While flying privately certainly takes the edge off of jet lag by allowing you to customize your schedule and travel in comfort, your body still reacts to changing time zones! Flying from the US to Europe, East Coast to West Coast or vise versa can switch your wristwatch three to nine hours. Your body says, “Hey, what’s going on here?”
I am sure you have heard many tips to help jet lag- Set your clock to the time zone you are traveling to, avoid alcohol, or chug Nyquil. Well, a team of researchers at the University of Michigan and Yale are trying to change the effect jet lag takes on your body-or at least make it better.
They have released a free iPhone app that loads a complex, jet-lag conquering model right into your smartphone. You simply type in your current location and destination, as well as what kind of light you will have access to, and the app provides a schedule of light exposure that should reset your internal clock. “The app tells you when to turn the lights off at night and when to turn them back on,” researchers say. The team spent 10 years building this model based on data collected from sleep studies.
Currently they are giving the app away for free, with the request that users send their anonymous jet-lag data back to the University of Michigan.
