Jet lag affects memory and learning up to a month after travel

Having just returned from a trip to NY, this study caught my eye. Granted, I only crossed two time zones, but I kept insisting to my father that my appetite was out of control on this trip. I was constantly hungry and was wondering if it had anything to do with the time difference.

In this study, the researchers found that jet lag (specifically, the longer flights, like transAtlantic) affected memory and learning as late as one month after the trip!

And the changes in the brain (the hippocampus) weren’t just small, temporary deficits. After the jet lag, only half the number of new neurons was present. But the researchers don’t think it’s because jet lag decreases the number of new neurons being produced; they think it’s either that fewer new cells matured into working cells or that the jet lag caused the new cells to die.

This study could prove to be useful to people who constantly travel across major time zone changes – like flight attendants and pilots. And what I didn’t know is that the World Health Organization already lists “shift work” as a carcinogen! That’s because people who regularly alternate working day and night shifts tend to have other issues besides memory and learning deficits; like cancer, hypertension, heart disease and reduced fertility.

So what can you do if you have to travel a lot?

1. For learning and memory issues, consider cognitive skills training, which can actually improve the three types of memory (short-, long- and working).

2. Eat healthy foods and get plenty of exercise.

3. Give yourself one day of recovery for every one-hour time zone shift.

4. Take melatonin.

5. Sleep in a dark and quiet room.

Here’s the study:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/209350.php

Tags: brain, cognition, disabilities, jet lag, learning, memory, sleep, think, travel