Re-timer, the new ‘cure’ for jet lag promises to reset your internal body clock by emitting soft green light into the user’s eyes; therefore helping travelers to easily transition to other time zones.
After 25 years of sleep research, the Re-timer glasses created by Australia’s Flinders University have just been released, according to AFP.
This compact portable device (only 75g or 2.64oz) is available online for AU$249, (US $259) and claims that after exposure to the LED light, travelers, shift workers, insomniacs and those suffering ‘winter blues’ should find it easier to wake up in the morning and stay alert during the day. The Re-timer uses technology that mimics sunlight, stimulating the part of the brain responsible for regulating the body’s internal clock.
Before a trip, you are advised to calculate how much time you should use the device per day and the number of days with the support of the Re-timer jet lag calculator in order to properly adjust your internal clock.
If you are unable to get your hands on a set of Re-timers before your next trip Dr. Robert Sack, a psychiatry professor at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, recommends the following:
- Reset the circadian clock that tells a person to stay awake during the day and sleep at night. You can do this by taking the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, timing your exposure to bright light, or both.
- Adjust your sleep schedule. Take short naps if you are sleepy the first few days after arrival. If you can, shift your sleep schedule by a couple of hours before travel.
- Use medications to get to sleep or stay awake. Or turn to the old reliable remedy for keeping your eyes open: caffeine.