Bipolar Disorder & Jet Lag
Travel Preparation
In my recent trip to South Africa, I had a long layover in London. We hopped off the airport and went to go see the world famous Big Ben clock tower. The iconic tower was a lot taller than I expected. Clocks are an interesting motif for discussing bipolar and jet lag. When you travel across the world and change your clocks by eight hours, your internal clock faces an uncomfortable adjustment period.
I feel blessed to be able to travel again. In the past, the effects of jet lag would severely trigger my bipolar symptoms, so I stopped traveling for a few years. With the help of my Five Pillars of Bipolar Recover, book and masterclass here, I was able to start up again with local travel. This year was the first time I left the western hemisphere since 2019.
Merriam-Webster defines jet lag as, “a condition that is characterized by various psychological and physiological effects (such as fatigue and irritability), occurs following long flight through several time zones, and probably results from disruption of circadian rhythms in the human body.”
Everyone experiences it, but for people with bipolar disorder, jet lag can worsen something called metabolic jet lag. Moreover, especially in my case, travel can trigger severe anxiety, migraine headaches, constipation, and, of course, insomnia.
Disturbance in sleep is the “canary in the coal mine,” that suggests a mood episode on the horizon. When traveling, take reclaiming your sleep schedule seriously from ruining your precious travel time. With time, I learned how to overcome these shifts naturally.
Here is what I would do during the acute phases of mental illness before traveling:
- Pack my medication as an emergency. Even though I no longer take them, I still pack them as a precaution.
- Alert my hosts of the possibility of a mood episode.
- Take it easy for the first 1-2 days upon arrival.
- INSIST on being in bed for 8-9 hours at night.
- Be VERY strict with my diet. Here is some guidance on nutrition with bipolar.
- Take a Vitamin-D supplement for mood regulation and Magnesium for sleep.
- Practice Yoga for 10-15 minutes in the morning under the sun to boost my energy.
- Wim-Hof breathing 30mins before sleeping to help fall asleep sooner.
You can also check out my free resources to come up with strategies on how to best overcome struggles like bipolar and jet lag.
How Did it Go for Me?
I was a little nervous since this was the first time I was going to face a large time change. In the past, even a two hour time change triggered bipolar symptoms in severe ways. Traveling from Texas to Johannesburg meant that I would be flung across the planet for 30 hours and face an eight hour time change.
I’m happy to report that I overcame jet lag fairly quickly this time when I got there. However, upon my return stateside, I found recovery from jet lag to take much longer.
Here is what I have been doing to recover:
- Light exercise. These days it’s jogging and tennis for me.
- Eating home cooked, whole-food meals.
- Being merciful with myself when I’m not able to be as productive as I’d like.
- Being positive that I will reclaim my energy soon.
I know these tips seem small, but so much of overcoming mental illness is about believing that you can and will recover.
What do you do to recover from jet lag?
The internet is chalk full of research about recovering from jet lag. I want to know what you do. By sharing here, we can help readers all over the world combat bipolar and jet lag.
I want to hear from you!
-Imran
