You may be able to minimize the effects of crossing time zones by giving your internal clock some helpful cues, reports Harvard Health Publications.
Jet lag is a big topic of conversation here this week as faculty and students return to the campus after a long holiday. It’s understandable. When we travel long distances across several time zones, few of us can survive the trip without feeling a little out of whack. Those flying back from the west coast or overseas may be dogged by the symptoms of jet lag — fatigue, insomnia, digestive upsets, and headaches — for several days as they get back to work. According to Dr. Charles A. Czeisler, director of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, jet lag is due to a misalignment between the external environment and the internal clock in the brain that drives our daily performance, alertness, and ability to sleep.
