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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Anyone who has ever flown across the ocean knows the feeling of jet lag. The body wants to sleep, but the clock says it's time to be awake! It takes a few days for your body clock to adjust.
New research reveals planning a brief stop on the way to your final destination may lessen the effects of jet lag. According to investigators who studied circadian rhythms in mice, three to four hours is the longest time shift the body can handle without getting significantly out of whack.
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Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst write that the graduated approach to dealing with a time change is probably better than attacking the problem with drugs.
"Jet lag isn't a horrible thing that we have to conquer," says study author Hava Siegelmann, Ph.D. "Instead, take a stopover if you are traveling for more than six hours, relax for a day and then continue. Understand and go with your body's natural oscillations."
She and her colleagues believe the same concept can be applied to shift work, noting a shift that runs from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. might be a lot easier on the body's clock than one running from midnight to 6 a.m.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Journal of Biological Rhythms, published online Aug. 31, 2006
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