Understanding and Optimising Jet Lag
The peak performers ultimate guide to travelling
Neuro Athletes,
Happy Tuesday! I woke up this morning beaming with energy. Do you check your wearable devices each morning like me? Not sure how healthy it is to check the devices rigorously each morning but either way, I was literally in the green for every device so I know it’s going to be a good day!
For those who know me, you know I travel frequently. I go to Australia to visit my family quite often and between that I am travelling for work. The worst thing about travelling is jet lag. The symptoms include trouble falling asleep (especially if you’re flying east); early waking (especially if you’re flying west); interrupted sleep with multiple periods of wakefulness; trouble staying asleep; poor concentration and performance on mental tasks; increased fatigue, headaches, and irritability; and problems with digestion, including indigestion, constipation, and even reduced interest in and enjoyment of food.
This email will details more about how to overcome jet lag and not succumb to the awful symptoms above.
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Your body clock isn’t in sync with the destination time because you’ve experienced daylight and darkness that are contrary to the rhythms to which you’ve grown accustomed. This upsets your body’s natural rhythm, and the problem becomes compounded because the times for eating, sleeping, hormone regulation, and body-temperature variations no longer correspond to what you’re used to.
The term “circadian rhythms” refers to rhythms with a period of approximately 24 h. Many physiological and psychological variables in humans have been shown to alter rhythmically with a ~24 h period, including core body temperature. The circadian system cannot immediately entrain to a new time zone, so after long-haul flights to the west or east, the circadian system is initially aligned at the point of departure rather than at the new location. A period of desynchrony follows while the circadian system is entrained to the timing of the new time zone—and it is this period of desynchrony that gives rise to the symptoms of jet lag.
Fighting Jet Lag with Light
Immediately after westward flight, the circadian system will be running ahead of the local time zone. For example, after a flight from London to Los Angeles (8 h west), when the body clock is ready for bed at 23:00 London time, it will only be 15:00 in Los Angeles. To adjust to the new time zone, the circadian system has to delay, or shift backward, or move later. Conversely, immediately after eastward flight, the circadian system will be running behind the local time zone. For example, after a flight from Los Angeles to London (8 h east), when it is time to get up at 07:00 in London, it is only 23:00 in Los Angeles, so the body clock will be ready for bed. To adjust to the new time zone, the circadian system has to advance, or shift forward, or move earlier.
Delays and advances in the timing of the circadian system can be facilitated by appropriately timed light exposure, melatonin ingestion, and/or exercise (Figure 1 below). The direction and size of the shift in the timing of the circadian system in response to these stimuli depend on the time of day, or more correctly, the circadian phase, that the stimuli occur.
App for Jet Lag
I recently came across this app (i have no affiliations with the app or their company) and I have heard many people boast about it. I think this is going to be great for many of you as you can literally schedule your flight details on the app along with many other functions.
Jet Lag Fix #1: Exercise
Exercise elicits significant circadian phase-shifting effects. When struggling with jet lag, your brain is desperately trying to readjust to its new surroundings and timings. Exercise can give your brain a helping hand in a number of ways. Here is the breakdown:
One role of the hypothalamus is to send out signals to the body with the correct time, similar to how cell towers let your phone know what the local time is when you change time zones. Exercise seems to act directly on the peripheral parts of the body like the muscles, even while the brain is still on New York time.
A study, conducted by the Laboratory of Biomechanics and Physiology at the Faculty of Liberal Arts in Japan’s Yamaguchi University, found that outdoor exercise causes the hastening of the resynchronisation to a new environment of the circadian rhythm.
A research by the Arizona State University that was published in The Journal of Physiology found that exercise may counter the negative effects of circadian rhythm disruption and thus help in recovering from jet lag.
Set your workout routine before your next flight, and stick with it during your trip. It just might keep your body well-adjusted.
Jet Lag Fix #2: Fight Inflammation with Rhodiola
Everybody gets low-level inflammation when they travel. Part of that is due to the effects that airline travel has been shown to have on the gut microbiome, some of it is due to some of the radiations, some of it is due to some of the crappy foods, the germs.
Rhodiola rosea has been extensively studied in Scandinavian countries and in Russia for over 35 years and is categorized as an adaptogen because of its ability to increase resistance to chemical, biological, and physical stressors. The adaptogenic properties of Rhodiola are attributed primarily to its ability to influence the levels and activity of neurotransmitters and the amino acids that mimic the effect of opiates, such as beta-endorphins, in the brain.
Because it is an adaptogen, and not an opiate, Rhodiola has the potential to normalize neurotransmitters in the central nervous system without causing drowsiness or fatigue.* It helps maintain normal levels of brain chemicals, but does not further affect them when they are already normal.
Peter Attia’s Jet Lag Protocol
Until next time…
Louisa x
An Apple a Day. The Easy Way.
This is my new best friend as I am so on the go and I need to keep my brain and body in peak shape.
Your body is an amazing organic machine. It turns food into energy, heals wounds, supports your consciousness, and so much more. But it needs the right fuel and signals to function at its best.
Some of those signals include adaptogens. If you’re stressed, adaptogens help you return to a natural state of calm. They literally help you adapt to the stress of life.
My favorite source of adaptogens is Organifi which contains adaptogens in my day like ashwagandha, reishi mushroom, rhodiola, and more.
If you’re looking for an easy way to support your amazing body, I highly recommend trying Organifi.