Since insomnia is one of the big concerns of many of our mood disorder patients, we keep a close eye on sleep apps and related fields like jet lag helps. We have been recommending the “Sleep Junkie” app for several years, but it seems they no longer offer it, although they have “tips” for jet lag on their website.
Recently, however, we have come across a new player in the field that looks promising. Timeshifter addresses frequent flyers, as well as the sleep needs of shift workers. It’s not free, although you can get one free trip – say if you’re going to Tokyo or Paris – just to try it out. After that, it’s $24.99 per year for frequent travelers, or $9.99 per trip, if you only cross time zones occasionally. They also offer a company plan for employers with many traveling employees, or shift workers.
Timeshifter claims to be using the more up-to-date scientific research, including data from NASA about time zone shifting experienced by astronauts. They say light exposure is the critical function, scheduling a travel plan with advice about when to get light exposure and when to keep in the dark. There are times when melatonin is recommended to help you “downshift” according to your destination time cycle, and times when they recommend caffeine if your body schedule is on “sleep mode” when you are in a “daytime” destination.
The app is supposed to give practical advice about how to do this, although some reviewers have encountered problems when recommended to limit light exposure while on stopovers in well-let airports, and it doesn’t seem to accommodate well to unplanned flight delays and cancellations. However, it may be worth it just for the advice.
More from MoodSurfing on jet lag: