Jet Lag
You Can Experience Jet Lag Even While Driving.
Did you know that even while driving a car, you can experience Jet Lag?
Have you ever traveled by plane from one country to another and felt a general sense of discomfort upon arrival? The most common symptoms are fatigue, attention and concentration deficits, insomnia, digestive problems, and irritability. This condition lasts longer depending on how many time zones we have crossed.
This is called Jet Lag: a circadian rhythm disorder that occurs when our internal clock is not synchronized with the day-night rhythm of our environment. Fortunately, everything gets better once our circadian rhythm aligns with the light-dark cycle of our destination.
Social Jet Lag
A symptomatology similar to Jet Lag can occur if we shift our bedtime. This often happens on weekends when we tend to stay up late to watch a movie with family or have a night out with friends.
This voluntary shifting of bedtime for recreational reasons has been termed by scientists as 'Social Jet Lag' because, to our bodies, it’s as if we travel across multiple time zones every weekend, only to return on Sunday night when we try to realign ourselves with the workweek schedule. The symptoms are similar to those of travel-related Jet Lag.
However, Social Jet Lag tends to be chronic, as every weekend we extend our bedtime and then push it forward again.
The Risks of Chronic Jet Lag
A chronic desynchronization of our circadian rhythm can have significant health consequences, increasing the risk of depression, anxiety, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. It is also proven that serious road accidents increase, even though traffic is lighter during nighttime hours. The circadian rhythm of our body temperature—whether we are sleeping or driving—drops by about one degree between 4 and 6 a.m., causing a significant decline in alertness and performance. Driving at these hours has even been compared to a state of drunkenness.
How to Tell if You Suffer from OSAS
After all the negative facts, here comes some good news.
Symptoms
Recognize the Symptoms
OSAS is, in fact, a condition that is easily diagnosable and treatable. If you snore loudly at night, wake up feeling tired in the morning, and experience daytime sleepiness, you might be suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.
Test
Get a Polysomnography Test
To find out, you just need to undergo an examination called polysomnography at a hospital or specialized Sleep Medicine centers. It's a choice that can not only improve road safety but also safeguard your health.