Jet lag

This article is about the syndrome. For other uses, see Jet lag (disambiguation).

Jet lag
Other namesDesynchronosis, circadian dysrhythmia
World clocks in Parque do Pasatempo, Betanzos, Galicia, Spain.
World clocks
SpecialtyPsychiatry, neurology, aviation medicine

Jet lag[a] is a temporary physiological condition that occurs when a person's circadian rhythm is out of sync with the time zone they are in, and is a typical result from travelling rapidly across multiple time zones (east–west or west–east). For example, someone travelling from New York to London, i.e. from west to east, feels as if the time were five hours earlier than local time, and someone travelling from London to New York, i.e. from east to west, feels as if the time were five hours later than local time. The phase shift when travelling from east to west is referred to as phase-delay of the circadian cycle, whereas going west to east is phase-advance of the cycle. Most travellers find that it is harder to adjust time zones when travelling east.[1] Jet lag was previously classified as a circadian rhythm sleep disorder.[2]

The condition may last several days before a traveller becomes fully adjusted to a new time zone; it takes on average one day per time zone crossed to reach circadian reentrainment.[3] Jet lag is especially an issue for airline pilots, aircraft crew, and frequent travellers. Airlines have regulations aimed at combating pilot fatigue caused by jet lag.

The term jet lag is used because before the arrival of passenger jet aircraft, it was uncommon to travel far and fast enough to cause the condition.[4]


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  1. ^ Kalat, James W. (8 February 2018). Biological Psychology (13 ed.). Cengage. p. 261. ISBN 978-1-337-40820-2.
  2. ^ "Highlights of Changes from DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5" (PDF). American Psychiatric Association. 17 May 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Jet Lag - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  4. ^ Maksel, Rebecca. "When did the term 'jet lag' come into use?". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 12 April 2024.