Bright Light: a Countermeasure for Jet Lag?

After time-zone flights, the environmental time is shifted abruptly. The sleep-wake cycle and the circadian system cannot follow this sudden phase shift. Therefore, some or several days are necessary to achieve complete adjustment to a new time zone. The effects resulting from the displacement betwe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inChronobiology international Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 173 - 183
Main Authors Samel, Alexander, Wegmann, Hans-Martin
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Informa UK Ltd 01.01.1997
Taylor & Francis
Subjects
Acclimatization
Aerospace Medicine
Aircraft
Bright light
Circadian Rhythm
Circadian rhythms
Humans
Jet lag
Lighting
Phototherapy
Resynchronization
Sleep
Space life sciences
Transmeridian flight
Travel
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Summary:After time-zone flights, the environmental time is shifted abruptly. The sleep-wake cycle and the circadian system cannot follow this sudden phase shift. Therefore, some or several days are necessary to achieve complete adjustment to a new time zone. The effects resulting from the displacement between internal and external time are well known as jet lag. In principle, timed bright light is able to enhance the resynchronization process of the circadian system after advance or delay shifts. In this report, the effects of bright light exposure on circadian phases and amplitudes after real or simulated time zone transitions are reviewed from the accessible literature and are critically discussed. It can be concluded that laboratory studies have not been unequivocally successful to support the hypothesis that bright light alleviates jet lag. The sparse number of field studies do not yet allow a clear judgment on the beneficial effect of bright light treatment on jet lag. (Chronobiology International, 14(2), 173-183, 1997)
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ISSN:0742-0528
1525-6073
DOI:10.3109/07420529709001154