Lots of light and relaxation helps with jet lag

Jet lag Sufficient rest on arrival obligatory

14/10/2014

When traveling between two different time zones, it usually comes to so-called jet lag. The effects are more severe when traveling east than west. Even if jet lag can not be prevented, there is one or the other advice that helps against the effects. According to Hans-Günter Weeß, Head of the Sleep Center Palatine Psychiatry and Neurology Klingenmünster help bright light and relaxation at the destination.

"Relaxation is the royal road to sleep," said Weeß to the dpa. Sufficient rest is therefore obligatory on arrival. In addition, when traveling west, light sources with more than 2500 lux help, while when traveling east, it is advisable to recharge your batteries in the morning. Basically, it takes time to overcome the effects of the time change: "You can not change the internal clock like a wristwatch overnight," says Weeß. "You can not handle the jet lag, only mitigate." And so Weeß continues: „This can take on different proportions, depending on the time difference. "The cause is the discrepancy between internal and external clock.

Time change is harder when traveling to the East
Basically, the intensity, the greater the time shift, the longer it takes to get used to it. The rule is that you need one hour of habituation per hour of time shift. "It certainly varies from person to person," said Weeß loud dpa. "Especially younger and older people are more difficult with the adjustment." When traveling east, the effects are even more extreme, according to Weeß. Changing the time is even more difficult when traveling east: "We have a biorhythm that is more like 25 hours than 24 hours, making it easier for us to go to bed later," explains Weeß.
Who flies to the east, but just go to bed earlier. "You have not been awake so long, falling asleep more difficult." After traveling to the West, sleeping through is more of a problem, and you often wake up early, according to Weeß.
This can be counteracted on longer trips by trying to adapt the time a few days before departure. When traveling to the east, however, he recommends to drop a night's sleep, so as to build up a high sleep pressure. The next day you can go to sleep normally.
Of caffeine, he advises partially or even completely, when the journey goes to the east.
The sleep hormone melatonin, on the other hand, can help accelerate the adaptation. A permanent intake is not recommended.

Clock proteins affect the internal clock
In addition, zinc is an indispensable trace element in the regulation of the daily rhythm (Heilpraxisnet.de reported 27.05.2014). If it is missing, certain molecular interactions can no longer take place. One example is long-haul flights to other time zones or sleepless nights that upset our inner clock. For the internal clock to function, proteins and specific target genes must work together optimally. Similar to a mechanical movement, the individual components interlock perfectly. So-called clock proteins bind to each other at very specific times and then in turn activate genes and other proteins. „The result of this interaction is a circadian rhythm that controls our sleep-awake behavior as well as many other hormonal and metabolic processes“, it says in a message from the Charité. (jp)