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The Jetlag Calculator

Don't just re-set your watch when you travel - make the most of your trip by re-setting your body clock as well.

HOW MANY TIME ZONES WILL YOU CROSS?

3hours | 4hours | 5hours | 6hours | 7hours | 8hours | 9hours | 10hours | 11hours | 12hours

Jetlag is actually caused by disruption of your 'body clock', a small cluster of brain cells that controls the timing of biological functions (circadian rhythms), including when you eat and sleep. The body clock is designed for a regular rhythm of daylight and darkness, so it's thrown out of sync when it experiences daylight and darkness at the 'wrong' times in a new time zone. The symptoms of jetlag often persist for days as the internal body clock slowly adjusts to the new time zone.

By following a carefully timed program of light and dark at the times your body clock is most responsive, you can quickly reset it to the new time zone. Instead of taking a week or more to adjust to an intercontinental journey, you can become fully adapted to the new time zone in just one or two days.

A successful time zone shift depends on knowing the exact times to seek and avoid bright light. Exposure to light at the wrong time can actually make jetlag worse. The proper schedule for light exposure depends a great deal on specific travel plans. Taking a night flight to Tokyo, for instance, creates very different demands than a day flight to Los Angeles. Personal variables are important too; if you're a 'night owl' you'll typically need a different schedule to a 'lark'.

How a traveller to New Zealand beat jetlag using our Jetlag Combat Kit
The Times, 10 Oct 2005

Step 1: How many time zones will you cross?

If you are not sure how many timezones you are crossing you can:

1. Phone a friend at your destination and check the difference between the times at their location and yours.
2. Your computer might have a utility that shows timezones world-wide, for instance double-click on Windows clock.
3. Click here for a timezone map which will allow you to calculate the difference.
4. Click here to check the current time in cities worldwide.

Please note that journeys crossing up to two time zones do not require lights. Sometimes even quite long journeys will not cover many timezones, for instance South America/USA, South Africa/Europe.

If you are travelling across more than 12 time zones (in other words you are going the long way round), then subtract the number from 24 e.g. 14 time zones is equivalent to 10.

HOW MANY TIME ZONES WILL YOU CROSS?

3hours | 4hours | 5hours | 6hours | 7hours | 8hours | 9hours | 10hours | 11hours | 12hours

We note with interest the recent launch of the new British Airways Jet Lag Advisor, an online calculator for using light to manage jetlag...

More about jetlag

Outside In's award-winning website has more information on other bodyclock problems and light therapy including SAD (winter depression), sleep and shiftwork. www.outsidein.co.uk

 

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OUTSIDE IN (Cambridge) Ltd
3 The Links, Trafalgar Way, Bar Hill, Cambridge CB23 8UD, England.
Tel: +44 (0)1954 780500 Fax: +44 (0)1954 780510
Email: jetlag@bodyclock.com

© 2005 Outside In

Last Updated: May 7, 2006