Long jetlag recovery? Blame your scatty neurons

Scimex: Do you take a week to recover from jetlag, while your partner gets up a couple of mornings after a long flight spry as a spring lamb? Well, according to a US study, it may be because your partner has clock neurons that are more tightly synchronized than yours. The researchers report that mice with a well synchronized neural network can recover from a disrupted sleep pattern much quicker than those with less synchronized neurons, and say that the findings may help to treat jetlag and the tiredness associated with shift work. Ever notice how it takes you 8 days to recover from overseas travel but your spouse recovers in 3? The rate of recovery from jetlag likely depends on how the daily clock in your brain is wired. Using a mouse model of jetlag, we find that individuals that adjust quickly to jetlag have clock neurons that are more tightly synchronized than individuals that adjust slowly. These findings indicate that individual differences in daily rhythms can be influenced by how clock neurons function collectively as a group. This work may suggest new strategies to accelerate recovery during travel and shift work.

Jet lag

Author : Dr Peremarty MD

To the West, or to the East ?

More than three weeks or less than a week?
For vacations or for work (meeting)?
What kind of sleeper are you ?. Rather a lark, or an owl ?

A few practical advices for the traveller,

to help him/her obey the underlying rules of the sleep mechanisms better