Traveling East? Beware Of Longer Jet Lag Recovery Time

Not all jet lags are the same. Some are harder to recover from and others vanish just by resting. According to a new report, recovery time from jet lag can even be affected by whether you flew east or west.

The new study, which used a mathematical model to come by its conclusions, claimed that recovery from jet lag when you flew east takes more time than when you flew west. The study is already published in the journal, "Chaos." 

Based on the mathematical model, specific cells in the human respond to crossing time zones. The cells are called neuronal oscillator cells, which can regulate people's circadian rhythm or biological clock by syncing with one another and then linking with external cues.

This is explained by Michelle Girvan to Live Science, the associate professor of Physics at the University of Maryland, and one of the researchers on this study. 

Girvan added that the cells do not move on a perfect 24-hour schedule. Cells operate up to 24.5 hours. This makes it easier for some to extend the length of a day by flying west across time zones, and shorten it by going to the east. 

This thereore, affects recovery time from jet lag. The one day recovery time for every time zone crossed is a myth. The researchers found that when a person flew west and crossed three time zones, they will need less than four days to recover. For six time zones, six days will be enough. Lastly, for none time zones, even less than 8 days will already be enough. 

Traveling east however, is a different story altogether. For a person who crossed three time zones, they might take more than 4 days to recover. For six, more than 8 days will be needed. For nine time zones, over 12 days is necessary - this is almost 2 weeks.