Travel is one of the best ways to release stress, heal and feel more connected to oneself. It has always been romanticised for spiritual rejuvenation and peace. However, we often forget to pay attention to how too much travelling and jet lag can themselves become a cause of stress. Social media tricks us by portraying travelling as a symbol of freedom, independence and success.
What was once a leisure activity has now become a way of life. The purpose of travel has changed from restoration to obligation. In today’s world, stillness is misunderstood as boredom and constant travelling as growth and achievement. Travelling is an activity that widens our perspective, boosts our self-confidence and self-esteem. But it also exposes our minds to novelty and uncertainty. It is important to be aware of how our minds can be negatively affected by travel and jet lag.
Travelling requires our mind to adjust to new environments, people, culture and even time zones. The most demanding part of travelling can be jet lag if experienced too often. Jet lags happen when we travel across different time zones. We may be physically present in a new time zone, but our minds stay in the original time zone. This degrades our mind’s functioning. As the number of long-distance travellers has increased, it is important to address the impact of jet lag on our minds.
Read More: How Long-Distance Work Travel Impacts Family, Intimacy, and Mental Health
Jet Lag and Sleep Disturbance: A Circadian Rhythm Perspective
Constant travelling and exposure to jet lag require our mind and body clock to adjust to new time zones along with a new routine. Although jet lag is commonly misunderstood as tiredness and fatigue, the real reason behind this tiredness is the disturbed circadian rhythm. It is the body’s sleep-wake cycle that gets affected due to the release of melatonin (a sleep hormone) at the wrong time. The melatonin is released according to the original time zone and not the new local time zone. There occurs a mismatch between our body clock and the environment. Hence, all this severely impacts our sleep. Sunlight exposure at times from the usual may confuse our body clock. Irregular sleep or sleep-wake problems become a common symptom in such situations.
Read More: Sleep Disturbance can affect brain functioning and mental health
Mental Overload: Jet Lag Drains Your Brain
Travelling and jet lags requires our brain to work extra time. What we experience as excitement, our brain may be paying the cost of it. It works more than usual as it needs to make more decisions about transportation, food, logistics, budget, and safety. Not only decision-making, but it also requires our mind and body to adjust to a new place and environment. Our brain may be extra alert in a new place. This alertness may lead to a constant influx of sensory information from the environment. Too much information may lead to sensory overload, further worsening the situation.
Jet Lag and Emotional Health: The Cortisol Connection
The frequent jet lag and travelling can impact even our emotional well-being. The restorative activity may turn into the worst decision for our emotional health. Jet lag not only disrupts our circadian rhythm but may also impact the release of cortisol (stress hormone). Our cortisol rhythm normally peaks in the morning and drops at night. Jet lag can completely desynchronize it and lead to high cortisol release at night and low levels during the day. This leads to alertness during the night and tiredness during the day. It also impacts our metabolism. This complete misalignment of cortisol as well as melatonin can lead to irritable mood, fatigue and poor concentration.
When Travel Disrupts Mental Clarity
Travel is associated with thrill, adventure, exploration and peace, but it can impact cognitive processing and reduce our mental clarity. The circadian and cortisol rhythm disruption not only alters our attention but also negatively impacts memory consolidation. Poor sleep, changed meal timings, and environmental demands can lead to unclear thinking or brain fog. This brain fog can hamper the decision-making process. Additionally, travel itself may become a source of stress as there is a constant need for adaptation to new situations. It also requires planning and improvisation – following an itinerary, capturing perfect views, visiting the best places – leaving no space for rest and recovery. All this together impacts mood and mental clarity.
When Travel Affects Connection: Emotional Strain from Jet Lag
Being constantly away and visiting new places leads to more social interactions. While social interaction may increase, emotional presence within them may decrease. Jet lag makes us preoccupied with travel-related duties. Also, there is a time mismatch between people close to us. This makes it difficult to hold meaningful conversations. Also, we become less empathetic and less patient due to a disruption in mind and body processes. What may be a result of jet lag may be misperceived as rudeness and disinterest. This impacts our relationships, creating feelings of isolation and being misunderstood.
