You’ve just had an amazing trip traveling abroad, are relishing in the places you’ve seen and experienced, and after a long series of flights home, you find yourself unraveling from the body’s dysregulation following a sudden shift in time zones. It’s not just the fatigue of travel or stress of getting back to work, responsibilities and deadlines — you are experiencing the notorious phenomenon of jet lag. For some lucky few the effects of a sudden shift in multiple time zones are mild, for others it takes a few days to get back online, and for some it can be quite debilitating, taking a week or more to get back into rhythm.
Jet lag is a phenomenon that illustrates how deeply connected our bodies are to rhythms of light and dark. This is known as our circadian rhythm. Not only do the signals of light from sunshine and nighttime darkness impact when we sleep and when we are roused to wakefulness, but they also inspire a symphony of hormonal signaling through our entire body. Even the functions of organ systems and the immune system are affected, which is why we are more susceptible to inflammation, as well as gastrointestinal upset from jet lag. The most common grievances following travel catapulting you more than six or eight time zones are marked fatigue and sleepiness during the day, nighttime insomnia and diminished cognitive performance and alertness. Mood disturbance causing irritability, anxiousness or depression is also not uncommon.
An elegant and complex physiologic story manages our circadian rhythm, much of it focusing on the production of melatonin by the pineal gland, stimulated by the onset of darkness. The pineal gland produces melatonin for 10-12 hours throughout the night, encouraging sleep, but also helping the brain and nervous system set the nighttime rhythm for the rest of our body and organ systems. The sudden misalignment of the phases of light and dark is what causes the big disruption of the established circadian rhythm, and can take as long as one day per time zone change for the rhythm to get re-synchronized with the new time zone.
One of the most researched interventions for supporting the body’s resynchronization is the use of melatonin supplementally. Most research suggests that there is little benefit in doses greater than 5mg, and for most, doses as low as 0.5-1mg are sufficient to encourage the phase shift to a new locale’s light and dark cycle. With eastward travel (from the U.S. to Europe, for example) the goal is to encourage a “phase advance” in the biological rhythm, so taking a dose of melatonin in the early evening is typically advised. Westward travel, on the other hand, requires encouraging a phase delay and therefore it is more supportive to take melatonin just before bed, or even during the night, if nighttime insomnia is occurring.
Additionally, formulas that combine melatonin with sleep-enhancing or relaxing (nervine) herbs taken before bedtime can further support restful sleep and resetting of the biological sleep clock. Herbs like passionflower, skullcap, valerian, California poppy, hops and lemon balm are all solid considerations. The amino acid l-theanine is one that supports production of the neurotransmitter GABA, which potentiates a relaxing and calming effect on the nervous system, is included in many anti-anxiety or sleep-support formulas and can be additionally beneficial in this context.
In an effort to synch up with your new time zone, it is also a great idea to really lean into the rising and setting of the sun every day. Try to wake up at sunrise or shortly thereafter, and take the time to gaze in the direction of the sunrise, allowing sunlight to flood your eyes and body. Conversely, make the time to watch the sun setting, reminding your nervous system what time of day it is. Obviously, stellar self-care will always lessen the intensity of jet lag symptoms. Staying well hydrated and minimizing alcohol before, during and after travel is always helpful and making sure that caffeine is not consumed after midday will be supportive.
While it always takes time to get grounded into a new time zone, embracing the stoke of your travel adventures, plus some meaningful self-care can minimize the side-effects of your body’s adjustment to a new daily sunrise and sunset.
-Joshua Phillips, ND is a naturopathic physician and the director at Hawthorn Healing Arts Center in Bend, Oregon. He can be reached at docnaturecure@gmail.com with questions or comments.
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