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Here's the science of jet lag — and how to avoid it during the holidays

Traveling across multiple time zones can cause jet lag, a temporary sleep problem that happens when the body's circadian rhythm hasn't caught up to the destination time zone.
Simon Marcus Taplin
Traveling across multiple time zones can cause jet lag, a temporary sleep problem that happens when the body's circadian rhythm hasn't caught up to the destination time zone.

Getting enough sleep regularly can be tough — and even harder when you're traveling for the holidays. "We need sleep like we need water," says Jade Wu, a behavioral sleep medicine psychologist and author of the book Hello Sleep. She and Short Wave host Regina G. Barber discuss what's happening to our bodies when we get jet lag and the clocks in our body get out of whack. They also get into the science of the circadian rhythm and how to prepare for a long flight across time zones.

Check out CDC's website for tips on minimizing jet lag.

Want to hear more science of holiday living? Email us your ideas to shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

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This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. It was fact-checked by Tyler Jones. The audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.

Copyright 2024 NPR

Regina G. Barber
Regina G. Barber is Short Wave's Scientist in Residence. She contributes original reporting on STEM and guest hosts the show.
Rebecca Ramirez (she/her) is the founding producer of NPR's daily science podcast, Short Wave. It's a meditation in how to be a Swiss Army Knife, in that it involves a little of everything — background research, finding and booking sources, interviewing guests, writing, cutting the tape, editing, scoring ... you get the idea.
Rachel Carlson
Rachel Carlson (she/her) is a production assistant at Short Wave, NPR's science podcast. She gets to do a bit of everything: researching, sourcing, writing, fact-checking and cutting episodes.