WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: How Does Jet Lag Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren boc obam here with another classic episode

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<v Speaker 1>from our former host, Christian Sagar. This one is for

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<v Speaker 1>all you jet setters or future jet setters out there.

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<v Speaker 1>It gets into the details of why we get jet

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<v Speaker 1>lag and how we can prevent it. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Christian Sagar, and today we're going to talk about

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<v Speaker 1>jet lag. I grew up flying back and forth between

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<v Speaker 1>America and Singapore, so I want to share what I

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<v Speaker 1>know about jet lag with you. First of all, jet

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<v Speaker 1>lag occurs when you travel between two or more time

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<v Speaker 1>zones via air travel. And the thing is it disrupts

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<v Speaker 1>your circadian rhythm, your body's natural cycle, and you're sleeping patterns. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>the circadian rhythm is dictated by the daily appearance of

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<v Speaker 1>the sun, so light and darkness influence our bodies. But

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<v Speaker 1>when this is disrupted, its official name is desynchronosis. Symptoms

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<v Speaker 1>include insomnia, fatigue, law of concentration, irritability, depression, and even

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<v Speaker 1>gastro intestinal ills. But look, jet lag or desynchronosis is prevalent.

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<v Speaker 1>A study found that of Americans get it and reported

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<v Speaker 1>that their symptoms were severe. So what causes jet lag. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>there is a whole field that exists to study how

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<v Speaker 1>life is affected by time. It's called chronobiology, and here

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<v Speaker 1>is what it's taught us. First, light triggers a reaction

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<v Speaker 1>in a special eye pigment. This activates a response in

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<v Speaker 1>the neurons of your brains hypothalamus. The twenty nerve cells

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<v Speaker 1>located there. They're called the super chismatic nucleus, or SCN

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<v Speaker 1>for short, are what starts your body's daily processes and

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<v Speaker 1>also the lack of light causes other developments in your body.

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<v Speaker 1>Circadian rhythm tells you when to sleep and when to wake,

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<v Speaker 1>and it regulates your body temperature, blood pressure, digestion, urine production,

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<v Speaker 1>and hormone secretion. So, for example, when it's time to sleep,

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<v Speaker 1>the SCN releases melotonin and that encourages you to go

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<v Speaker 1>to sleep. When you cross into multiple time zones, though,

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<v Speaker 1>your body has trouble resetting quickly, and this is worse

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<v Speaker 1>when you fly east. This is called phase advance. Flying

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<v Speaker 1>west is called phase delay. This is because our circadian

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<v Speaker 1>clock is actually closer to twenty five hours, and going

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<v Speaker 1>east would require going to bed earlier. A study showed

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<v Speaker 1>it takes four days to adjust to a twelve hour

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<v Speaker 1>phase delay. In comparison, it takes more than eight days

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<v Speaker 1>to adjust to a twelve hour phase advance. And also

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<v Speaker 1>jet lag is worse when you have to awaken when

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<v Speaker 1>your body is still at its minimum temperature. There's also

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<v Speaker 1>research from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies that indicates

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<v Speaker 1>jet lag is connected to your l h X one gene,

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<v Speaker 1>and this gene regulates neural development in circadian rhythm and sleep. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>so we've got what causes it. What are the symptoms?

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<v Speaker 1>How do you know if you've got jet lag? Well

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<v Speaker 1>it's time to talk to Dr Christian. Beyond the insomnia, fatigue,

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<v Speaker 1>loss of concentration, irritability, depression, and even gastro intestinal ills,

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<v Speaker 1>there's even more symptoms. It can aggravate menstrual discomfort or

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<v Speaker 1>contribute to the development of heart disease and diabetes. Jet

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<v Speaker 1>Lag also releases stress hormones, which make you anxious and grumpy.

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<v Speaker 1>It drives up your blood pressure, It sends inflammation stimulating

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<v Speaker 1>chemicals to your arteries. It also disrupts your appetite regulating hormones.

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<v Speaker 1>It disrupts the release of melotonin, which we mentioned earlier.

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<v Speaker 1>Not only does this affect sleep, but it can also

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<v Speaker 1>protect you from cancer. And finally, research on animals shows

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<v Speaker 1>that there's other symptoms as well. A study at the

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<v Speaker 1>University of California found that when subject to jet lag,

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<v Speaker 1>the brains of amsters created neurons at half their normal rate.

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<v Speaker 1>They showed memory and learning deficits, and a two thousand

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<v Speaker 1>six study at the University of Virginia found that younger

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<v Speaker 1>mice rebounded from jet lag, but making older mice undergo

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<v Speaker 1>the equivalent of a Washington to Paris flight every week

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<v Speaker 1>would actually increase their death rate. Yeah, that's how big

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<v Speaker 1>it is. Well for mice at least. So we've got

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<v Speaker 1>what causes jet lag and we have its symptoms. You're wondering,

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Christian, where are the remedies? How do I fix this?

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<v Speaker 1>You've probably heard of some of the common remedies, like

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<v Speaker 1>operating on your new time zone before you fly there,

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<v Speaker 1>or wearing yourself out before exercising by exercising. In two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand nine, researchers recommend the following regimen to beat jet lag. First,

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<v Speaker 1>you readjust your rhythm before the trip by using a

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<v Speaker 1>lightbox that simulates daylight. Now, depending on whether you're flying

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<v Speaker 1>phase advance or phase delay, use the light box either

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<v Speaker 1>in the morning or the evening to stimulate your circadian rhythm.

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<v Speaker 1>Another suggestion from the same researchers was to take a

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<v Speaker 1>melatonin supplement. By changing when you take the doses in

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<v Speaker 1>relation to going to sleep, you can alter your circadian rhythms.

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<v Speaker 1>The c d C actually recommends exercise to a balanced diet,

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<v Speaker 1>and lots of rest in the weeks before you fly.

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<v Speaker 1>They also recommend avoiding alcohol and caffeine, as well as

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<v Speaker 1>drinking water. Finally, they recommend wearing loose, comfortable clothing while

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<v Speaker 1>you're flying and moving around the cabin. This can help

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<v Speaker 1>avoid thrombosis or blood clots, so do not take sleep

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<v Speaker 1>medication so you can sleep it off in your seat.

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<v Speaker 1>Immobilization for long periods can actually raise your risk for thrombosis.

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<v Speaker 1>In this can actually lead to a stroke. So there

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<v Speaker 1>you have it. The causes, symptoms, and remedies for jet

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<v Speaker 1>lay to remember, I'm not a real doctor, I just

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<v Speaker 1>play one on podcasts. Today's episode was written by Christian

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<v Speaker 1>and produced by Tyler Clain from more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of other topics. Because it has stuff works dot

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