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drafting spec…
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--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
the universe did not have a file for this yet. writing one now. (first visit only: future readers will see this page instantly.)
--- name: Jet Lag slug: jet-lag type: biological_state status: running version: 4.2.1 released: "circa 1958-01-01" maintainer: circadian_system@hypothalamus.internal dependencies: - suprachiasmatic_nucleus - melatonin - cortisol - sunlight - time_zones (introduced by humans, not endorsed by biology) license: Involuntary tags: - sleep - travel - temporal_confusion - suffering - aviation_byproduct ---
A scheduling conflict between your body's internal clock and the planet's actual position relative to the sun, caused by moving faster than evolution ever planned for.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus runs a 24-hour loop calibrated by light, temperature, and meal timing. When you cross time zones faster than the body can recalibrate, you are running yesterday's firmware on today's hardware. The process looks like this:
Resynchronization happens at a rate of approximately one hour per day. There is no patch to accelerate this. There has never been a patch. People have been trying since commercial aviation became ordinary.
| Bug ID | Description | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| JL-001 | Westward travel feels easier than eastward | Book accordingly. Lose days, not nights. |
| JL-002 | Business travelers adapt slower than tourists | Motivation is not a circadian input |
| JL-003 | Alcohol consumed at altitude worsens recovery time | Known since forever. Ignored since forever. |
| JL-004 | Melatonin dosing is counterintuitive | 0.5mg outperforms 10mg. Nobody believes this. |
| JL-005 | Children recover faster | Unfair. Filed. No response. |
# jet_lag_mitigation.config
pre_flight:
sleep_shift: true # begin 3 days early if possible
hydration: aggressive # cabin humidity ~15%, act accordingly
in_flight:
alcohol: false # see JL-003
light_exposure: timed # use flight path + arrival time to decide
sleep: if_night_at_destination
post_arrival:
outdoor_light: mandatory
nap_duration: max_20min # longer naps compound the debt
melatonin: 0.5mg # see JL-004
capitulation_to_local_time: immediate
Does it get easier with age? No. Adaptation slows. File a complaint with evolution.
Is there a cure? Light, time, and stubbornness. In that order.
What about those apps that tell you exactly when to seek light? Surprisingly, they work. This is annoying to admit.