How a simple diet can help you cope with jet lag
Coming back from a long flight can leave you feeling tired and disoriented, and this disruption of your internal body clock and disruption of circadian rhythms can make you feel unwell and often means an upset stomach because of the body’s starvation cycle. It’s out of sync with the food. times. It also usually means your memory is less than reliable, which most of us chalk up to a combination of time zone change and tiredness, but chronic jet lag appears to alter the brain in ways that cause memory problems. and learning a lot after back. Knowing this effect on your body can help you plan your recovery time and reduce the level of stress and anxiety you may be subject to if you forget to ask for milk or what your last name is.
Each of us has a 24-hour internal clock that drives our circadian rhythm, which is reset every day by small amounts. When a person enters a time zone that is out of sync with their internal clock, it takes much longer for them to re-establish this daily rhythm, resulting in jet lag until the internal clock is back in sync. If you are a frequent traveler, as opposed to occasional travelers who recover in a few days, the risks are much greater and include reduced reaction times, increased incidence of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and reduced fertility. The World Health Organization actually lists shift work as a carcinogen, so it pays to be proactive about your health care and reduce all other known cancer risks as well.
Research by psychologists at the University of California, Berkeley, studied the effects of continuous jet lag by exposing female Syrian hamsters to six-hour time changes, the equivalent of a plane flight from New York to Paris. If you wonder (and why not) why they are female and Syrian, it is because their body rhythms are so precise that they will produce eggs or ovulate every 96 hours in a span of a few minutes. It’s nice to know that hamsters at least have a reliable monthly pattern, but why they didn’t just ask air crews of frequent fliers is a mystery, but then I’m not a scientist, thank goodness.
During the last two weeks of jet lag and one month after recovery, the hamsters’ performance on learning and memory tasks was measured and, as expected, during the jet lag period they had trouble learning simple tasks that hamsters from the control group. had no difficulty with What surprised the researchers was that these deficits persisted for a month after the hamsters returned to a normal day and night schedule.
The real discovery was that jet lag caused persistent changes in the brain, specifically in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays a complex role in memory processing. Compared to the control group hamsters, the jet lag hamsters had only half the number of new neurons in the hippocampus after the month of exposure to jet lag. This is important because new neurons are constantly being added to the adult hippocampus and are thought to be important for specific types of learning, and memory problems are associated with a decline in cell maturation and atrophy.
This study directly shows that jet lag decreases neurogenesis in the hippocampus, and therefore this effect means that when you experience jet lag, it has a profound effect on brain and memory function, and cognitive function is affected. at that time and up to a month later.
Anyone who experiences a sleep pattern disorder, either due to jet lag or a work schedule that means a repeated disruption of circadian rhythms, such as those who work shifts, such as hospital doctors or call center operators , they are likely to have a long-term impact on your cognitive ability. behavior and function.
How a simple regimen can help you cope with jet lag:
If you suffer from jet lag then you are trading below average and a few simple techniques can help you avoid it. The worst effects seem to be during eastbound travel and you should generally allow one day of recovery for every one hour time zone change. These ideas might also help:
1) Melatonin – A hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain and one of its key jobs is to control the body’s circadian rhythm. — Melatonin supplementation is believed to help the body quickly adapt to the new environment and a low dose of 0.5mg per night for three nights is recommended, one hour before normal bedtime, not before, once to reach your destination. Research suggests that taking it once a person has
2) Set your watch to reflect the time at your destination the day before you travel, as this can help you psychologically adjust.
3) Homeopathy: A popular homeopathic remedy for jet lag is Cocculus Indicus and it can be taken every twelve hours from two days before the flight to three days after the flight. This is generally not available, but can be supplied by any homeopathic chemist. These are most commonly on sale for specific aspects of jet lag:
• Arnica: insomnia and restlessness when you are too tired
• Bellis perennis: waking up mid-sleep and sleep interruptions
• Chamomilla – emotional and mental stress, insomnia, impatience, intolerance and disorientation
• Ipecacuanha – intense and constant nausea
• Lycopodium: anxiety, anticipatory fears, apprehension, inability to adjust to new surroundings, digestive problems, especially bloating and gas.
4) Valerian – It is a natural sleep aid and can help you adjust to new time zones by helping people fall asleep at their desired time. Valerian is not addictive and will not cause grogginess the next morning.
5) Diet – the usual suspects; avoid excess alcohol or caffeine, drink plenty of water, and eat light meals. A new development on this is to start 3 days before departure and on day 1 eat a very high protein breakfast to help stimulate dopamine production in the body and then a high carbohydrate dinner to stimulate the body to produce melatonin. Avoid stimulants like coffee, tea, chocolate, and energy drinks. On day 2 stick to salads and light soups and then on day 3 repeat the menu from day 1. On day 4, repeat day 2 and get as much sleep as you can until it’s time for breakfast at your destination. Then have a protein-rich breakfast with no coffee, turn on the overhead reading light, and then be as active as you can afterwards. If this doesn’t fit in with the airline’s scheduled meal delivery, bring your own in the form of protein bars. WARNING: This is not a diet plan suitable for people with diabetes or eating disorders.
6) Bedtime – When you finally get to your own bed, make sure the room is completely dark and free of noise to allow your body to adjust and get enough sleep.
