jet lag

Physiological condition caused by travel across time zones

Diseasetype of diseaseQ192579

Also known as desynchronosis · circadian dysrhythmia · circadian rhythm sleep disorder, jet lag type · jetlag

Symptoms: sleep disorder
1
Sources
1.“Was hilft bei einem Jetlag?”aok.de/pk/magazin/reisen/reisekrankheiten/was-hilft-bei-jetlag-praktische-tipps-fuer-ihre-reise/Retrieved 2025-07-16
View statement on Wikidata ↗
, fatigue
1
Sources
1.Stated in NetDoktor“Jetlag”netdoktor.de/krankheiten/jetlag/Retrieved 2025-07-16
View statement on Wikidata ↗
, headache
1
Sources
1.“Was hilft bei einem Jetlag?”aok.de/pk/magazin/reisen/reisekrankheiten/was-hilft-bei-jetlag-praktische-tipps-fuer-ihre-reise/Retrieved 2025-07-16
View statement on Wikidata ↗
+1 more
Treatments: melatonin
1
Sources
1.Stated in NetDoktor“Jetlag”netdoktor.de/krankheiten/jetlag/Retrieved 2025-07-16
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Specialty: neurology
Cause: change

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Jet lag 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. 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. Jet lag is caused by a misalignment between the internal circadian clock and the external environment, and it has been classified within the category of a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, reflecting its basis in disrupted biological timing rather than general travel fatigue.

Overview

Treatments

1 linked to jet lag in Wikidata

mmelatoninhormone primarily released by the pineal gland

All data

49 statements · 27% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Subclass of: circadian rhythm sleep disorder
1
Sources
1.Stated in Monarch Disease Ontology release 2018-06-29Retrieved 2018-07-28
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Has characteristic: impermanence
time per time numeric value: 24 hours per hour · sourcing circumstances: approximately · statement supported by: medical guideline
1
Sources
1.verywellhealth.com/how-to-adjust-to-a-new-time-zone-and-avoid-jet-lag-3014936
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Possible treatment: phototherapy
1
Sources
1.“Geschäftsreise: Natürliche Hilfsmittel gegen Jetlag”medi-lum.ch/de/medilum/post/Geschaftsreise-naturliche-Hilfsmittel-gegen-Jetlag.htmlRetrieved 2025-07-16
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Medical examination: none
Studied by: chronobiology
Named after: jet aircraft applies to name of subject: jet lag

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27%

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Source last edited October 5, 2026. AIDb refreshes this page daily.

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AIDb. (2026). jet lag (Q192579). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/jet-lag-Q192579

jet lag

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