Scientific research is increasingly highlighting the benefits of exercise in helping to keep the biological clock regulated. This information will be especially beneficial to jet-lagged frequent travelers around the world. One of the main problems of jet lag is that the change in time zone causes the traveler to lose the natural habit of dragging his body. Research points to the fact that exercise helps the body keep time and helps it make adjustments using internal and external cues. Until this point, the scientific community thought that external cues were the only guides to resetting the biological clock.
As a seasoned frequent traveler, you’ve most likely experienced the trials of a body clock that doesn’t adjust to the time zone you’re in. He can’t fall asleep when he wants to or falls asleep at inappropriate times. While some travelers are unaware of their destination’s time zone on short trips, they still have to face the fact that their body is already struggling to adjust to it. This means that by the time you get back home, your body clock is probably halfway set and now has to go full circle. This is stressful on your body, especially if you fly frequently. Some flyers try to control the changes in the biological clock with stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and drugs. While these may offer a short-term benefit, they tend to lead down the path of diminishing yields and poor health if abused. Frequent travelers looking for a healthy way to reset their body clock should take a serious look at these findings. We all know that regular exercise also provides other complementary benefits to good health.
The first research from the University of Glasgow concludes that exercise strengthens the biological clock and helps it stay in sync as the body ages. The study conducted in mice showed how restricting and encouraging exercise at different times of the day had different effects on the mice’s biological clock. A key observation from the findings was that the younger mice were able to adapt faster than the older mice. “Synchronization is key to healthy immune function, metabolism, and mood. Evidence suggests that animals that are more strongly synchronized live healthier and longer lives” (Biello)
The second piece is a research review conducted by A. Deslandes at Arquivos de Neuro Psiquiatria, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, covering research from the last twenty years. He endorsed the idea that physical exercise can turn back the biological clock and, in doing so, has added anti-aging benefits. One method by which this can happen is when hormones act as immunomodulators. Regular exercise that triggers hormone production can affect the functionality of our immune system.
The conclusion of this research and review is that travelers with jet lag would do well to exercise as part of a preventative strategy to manipulate the body clock to work accordingly when they travel. In addition, keeping the biological clock synchronized is healthy and anti-aging.
Works Cited
Biello et al, (2013) Voluntary exercise can strengthen the circadian system in aged mice. Age. ISSN 0161-9152 (doi;10.1007/s11357-012-9502-y)
Deslandes A. The biological clock keeps ticking, but exercise can set it back. Arch Neuropsychiatrist. February 2013; 71(2):113-8.
