Highlights & Basics
- Jet lag and sleep phase disorders affect millions of travelers worldwide.
- Rapid change in time zone produces a constellation of symptoms called jet lag disorder.
- Symptoms include difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep, reduced daytime alertness, general malaise, and gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Severity of symptoms depends on the number of time zones crossed, times of travel, quality of sleep in flight, circadian time cues at the place of travel, individual propensity, and direction of travel.
- A temporary condition; symptoms are self-limited. Treatments include melatonin and alteration of light exposure.
Quick Reference
History & Exam
Key Factors
Other Factors
Diagnostics Tests
Treatment Options
Definition
Epidemiology
Etiology
Pathophysiology
Citations
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders: Diagnostic and Coding Manual (ICSD-3). 3rd ed. Westchester, IL: American Academy of Sleep Medicine; 2023.
Morgenthaler TI, Lee-Chiong T, Alessi C, et al. Practice parameters for the clinical evaluation and treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Sleep. 2007 Nov;30(11):1445-59.[Abstract][Full Text]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Yellow Book 2024: health information for international travel. Section 8: Travel by air, land & sea - jet lag. May 2023 [internet publication].[Full Text]
Herxheimer A, Petrie KJ. Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002;(2):CD001520.[Abstract][Full Text]
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18. Jamieson AO, Zammit GK, Rosenberg RS, et al. Zolpidem reduces the sleep disturbance of jet lag. Sleep Med. 2001 Sep;2(5):423-30.[Abstract]
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