

Shortlist
Traveling to faraway places is so much fun in theory, but that pesky jet lag can sometimes get in the way.
Jet Lag 101
Jet lag is a result of the fact that your body has to adjust when you travel to a new time zone. The body’s internal clock, which is more formally called its circadian rhythm, is thrown off when the external cues of the world don’t make sense with what it is used to.
Our circadian rhythm comes from cells in the brain called the oscillatory pacemaker cells. They are located in the hypothalamus. Science can explain jet lag, and it has a lot to do with these cells.
Don’t Blame The Airplane, Blame The Cells
The oscillatory pacemaker cells keep the body on a 24-hour sleep cycle, or very close to it. They not only use information inside the body to keep you on a schedule, but they also use the outside world as well, cues like sunlight, darkness, and alarms. Traveling to a new time zone means that the external and internal signals no longer match up.
You just had breakfast and now it’s bedtime, and your body does can not make sense of it. This is where jet lag officially enters. Your cells are trying to sync up with the new outside world.