It's 6 a.m. in the morning in northeastern Thailand and I'm sitting at my desk wondering how I'm going to survive a camping trip in the mountains when I've only slept four hours in the past couple of days. Do tigers attack their prey while they're asleep, or are they like their domestic cousins–attracted only to a fleeing animal, or a laser pointer? If I climb up a tree and fall asleep there, can a tiger still get me? These are the sort of absurd questions four hours of sleep inspire.
In an article I found online about Jet Lag, Dhani Jones, an NFL linebacker who runs some kind of travel show inebriatedly entitled, "Dhani Tackles the Globe," tells Men's Journal that "jet lag doesn't exist," that it's a "mindset." Hey, guess what, he's wrong! I know, right? And you were thinking, "Why go to the doctor when I can just ask an NFL player for medical advice?"
The scientific explanation for the phenomena we call jet lag is thus: the pineal gland in our brain releases a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin is part of our body's internal clock mechanism, what doctors like to call the circadian rhythm, which controls when we get sleepy and when we wake up. Jet lag, then, is simply the loss of synchronization between your body's internal clock and the physical clock on the wall. So, how do we resynchronize?
Well, the answer isn't simple. There are a number of different ways people go about changing their body's clocks, but the shortest answer is this: regardless of how tired you are, stay awake during the lighter hours of your new time zone and go to bed when it gets dark out. Exposure to bright light inhibits the secretion of melatonin. Conversely, a lack of exposure to light will cause your body to secrete melatonin, which will make you sleepy. Whatever you do, don't take naps during the day. This will only serve to prolong the effects of jet lag.
There are medicines you can take. They don't make your body adjust more quickly, they simply help you stay in the proper rhythm while your body adjusts. Everyone's body is different, more or less susceptible or sensitive to hormonal fluctuations. This is something I'll cover more in depth in my subsequent article on how to get rid of jet lag.
In the meantime, look for information regarding a drug that's in clinical trials right now: tasimelteon (VEC-162). It looks to be a promising new drug that will help alleviate insomnia and jet lag.
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