is bilingual in English and German with a Cambridge Advanced Certificate in English. She is in her first year at University.