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As people fly from coast to coast, many experience trouble in adjusting their biological clocks. This is why, most travelers, if not all, deal with jet lag.

What Is Jet Lag?

Contrary to what most people believe, it is not caused by lack of sleep. It is a misalignment of the body's circadian rhythm that confuses the body's biological clock when hopping from one time zone to the other. This causes disorientation and confusion, the National Sleep Foundation explained.

Dr. Alon Avidian of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center said that most people avert to wine and alcohol to beat jet lag in the plane. This, according to him, is a common misconception.

Opting for a glass of wine to ensure sleep in the plane could cause bad sleep quality. The worst part, the effects will linger on until the jet lag subsides.

A source pointed out that most often than not, travelers popping a sleeping pill or two during a long-hauled flight may be in a bad position. Dr. Avidian said that without the approval of one's physician, sleeping pill intake is not advised.

What To Do?

With problems arising from this common travel discomfort, a research published in The Journal of Physiology studied the use of eye drops as a possible cure for jet lag. According to the Science World Report, the study discovered that the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN), brain cells located deep in the hypothalamus region, reacts when the biological clock is disrupted.

Untimely exposure to bright lights trigger the SCN and a therapeutic vasopressin blocker-based eye drops were suggested to be the solution. Eye drops as a cure for jet lag may be far from what it could potentially do but researchers of the study believe that with the right amount of study, these recommended eye drop blockers may be a possible remedy for jet lag troubles.

The study has been conducted on rat models and the researchers admitted that further study may be demanded on human use in the medical field. Stay tuned for more updates on this study.