Conclusion
Jet lags are often experienced during travel and gradually resolves in 4 to 6 days as the individual adjusts to the new local time zone. Studies show that female health may be particularly susceptible to disturbed hormonal rhythms. It is also shown that chronic circadian rhythm disruption can contribute to problems in mood-related behaviour and reduced motivation as well.
Hence, we must understand the signals of our brain and create space for gentle transitions and healthier travel routines and practices. Recognising the cost our mental health pays for each jet lag helps us to prioritise rest and self-compassion. Instead of dismissing jet lag as a minor inconvenience, it will be helpful if we plan our travel more consciously and prioritise mental health.
Question Explained by Experts
Question: How does frequent travel and jet lag impact mood regulation and stress levels?
According to Clinical Psychologist Madhurima Dey Sarkar, Jet lag occurs when long-distance travel across time zones disrupts the body’s natural sleep–wake cycle. Our body’s natural sleep-wake cycle plays a key role in regulating mood and stress. When this internal rhythm is disturbed, the brain’s ability to manage emotions weakens. People may feel irritable, low, anxious, or emotionally overwhelmed, even without obvious triggers. Poor sleep also raises stress hormones, making the body more reactive to everyday challenges. Over time, repeated jet lag can reduce emotional resilience, increase fatigue, and heighten stress levels, highlighting the importance of regular sleep patterns for mental well-being.
FAQs
1. Is travelling always good for mental health?
Travelling is beneficial as it helps in emotional refreshment and releasing stress. But too much travelling can, especially across time zones, overwhelm the brain and body, leading to a negative impact on cognitive processes.
2. How can jet lag impact mental health, along with physical health?
Jet lag disrupts the circadian rhythm, which plays an important role in sleep, mood, and alertness. Disruption may not only cause tiredness and fatigue, but can also create problems in concentration and memory. Frequent exposure leads to chronic disturbance in the circadian rhythm.
3. Can jet lag impact mood and emotional well-being?
Jet lag impacts mood, causing irritability, low motivation, mood swings and anxiety. This happens due to irregular cortisol and melatonin release.
4. Can jet lag impact relationships?
Jet lag can reduce patience and empathy. Time zone differences can create difficulty holding meaningful conversations, leading to shallow interactions, misunderstandings and emotional distance, affecting personal relationships.
5. Are some people more vulnerable to the effects of jet lag?
Researches show that women are more susceptible to experiencing the effects of jet lag and hormonal disturbances.
References +
Herxheimer, A. (2014). Jet lag. BMJ clinical evidence, 2014, 2303.
Mahoney, M. M. (2010). Shift work, jet lag, and female reproduction. International journal of endocrinology, 2010(1), 813764.
Acosta, J., Crespo, M. T., Plano, S. A., Golombek, D. A., Chiesa, J. J., & Agostino, P. V. (2023). Chronic jet lag reduces motivation and affects other mood-related behaviours in male mice. Frontiers in Physiology, 14, 1225134.
Zhang F, Li W, Li H, Gao S, Sweeney JA, Jia Z, Gong Q. The effect of jet lag on the human brain: A neuroimaging study. Hum Brain Mapp. 2020 Jun 15;41(9):2281-2291. doi: 10.1002/hbm.24945. Epub 2020 Mar 3. PMID: 32125068; PMCID: PMC7268074.
Copinschi, G. et al. (1980). Hormonal changes as a consequence of jet lag: corticotrophic axis. In: Hormones and the Brain. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8709-8_24
Copinschi, G., Désir, D., Fang, V. S., Golstein, J., Martino, E., Jadot, C., Refetoff, S., & Van Cauter, E. (1980). Hormonal changes as a consequence of jet lag: corticotrophic axis. In Hormones and the Brain (pp. 285–292). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8709-8_24
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