LSA develops "cure" for Jet Lag

Submitted by MGoSoftball on

The LSA Department, led by Dr. Daniel Forger, has developed a mathematical model for adjusting our circadian rhythm while away from our "home" time zone.  The gene that controls circadian rhythm is HER2 and is located on the #17 chromosome.

In his work, Dr. Forger has developed an App for people to use as a guildeline for sleep patterns while in different time zones.  I found this article as I am looking for help for my upcoming 4 week Asian Tour.

I recently had my genome mapped and fourtunately my circadian rhythm is somewhat forgiving.  However, I will still use this App as a guide.

Another great achievement by our wonderful school.

 

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-jet-lag-entrainment…

http://www.ccmb.med.umich.edu/node/211

 

TheDirtyD

April 17th, 2014 at 9:32 AM ^

Not the case anymore but a lot of us are up at 3am one day flying till 3pm. The next day report of 7PM flying till 4am. I do much better on the long haul routes 16hrs DTW-IGN. Thats much easier than 6 legs up at 4 am. Why do you think the senior guys pick those trips? Easier on the body.

LSAClassOf2000

April 17th, 2014 at 9:12 AM ^

I saw the title of this thread and thought, "I did?" at first, but in all seriousness, it's a pretty cool app from the look of it  - here's the video that accompanies the article. Amazing stuff:

GoWings2008

April 17th, 2014 at 9:45 AM ^

during my time in the AF (obviously not as much as a commercial pilot) there really isn't a "cure" for jet lag, but it seems this app is a great way to figure out your body's best way to minimize the effects.  The general rule of thumb was that you needed a day for every time zone you crossed.  Also, you wanted to "be doing" what the folks are doing where you are headed.  So, if the country you are traveling to is sleeping, you should be sleeping on the plane.  It sounds like the creator of the app figured out the best strategies, plus the own body's resiliancy to sleep deprivation, to maximize one's body clock adjustments.  Bravo!

uniqenam

April 17th, 2014 at 10:13 AM ^

Ha, I took a class with Danny last year! Awesome professor!! I'm not really mathematically inclined, unlike the other PhDs in math/BME/biology that were taking the math modelin class that he taught, but he still did a great job bringing things to a level that I could understand. Really cool guy, glad to see him getting some good pub.

IncrediblySTIFF

April 17th, 2014 at 10:19 AM ^

admittedly, my travel by plane is infrequent and usually for pleasurable purposes, rather than business.  However, something my father told me when I was 19 and travelled to Ireland that has really resonated with me:

Being tired is pretty sucky,  just rub some whiskey on it and deal with it.

Yo_Blue

April 17th, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^

I'll give it a try on my upcoming trip to Italy in May.

I agree with GoWings about getting into your new destination's time zone as quickly as possible.  I have a hard time sleeping on planes though - who can resist staying up to watch bad movies!

Monocle Smile

April 17th, 2014 at 10:41 AM ^

Now just add some binaural beats plugins and crush it at sleeping.

I've been trying out some sleep-type apps, as I usually start stressing myself out as I fall asleep, resulting in vivid nightmares that plague me until well into the work morning. Ambient-genre music with binaural beats layered underneath seems to help.

oriental andrew

April 17th, 2014 at 10:55 AM ^

Read about this a few days ago.  I'm interested and will download to my iPad one of these days.  I travel almost every week and have been to Europe 3 times this year, with at least 3-4 more Europe trips this year (the other 40 trips are domestic).  Jet lag can be a killer.  Some of my colleagues do the melatonin thing, although I don't.  I just try to adjust sleep schedules in flight, use a sleep mask, and hot showers before bed. 

Black Socks

April 17th, 2014 at 11:17 AM ^

What has always worked for me is to walk barefoot on grass at the destination when possible.  This "grounding" process helps to adjust to the local time.  Try it out.

GoBlueUSMC

April 17th, 2014 at 1:40 PM ^

"I recently had my genome mapped and fourtunately my circadian rhythm is somewhat forgiving."

 

Where do I get this genome mapping done?  Sounds expensive as hell.

MGoSoftball

April 17th, 2014 at 6:46 PM ^

is reasonable.  I had mine done for a few hundred dollars.  It is not a complete mapping as that involves millions of genes across the 23 chromosomes.

However, most companies map the key markers like cancer risks, heart attack risks, basic biology features.  So a baby can get tested and their genome will tell them what they are likely to die from (absent accidents and chemical exposure etc).

I have the top 5 things that are likely to kill me (if my wife doesnt kill me before my genome does).