Eli5: how can a 14-15 hours flight trip can make you feel jet lagged but even a long 20 hours train journey doesn’t have the same effect?

Question

Is it because typically during these long flights there is a a change in multiple time zones and that messes your circadian rythm?

In: 541

Answer 1

Jet lag comes from being in a different time zone. After a 14 hr flight you’re on the other side of the globe and your brain (and stomach and other things) are on a schedule that is 12 hours off from where the sun and society are. A 20 hour train journey in most cases puts you 1 or 2 hours off (and did it much more slowly over the course of a day).