Timeshifter is helping travellers to overcome their jet lag quicker than ever before. Through a personalised plan largely based on light exposure, the jet lag app helps people to realign their internal clock with the actual time.
For frequent flyers and occasional globetrotters alike, jet lag is without a doubt the most annoying part of travelling. The immense impact of jet lag can be explained through the role of our circadian rhythm, aka our internal clock. That clock is situated in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in our brain and regulates a large array of things in our daily lives. The most obvious one is when to wake up and when to go to sleep, but our appetite, body temperature, and immune system are also closely tied to our circadian rhythm.
When travelling across several time zones, the body’s internal clock can’t shift as rapidly as the actual external time. This may result in everything from sleep disruption to gastrointestinal issues. Eventually, our circadian rhythm realigns with the external time at a pace of around one hour per day.
One hour a day is great; however, it may not be enough. Short (business) trips across the world have become very common and have thus increased the need for quick adaptation. Travellers who are still looking to make their jet lag combat more efficient could very well find a remedy in the jet lag app Timeshifter.
“Jet lag is a temporary circadian rhythm disorder caused by crossing time zones faster than your circadian clock can adjust. Your internal clock stays on home time, so you feel sleepy, awake and hungry at the wrong times. Left alone, the clock shifts by up to an hour a day; correctly timed light exposure and light avoidance help it shift faster,” explains Steven Lockley, co-founder and chief scientist at Timeshifter.
While many travellers concentrate on sleep and maybe caffeine while trying to put an end to their jet lag, according to Timeshifter, individually timed light is the recipe for success. The app believes that correctly timed light exposure and light avoidance will accelerate adaptation, while seeing light at the wrong time will make jet lag worse.
Over the last couple of years, Timeshifter has been working with scientists and travellers alike to come up with a formula allowing people to beat their jet lag in the quickest way possible. Based on 129,852 post-travel surveys, travellers who followed the app’s advice were 14.1 times less likely to report very severe jet lag compared to those who did not follow the advice, and 96.4% of users cross time zones without feeling jet lagged.
According to Timeshifter, the algorithms used by the app are the same ones used by NASA, something that is confirmed by former NASA astronaut Mike Forman.
“Avoid jet lag the way astronauts do. As an astronaut I did a great deal of traveling internationally for speaking, training, etc. NASA had access to doctors and scientists who developed algorithms that gave us written schedules to follow before, during and after our trips to help us avoid jet lag. These are the same algorithms used by Timeshifter. As a retired astronaut I use this app religiously when I travel. It works,” said Mike Foreman.
Timeshifter’s approach is fully personalised. When planning a time zone-crossing journey, travellers can enter their flight details – including stopovers – in the app. They are also invited to add personal details such as age, sleeping habits, caffeine and melatonin use, and more. Based on one’s personal profile and the travel journey, the app will then come up with a multi-day plan.
That jet lag plan usually starts the day before the flight and tells users when to sleep, when (not) to sleep, when (not) to drink caffeine, and when (not) to be exposed to light. The main goal is to realign one’s circadian rhythm with the actual time as quickly as possible by combining elements shown to reset the circadian clock and elements that alleviate the symptoms. According to Timeshifter, one might be able to gain up to four hours a day when following the schedule.
Although the schedule tries to be as realistic as possible, it is unlikely for travellers to be able to follow it 100%. The inability to lie down, dishes being served, and other passengers might simply not allow for a 10-hour nap on a 10-hour flight. However, to stay as effective as possible, the app suggests paying attention to light exposure even when sleeping is not an option – for example, by closing the eyes or putting on a pair of sunglasses.
Travellers wanting to try out Timeshifter can do so for free during their first journey. Afterwards, customers have the option to pay €8.94 ($9.99) per individual plan or €22.35 ($24.99) per year for unlimited access. Additionally, several hospitality brands such as United Airlines’ Premier 1K and InterContinental Hotels have started to offer a Timeshifter plan to their customers as part of the booking experience.
