'Well-timed' jet lag hack medical expert swears by
Updated . First published at
If the possibility of dealing with jet lag is something that puts you off travelling too far it shouldn't be.
There are plenty of things you can do - many that are tried and tested - both before, during and after your flight to help reduce the impact of jet lag.
Here's one really simple strategy that a medical expert swears by, which you can try on your next holiday.
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Light exposure at your destination is the key to beating jet lag. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Dr. Lynette Gogol, a board-certified neurologist and lifestyle medicine physician, has explained that jet lag is about more than just your sleep.
Instead, it's about how your body and circadian rhythm reacts when you're out of sync with the dark-light cycle of your destination.
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So when it comes to recovering quickly - it's all down to "well-timed light exposure".
"Light directly resets the circadian clock, but timing matters. Getting light at the wrong time can prolong jet lag, while getting it at the right time speeds recovery," Dr Gogol told Travel + Leisure.
For example after westward travel, she suggested light exposure in the late afternoon or early evening to help delay the clock so later a bedtime feels more natural.
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Jet lag can ruin a holiday. Getty
A study last year officially determined that study last year when we're travelling east.
Scientists at the Centre of Sleep and Cognition at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in Singapore found that sleep timing takes significantly longer to realign after travelling east.
This is because you are effectively 'losing' time.
Our circadian rhythm, or body clock, tends to be less confused when we travel west, as this just 'prolongs' the experience of a normal day-to-night cycle.
When we travel eastward, we're going in the opposite direction to our body clock.
In this case, Dr Gogol said morning exposure to bright light is important as it "can help advance the clock after eastward travel, but it must be timed carefully."
"The body adjusts more easily when it receives a clear signal about which direction to shift," she said.
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