Jet-Lag y sueno.

Kurzfassung

Transmeridian flights are associated with shifts in local time. Changes occur rapidly and cause a desynchronisation of the human circadian system from its eternal time cues (zeitgeber). The biological system is unable to adjust immediately to the new local time. During the transition (resynchronization) not only physiological functions are affected, bur also the rhythms of behaviour and performance. Jet-lag is nowadays used as the term for a variety of symptoms that are experienced as a consequence of desynchronization: reduced well-being, impaired body functions, sleep disturbances as well as dizziness and fatigue. Several approaches have been investigated to alleviate the negative jet-lag effects. The duration of resynchronization may be reduced by pre-adaptation and appropriate changes in the wake-sleep cycle, as could be damonstrated by recent simulation studies.