Jet lag is terrible no matter where you're going. But regular travelers will know that your body clock seems to take way longer to recover when you're flying east, rather than heading west.
Now physicists have finally been able to explain why this could be happening, using a mathematical model to show that our brain cells respond differently depending on which direction we're traveling. Jet lag occurs when the brain cells that regulate our circadian rhythm, called neuronal oscillator cells, can't adjust to our new time zone fast enough, messing up our metabolism, sleep pattern, and pretty much everything else on the first few days of our vacation.
Up until now, the general advice has been to give yourself one day of recovery for every time zone crossed. But the new research, led by physicists from the University of Maryland, suggests that might not be enough if you're flying east.
That's because our neuronal oscillator cells - the pacemakers for the rest of our brain - don't follow a perfect 24-hour schedule.
Studies have shown that without any external cues....