Mysterious… asked:


Plz Answer thanx!!!

To truly understand jetlag and how to avoid jetlag, you need to understand what is does to your body. Let’s start with an in depth understanding of how your body functions on a day to day basis. You body currently operates on what is called a “circadian rhythm,” which is more commonly known as your “biological clock.” These rhythms are developed overtime as your body become accustomed to a regular pattern of wake and sleep cycles.

These rhythms are normally synched with your local time zone so that you feel hungry in the mornings and sleepy in the evenings. In addition to controlling when you sleep and wake, these rhythms also affect your hunger, digestion, bowl habits, urine production, temperature and blood pressure. As you can see, these rhythms are essential in maintaining optimal health. Now, let’s take it a step further and discuss what air travel can do to these natural rhythms. As you know, the world is divided into 24 time zones, 1 hour for every 15 degrees traveled in either direction from the prime meridian.

So, the more you travel in either direction from your local time zone, the more your rhythms will be out sync. The body’s circadian rhythm actually operates on a 25 hour cycle, which is why it is easy to stay up an hour late, but harder to go to bed an hour earlier. This results in a more severe Jet Lag effect when traveling west to east. Therefore your body’s timekeeping center, the hypothalamus, will trigger activities that the rest of your body is not ready for in your current time zone; aka jet lag. For the most part, the affects of jet lag are most noticeable when traveling across 3 or more time zones; however some travelers may experience the same symptoms from traveling just one or two. Some of the common symptoms of jet lag include but are not limited to: As mentioned previously, one of the common affect of high altitude sickness is sleep disturbance.

Pair this with the increased potential for illness from the reduced cleaning and you have a statistically increased your potential to arriving at your destination jet lagged. So now that you know what causes the symptoms of jet lag in your body, let’s discuss how you can hedge against it. To begin you should know that as a general rule of thumb your body will take about a day to adjust for every time zone crossed in travel. With this in mind, prior to any long distance traveling, you should maintain a healthy diet, get plenty of rest and exercise as frequently as possible. This will enable your body to cope better after you arrive at your destination.

Another option for travelers is to begin to regulate your sleep cycles to the time table of your destination so your body begins the adjustment sooner rather than later. Setting the alarm a little earlier each morning can be combined with the use of over-the-counter supplements to induce and relax the body to fall asleep earlier. It is also recommend that you avoid alcohol and caffeine before and during travel and the first initial day in your destination location to reduce the amount of time your body takes to acclimate. Proper hydration will also reduce the possibility of experiencing symptoms. In addition to the precautions listed above a dietary supplement that includes melatonin can aid in your adjustment and enjoyment while traveling.

By: Mathew Robar

About the Author:

shonen_bat1 asked:


I traveled from Chicago- Tokyo over the North pole and crossed the international date line. From Tokyo, I took a flight to Singapore. From Singapore, I arrived in India, all in the span of 30 hours. I have been sleeping at odd times ever since, feeling woozy, and my entire schedule has been thrown out of gear. How do I get over this horrible jet lag, and how long do you think I need to adjust?

Lucky Ducky asked:


I’m pretty much a total insomniac, and it ***** because I’m always tired at school. Any tricks to get to sleep?

Jesse N asked:


I just got back from vacation and everyone is saying you must be so jetlagged, and i have no idea what they mean by this. What does it mean to be jetlagged

quietsleep4u asked:

TV News Story covering non-surgical remedy for snoring & sleep apnea. Want a good nights rest? Buy this mouthpiece. Call 8-NOSNORE-70

bubbles_n_ar asked:


Would exercise hurt or help restless leg syndrome?
i have been diagnosed by a doc and they did give me meds, but half the time i cant afford them..

What in the world could be causing such a strange disorder as Narcolepsy? Scientists have been asking this same question and have discovered quite a few interesting things. In fact, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has combined its efforts with the National Institute of Health (NIH) to conduct research about narcolepsy and other related sleep disorders. Different studies such as the “Safety and Effectiveness Study of a Single Dose of JNJ-17216498 in Patients With Narcolepsy” and “Body Weight Regulation in Patients With Narcolepsy”, many conclusions have been made. Other studies such as the “Effectiveness Of The Drug GSK 189254 In Treating Patients With Narcolepsy” and “Trial of Xyrem (Sodium Oxybate) for the Treatment of Narcolepsy” have helped to conclude that, while there are available medications to relieve some symptoms of narcolepsy, there is still no cure for the condition as a whole.

Thanks to some of the friendly doctors on the job, we are provided with some simple explanations about the causes of a very complex disorder. To make things more understandable to the average layman, it had been explained that narcolepsy is a chronic neurological condition caused by the inability of the brain to exercise normal and regular sleep and wake cycles. The underlying causes of this neurological condition are too complex for many people to understand, but there are four major symptoms that are associated with this condition. First, patients experience excessive daytime sleepiness or EDS. Second, they experience cataplexy or the sudden loss of muscle tone. Third, they experience vivid hallucinations during sleep or upon awakening and lastly they have brief periods of total paralysis. People with this condition do not have the luxury to exercise a regular sleep cycle from non-rapid eye movement to rapid eye movement. Instead, they must seek serious medical treatment.

One of the most common questions still remains for many people. “What causes narcolepsy?” If we are willing to stretch our minds a bit, a more complex explanation can be given for this strange disorder. First, there are some simple things that can be said to trigger the symptoms of this disorder. According to researchers, studies show that patients who suffer from narcolepsy had developed infection, immune-system dysfunction, trauma, hormonal changes, traumatic injuries, tumor growth due to exposure to toxins and stress prior to their narcolepsy symptoms attack. Although these are not considered definite causes for the disorder, they can be readily associated with its onset.

In addition to this, a more complicated explanation involves the fact that a number of variant forms of genes called Allenes affect the condition and are located in a region of chromosome 6 known as the HLA complex of the human gene. I told you this was going to be complicated! Anyway, Allenes have also been discovered to be an essential factor associated with narcolepsy. The HLA complex makes up the majority of interrelated genes that regulate vital roles in the immune system function. People who are diagnosed to have this condition have been shown to have only specific variants in certain HLA genes. These alone, however, are not sufficient to cause the disorder because there are clinical studies that prove the condition to be more unpredictable by nature. Many other genes, aside from those which make up the HLA complex may significantly contribute to the occurrence of narcolepsy. By considering the group of neurons in the brainstem and in the central brain which interact with each other to control sleep, there are large numbers of genes which are supposed to disrupt the brain’s neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters keep us awake when we need to be awake and individuals who lack these transmitters are found to develop many symptoms of narcolepsy. Now you see how complicated it all is! The good news is that you don’t have to be a genius to see the symptoms or to seek medical advice if you think you may be suffering from this condition.

As part of treatment and good management of this condition, medical practitioners strongly suggest that patients must adhere to certain behavioral strategies such as avoidance of alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine before bedtime. These behaviors, accompanied by proper medication to establish a regular sleep every night, are the best solutions known to help combat this strange disorder known as Narcolepsy.



By: Gary M. Miller

About the Author:

bry7josh asked:


Which one worked the best for you? I has been diagnosed with narcolepsy. My doctor is going to put me on adderall. Has anyone been on this med and how did it work? What was your side effects?

Shay asked:


usually i feel kinda tired for like two hours in the day about 3 days of the week.

this week i’ve been falling asleep in the day like crazy and i’m super tired.

Usually its not this bad. ***?

oh im 17 if that helps