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Flying high Women are more susceptible to jetlag as estrogen makes them vulnerable

“When travelling across a number of time zones, the body clock goes out of sync with the destination time, and so it experiences daylight and darkness contrary to the rhythms to which it is accustomed. The body’s natural pattern is upset as the rhythms that dictate times for eating and sleeping no longer correspond to the environment of the destination. Jet lag occurs because the body cannot automatically realign these rhythms.

The speed at which the body readjusts itself to new daylight, darkness hours, and eating and sleeping patterns is entirely dependent on the individual. Thus, while it may take a few days for some people to readjust to a new time zone, others seem to experience little disruption to their body’s natural sleeping pattern,” says Dr. Padma, a GP.

But there is a solution for any medical condition and experts are of the opinion that the adverse effects of this can be minimised and one of the method is by adhering to an anti-jet lag diet.

“It is generally easier to adjust when travelling to the west as days are longer and worse when travelling east as the days are shorter. Along with interference to the body clock, a lack of oxygen in pressurised cabins which is 20-25 per cent less than at sea level further compounds the feeling,” says Maya who is on a vacation from Florida. “One of the most contributing factors to a jet lag is the number of time zones we cross during a journey. An alteration in the daylight and darkness in fact confuses the pineal gland in the brain which produces sleep hormones including melatonin.

Until the gland gets adjusted to the change it can lead to sleepiness when awake and vice-versa,” says Dr. Padma.

Females are more susceptible to jetlags as estrogen is more vulnerable to jetlag like conditions. The condition is not linked to the length of flight, but to the transmeridian (i.e. east-west) distance travelled. Jet lag, also called time zone change syndrome, can affect even children though people over 50 are more susceptible.

And it doesn’t matter how many frequent flier miles you’ve logged. Although jet lag isn’t inevitable, you’re likely to experience some degree of it whenever you cross three or more time zones. A successful time zone shift depends on knowing the exact times to either seek or avoid bright light. Exposure to light at the wrong time can actually make jetlag worse. The proper schedule for light exposure depends a great deal on specific travel plans. Most of the time jet lag is psychological. Long distance fliers are anticipating some kind of jet lag experience as they board the plane.

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