Jet Lag Is Rougher When You Travel East, According to Science
Like a hangover, jet lag is the maddening trade-off for a good time — in the former case, a night of heavy drinking; in the latter, the chance to see the world. Also like a hangover, it seems everyone has his or her own “secret” cure for it, whether it’s a vitamin, a hit of Viagra, light therapy glasses or a garish face pillow straight out of a sci-fi movie.
Yet for as long as the condition has been infuriating travelers, it's also been fascinating scientists. Just last month, a team of researchers at California’s Salk Institute announced that they’d discovered a protein which could be the key to finding a cure for jet lag altogether. In the meantime, science has an even simpler suggestion for how to reduce the severity of the affliction: head west. On Tuesday, a team of scientists at the University of Maryland’s Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics published a study in Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science titled “Resynchronization of circadian oscillators and the east-west asymmetry of jet lag.”
No, we don’t really know what those words mean either, but the gist of the paper, according to an article by The Washington Post, is this: Jet lag is thought to be the result of a disruption to one’s circadian rhythms, or, in other words, the cycle of physical, emotional and behavioral processes that our bodies undergo in a 24-hour period. Depending on which direction you’re traveling in, your normal “day” will be disrupted as you cross different time zones. If you’re headed west, the day (at least according to the watch on your arm) will become longer, thus giving your circadian clock more time to adjust to the change in geography. Travel east, and you’re losing precious hours in the day, making it tougher to get back to your normal routine.
According to the study, on average, it would take a person a little less than four days to recover from a westward trip in which they passed through three times zones as opposed to a little more than four days to recover from a three-time-zone trip eastward. Up that to six time zones and you’re looking at a six-day recovery for a trip headed west versus eight days for one headed east. By the time you hit nine time zones, it’s eight days versus 12.
In some ways, it’s very much like one of those math problems your high school teacher wrote up on the chalkboard: If you were to take a 10:00am from New York to Los Angeles, you’d land six hours later, which would put you at LAX around 1:00pm local time, giving you the rest of the day to go about your business and be exhausted enough to (hopefully) fall asleep at your normal bedtime. If that same flight were headed for Reykjavik, Iceland — which also takes six hours — you’d land at about 8:00pm, cutting the non-airplane-seated hours in your day down pretty significantly. It also means that you’d be exposed to far less light, which is essential to regulating one’s circadian rhythm — something to consider the next time the Blue Lagoon beckons.
We want to hear from you: do you feel jet lag is worse when you're traveling east vs. west? Sound off below.
H/T: The Washington Post
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.