What are the Symptoms of Jet Lag?

Jet lag can be defined as a sleep disorder resulting from travelling between two different time zones. It has some classic symptoms that can range from mild to severe depending on the different time zones you have crossed and your body’s sensitivity to changes. The more you cross the time zones, the more disturbed your body’s rhythm will be, leading to the appearance of various symptoms of jet lag. The signs of jet lag mainly include the following.

[Read: What is Jet Lag?]

•    Daytime sleepiness: Sleep during the night will be a rare occurrence and you will end up sleeping during the day.
•    Reduced concentration: Even reading a newspaper and comprehending things would be difficult.
•    Headaches: Mild to severe headaches can keep troubling you. You may experience them persistently until you adhere to some medications to get respite from them.
•    Insomnia: You may find it hard to fall asleep in spite of lying on bed for hours.  
•   Fatigue and disorientation: Activities that require special skills or efforts such as reading or driving will become hard to perform. Long discussions may make you feel lethargic due to lack of concentration and persistent fatigue.
•    Restless sleep, with frequent awakening.
•    Impaired judgment and reasoning.
•    Diarrhoea: Dry air that occupies aircrafts/planes can give you headaches, dry skin, irritable nostrils and reduced level of water in the body.
•    Upset stomach along with mild pain in the lower abdomen.
•    Mild nausea.
•    Women who have to fly frequently often have problems associated with disrupted menstrual cycles.
•    A World Health Organization report has suggested that jet lag problems such as diarrhoea affect 50 percent of the long-distance travellers.

Usually, the symptoms of jet lag subside in a few days and don’t require medical attention, however, if they persist for two or more weeks, taking medical aid becomes more important.

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