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Time Zone Change Syndrome - Jet Lag
- Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
- Symptoms & Signs
- Diagnosis & Tests
- Prevention & Expectations
- Treatment & Monitoring
- Attribution
Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Jet lag is a condition in which a person's normal sleep cycle is disturbed by travel across time zones.
What is going on in the body?
A person who travels between different time zones need time for his or her internal body clock to reset itself and adjust to the new time zone. The body usually develops a set pattern of times when it is used to eating, sleeping, working, and performing other activities. Jet lag occurs because the body is reacting to a change in the schedule of normal activities.
What are the causes and risks of the condition?
The primary cause of jet lag is crossing time zones and then trying to get the body to react and adjust right away. Flying north or south does not cause jet lag. The more time zones crossed, the more difficult it is for the body to adjust to the new time zone. The body can generally adjust to a time change of about 1 or 2 hours per day. After travel across three time zones, which often occurs in a trip from the west to the east coast, the body may need up to 3 days to adjust to the new time.
Symptoms & Signs
What are the signs and symptoms of the condition?
The common symptoms of jet lag include:
Diagnosis & Tests
How is the condition diagnosed?
Most people will recognize when they have jet lag. The fatigue, drowsiness, irritability, and other symptoms will be clear to someone who has just traveled between different time zones.
Prevention & Expectations
What can be done to prevent the condition?
Some measures may help prevent or lessen the severity of jet lag. These include:
What are the long-term effects of the condition?
There are no long term effects.
What are the risks to others?
The only risk to others is when a person who is suffering from jet lag becomes unpleasant and uncomfortable to be around. Jet lag is not contagious.
Treatment & Monitoring
What are the treatments for the condition?
There are no medical treatments for jet lag. Time will make jet lag disappear. When multiple time zones are crossed, such as in overseas travel, some people may want to use a mild sedative, sleeping pill, or melatonin to help "reset" their internal body clocks and get enough sleep.
What are the side effects of the treatments?
Sedatives, such as diazepam, and sleeping pills, such as diphenhydramine, may cause prolonged sleepiness and may impair coordination. Melatonin may not work in some people and has caused sexual dysfunction in animals.
What happens after treatment for the condition?
People gradually adjust to the new time zones and need no further treatment.
How is the condition monitored?
People can monitor their own symptoms of jet lag.
Attribution
Author:John Riddle
Date Written:
Editor:Smith, Elizabeth, BA
Edit Date:06/20/00
Reviewer:Adam Brochert, MD
Date Reviewed:08/09/01
Sources
www.nojetlag.com
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, Second Edition, 1996, Published by William Morrow and Company, 1350 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10019