Do you notice that you feel tired after traveling to a new time zone? Dysrhythmia, or jet lag, occurs after east-west air travel when your internal clock is not synchronized with your new time zone. Without any interference it takes your body one day per time zone change to adjust, taking almost two to three weeks sometimes to completely realign your systems, giving you that feeling that you need a vacation from your vacation.

Until recently, jet lag was dismissed merely has an unpleasant side effect of travel, but new research suggests that it may cause memory loss, and negative side effects on blood pressure. However, there is a new solution to those problems: light therapy.

Researchers at NASA have found with light therapy it is possible to shift your internal clock up to six time zones in one day and twelve in two days.  Packing a light for light therapy on your next trip will save you some wasted energy time.

Some tips to remember, when traveling east, seek bright light in the morning, and traveling west, seek bright light in the evening. You only need to expose yourself to an hour on the first day of travel and 30 minutes the second day to be completely refreshed and jet lag free. Typically, you will know you have received sufficient light as most people feel a sense of alertness, higher energy and improved mood. For your next trip remember light therapy for jet lag. 

Phototherapy, also known as “light therapy,” is the exposure to ultraviolet or other forms of light using lasers, fluorescent lamps, or very bright, full-spectrum light to address medical issues, and has been proven useful for a wide range of conditions.

Babies born with jaundice are often treated with phototherapy. Jaundice, the most common condition that requires medical attention in newborns, is caused by a buildup of a pigment called bilirubin. In most infants, hyperbilirubinemia, or jaundice is a transitional phenomenon. However, in some infants the bilirubin levels may excessively rise, which is cause for concern as bilirubin is neurotoxic and can cause death in newborns.  Phototherapy is used to help the body convert bilirubin, by bleaching,  to material which can be excreted from the body, allowing the baby’s skin to return to a more usual color. Phototherapy for babies is usually conducted in a hospital immediately following birth, with medical staff monitoring for other medical issues.

There are several colors of light to consider for phototherapy in the treatment of jaundice green light penetrates the skin best, however it has not been shown to be more efficient than blue or white light. Green also tends to make babies look more sick and is unpleasant to work in, therefore has not gained widespread acceptance. Blue light, appears to work best, but causes discomfort to hospital staff which can be fixed with mixing blue and white tubes in the phototherapy units.

Frequent travelers have their favorite trick to combat jet lag, there in now a computer program that allows you to fight back with knowledge instead of the formula of one cup of coffee and two naps to reset your circadian clock.

The circadian clock, or internal clock, acts like a pendulum in your body. Over the span of 24 hours the pendulum swings back and forth to complete the cycle.  The circadian clock relies on light to reset itself each day, by adding a poorly timed cup of coffee or nap, you can push the pendulum farther off track and make jet lag set in further.

To find out when and how to get your internal clock back into the new time zone, two researchers from Boston have developed a series of mathematical equations connecting the circadian clock with sleep schedules, mental performance and light exposure. By doing this they have found means to “hack” the clock with light therapy. The key to light therapy is tricking the body into believing it is a different time making it believe that it is dusk and dawn, two times which are essential to reseting the clock. To demonstrate their theory they simulated the effects on an imaginary trip with a 12-hour time difference. Without any interference, the travelers slowly synched up with the new time zone, but still off schedule after 12 days, finding that they were only in top mental form for a few hours a day. However, travelers who received light therapy were back on schedule after just 8 days.

Believe it or not, diagnosing seasonal affective disorder is not as easy as you may think. Furthermore, it is not always diagnosed correctly. Many times SAD is misdiagnosed as depression or bipolar disorder. With confirming SAD being so difficult, you may be asking yourself what tests are performed to ensure you are getting the right treatment for your disorder.

Along with a full psychological and physical exam you can expect your doctor to give you a number of questionnaires. These can be about everything from your lifestyle choices, to mood swings. They may even delve into your eating and sleeping patterns or questions about your social life. All of this information contributes to diagnosing you correctly, so answering these questions as honestly and thoroughly as possible is extremely important.

If you suffer from depression only during certain times of the year, your depression is not consistent or you have no other explanation for your symptoms, it is time to see a doctor. SAD is treatable and proper diagnosis is the first step to feeling better.