THE MECHANISM OF JET LAG
Indeed, reality cannot be wound up, nor does it take batteries. As if that were not enough, it turns out to be imprecise, unreliable and unpredictable, and, most of the time, we simply do not like it. Yet rejecting it has unwanted consequences. Jet lag is a textbook example of this bodily rejection of reality. Let us explore its mechanics.
Jet lag is a slap in the face from external reality to our internal reality. This clash between realities stems from "zeitgebers", a German term meaning "time givers" or "synchronisers". In biology, a zeitgeber is any external stimulus that helps regulate an organism's circadian cycle. The circadian cycle is an internal biological rhythm of approximately 24 hours that influences physiological functions such as sleep and eating. Sunlight, ambient temperature, feeding cycles and social activities can all be considered zeitgebers. They are crucial to the health and well-being of many species, including humans. Disruptions to natural zeitgebers, such as the presence or absence of light, can result in sleep disorders and other health problems.
WHAT IS JET LAG
Willy Fog took 80 days to travel 65,000 km, whereas today it would take us only 80 hours. The character from “Around the World in 80 Days” certainly did not suffer from jet lag. Long journeys that involve crossing multiple time zones in just a few hours result in what we call "Time Zone Change Syndrome", or jet lag. Time zones act as borders; travelling within the same zone causes no changes, but when we cross several of them, our internal needs fall out of step with external ones. In that situation, our body keeps the rhythm it is used to and does not immediately adjust to the new external reality. Fortunately, it has the ability to adapt.
HOW TO PREVENT JET LAG
There are strategies to help you win the struggle between internal and external reality. One of them is to book a flight that arrives at your destination in the early evening, preferably by 10 pm. Once you arrive, adjust your routine to get your body used to the time-zone change. The idea is to gradually adapt your sleep, meal and sun-exposure times. Start making this change even before the trip begins. In the days after arrival, try to rest as much as possible. During the flight, it is crucial to drink plenty of water, as dehydration can worsen the symptoms of jet lag. If you are travelling at night, try to sleep during the flight, keeping to your normal sleep patterns. Sunglasses can help you adapt to the new patterns of light. It is essential to adopt the destination's schedule straight away, which means staying awake until nightfall and waking up at dawn, adjusting to the new rhythm within a few days. Opt for light meals and avoid caffeine after midday if you are sensitive to it.
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THE JET LAG OF MIMOSA PUDICA
Mimosa pudica, which might sound like a pet name fit for the most delicate of sweethearts, is in fact the scientific name of a very peculiar plant. It is sensitive to touch: a stimulus on one of its leaves sets off a chain reaction in the adjacent leaves. When touched, the leaf folds in, affecting the nearby leaves, which close as well. During the day, the plant opens all its leaves and at night it folds them up. This movement follows the plant's circadian rhythm, regulated by exposure to light, among other zeitgebers. If we travelled from Portugal to New Zealand with our Mimosa pudica, both the plant and we ourselves would suffer from jet lag and, after a few days, we would both have adapted to the new rhythm.
THE CIRCADIAN OSCILLATOR
The rhythm with which the Sun appears before our eyes every day produces effects that persist even in its absence. If watches have a hairspring that oscillates, human beings are governed by a circadian rhythm. In this analogy, the Sun works as a kind of mainspring that supplies energy to the hairspring, keeping its oscillating motion going. Our circadian rhythm works like the oscillator of a watch, driving us to feel sleepy at night and to shake off that sleepiness during the day. The same applies to plants; in the case of Mimosa pudica, it is as if the leaves slept at night and woke during the day. We all follow the planet's natural rhythms and oscillations. Perhaps that is also why hand-wound watches seem so natural to us. The power reserve of most watches is designed to last just over a day. Just as we feel a new energy every morning, we also wind our watch every day. When we put a watch on a timegrapher, we notice that adjustments made to the regulator do not show up immediately; the watch's rate has to be given time to adapt to the new conditions. When travelling across several time zones, we are subject to several changes and, just like a watch being adjusted on a timegrapher, we too take some time to adjust our internal rhythm. This delay in the adaptation of the circadian rhythm is what we call jet lag.
WIND-UP REALITY
After all, reality does have a kind of mainspring, which is the rotation of our planet and, with it, the periodic exposure to the Sun, to variations in temperature, and so on. Initially, we invented time to measure this process. In the days of the Roman and Ottoman empires, a time-measuring system that followed the amount of daylight was even used. This system was called temporal hours. Clocks with temporal hours, such as the Japanese wadokei, have movable markers. These markers, usually twelve, move closer together and further apart throughout the year so as to always ensure six periods of light and six of darkness. Temporal hours are a rather ingenious way of measuring the planet's natural rhythm. However, despite the variations in the periods of light and darkness, human beings need fixed periods of rest. Perhaps that is why the system of temporal hours was eventually abandoned. The circadian rhythm follows fixed periods, not variable ones; that is our unchangeable reality.
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