Say “Yes!” to Summer Trips and “No!” to Jet Lag
July 15, 2017
As we are in the midst of the hottest part of the summer, most 9to5ers have just taken or
are about to take
their long-awaited yearly holiday to a place far away from work and stress. Everyone has
high hopes of getting
the much desired relax, joy and, perhaps, a new adventure.
Most of you, who have embarked on a long-haul flight, either for business or for leisure, have most probably experienced jet lag and its unpleasant effect on our bodies.
Daytime sleepiness and nighttime insomnia are the worst symptoms. In the short-run they can lead to low productivity, headache and loss of appetite, and in the long-run even to memory & learning problems.
Numerous research and studies in the last 20+ years, initiated by some leading universities including Harvard and Oxford, have shown that exposing yourself to and avoiding light at the right times of the day is the most effective way to shift your body clock and thus adapt to a new time zone. It can decrease the adaptation period to a new time zone up to three times.
How can AYO help you to overcome jet lag?
Based on your sleep habits, flight schedule, and personal preferences, AYO’s algorithm tailors the most suitable and effective time for you to use the AYO wearable as well as to avoid light in order to overcome jet lag.
Exposure to AYO’s special blue light with right timing and intensity can help your body become more awake, energetic, and productive so you can stay focused during the day as well as help you regulate your body clock so you can sleep better during the night.
Eager to read a comprehensive review on the effect of AYO for beating jet lag? Then make sure to check out Michael Kummer’s blog post!
Ways to alleviate jet lag and adapt faster to the time zone
While in the plane
1) Set your watch to the local time of the destination where you are heading.
2) Try to stay hydrated during the flight.
3) Do some light stretching and move around during your flight to get your blood flowing.
Once you arrive
1) Once you land, adjust your mealtime according to the local time.
2) During local daytime, do some light physical exercises and try to stay active as much as possible.
3) Control your light exposure and seek or avoid light according to your body clock.
You can try to follow these steps to better understand how you body clock works and how you can better adapt to the new time zone:
1. You will need to estimate (approximately) when your body reaches its minimum core body temperature. In case you sleep on average 7 hours or above per night, approximate your minimum core body temperature to appear 3 hours before the time you usually wake up. In case you sleep up to 7 hours per night, approximate it to be 2 hours before the time you usually wake up. For example, if you sleep between 11 pm and 7 am, you will reach your minimum core body temperature around 4 am.
2. You will need to find out whether you need to advance or delay your body clock. If your flight is westwards (e.g. Amsterdam to San Francisco), you will need to delay your body clock. If your flight is eastwards (e.g. San Francisco to Amsterdam), you will need to advance your body clock.
3. In case you need to delay your body clock, expose yourself to light during the 4 hours before your minimum core body temperature appears and avoid light during the 4 hours after your minimum core body temperature appears. In case you need to advance your body clock, please do the opposite - seek light 4 hours after your minimum core body temperature and avoid light 4 hours before your minimum core body temperature.
Do the aforementioned steps sound too complicated? Your busy schedule during your business or leisure trip does not allow you to expose yourself to light at the right times? That’s when AYO comes into play!
Get your AYO now and beat the jet lag once and for all!
Most of you, who have embarked on a long-haul flight, either for business or for leisure, have most probably experienced jet lag and its unpleasant effect on our bodies.
What is jet lag?
Jet lag is a physiological condition that comes as a result of rapid changes in our body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. A flight from Amsterdam to San Francisco, for example, results in 9 hours difference between our biological time and the local time. Landing in San Francisco at 3 pm local time would mean that our body clock counts 12 at midnight – time when most people go to bed. If we follow the needs and desires of our body we would end up sleeping throughout the day and staying awake during the night, which can ruin our business or leisure trip.Daytime sleepiness and nighttime insomnia are the worst symptoms. In the short-run they can lead to low productivity, headache and loss of appetite, and in the long-run even to memory & learning problems.
AYO jet lag Mode ON
The rule of thumb is that without any measure against jet lag it takes on average 1 day for 1-hour time zone difference to fully recover. Going back to our example, flying from Amsterdam to San Francisco would leave us miserable for 9 days after landing on the West Coast. As you can imagine, that is time, which we cannot afford to waste.Numerous research and studies in the last 20+ years, initiated by some leading universities including Harvard and Oxford, have shown that exposing yourself to and avoiding light at the right times of the day is the most effective way to shift your body clock and thus adapt to a new time zone. It can decrease the adaptation period to a new time zone up to three times.
How can AYO help you to overcome jet lag?
Based on your sleep habits, flight schedule, and personal preferences, AYO’s algorithm tailors the most suitable and effective time for you to use the AYO wearable as well as to avoid light in order to overcome jet lag.
Exposure to AYO’s special blue light with right timing and intensity can help your body become more awake, energetic, and productive so you can stay focused during the day as well as help you regulate your body clock so you can sleep better during the night.
Eager to read a comprehensive review on the effect of AYO for beating jet lag? Then make sure to check out Michael Kummer’s blog post!
Ways to alleviate jet lag and adapt faster to the time zone
While in the plane
1) Set your watch to the local time of the destination where you are heading.
2) Try to stay hydrated during the flight.
3) Do some light stretching and move around during your flight to get your blood flowing.
Once you arrive
1) Once you land, adjust your mealtime according to the local time.
2) During local daytime, do some light physical exercises and try to stay active as much as possible.
3) Control your light exposure and seek or avoid light according to your body clock.
You can try to follow these steps to better understand how you body clock works and how you can better adapt to the new time zone:
1. You will need to estimate (approximately) when your body reaches its minimum core body temperature. In case you sleep on average 7 hours or above per night, approximate your minimum core body temperature to appear 3 hours before the time you usually wake up. In case you sleep up to 7 hours per night, approximate it to be 2 hours before the time you usually wake up. For example, if you sleep between 11 pm and 7 am, you will reach your minimum core body temperature around 4 am.
2. You will need to find out whether you need to advance or delay your body clock. If your flight is westwards (e.g. Amsterdam to San Francisco), you will need to delay your body clock. If your flight is eastwards (e.g. San Francisco to Amsterdam), you will need to advance your body clock.
3. In case you need to delay your body clock, expose yourself to light during the 4 hours before your minimum core body temperature appears and avoid light during the 4 hours after your minimum core body temperature appears. In case you need to advance your body clock, please do the opposite - seek light 4 hours after your minimum core body temperature and avoid light 4 hours before your minimum core body temperature.
Do the aforementioned steps sound too complicated? Your busy schedule during your business or leisure trip does not allow you to expose yourself to light at the right times? That’s when AYO comes into play!
Get your AYO now and beat the jet lag once and for all!
