Symptoms

• The adverse affects associated with jet lag can interfere with an athlete's performance. University of Georgia researchers have concluded that the effects of sleep loss--dizziness, sleep loss and headaches--are caused by "circadian rhythm disturbances" and "interruption of the body's natural 24-hour biological cycle." The athlete's bodily functions are set on a 24-hour cycle. The dizziness, sleep loss and headaches are the body's reaction to adjusting to a new cycle.
  
  

Onset

• When leaving one timezone for another, the athlete's body retains a core temperature relative to the original timezone. The body is not in sync with the sunset/sunrise times of the athlete's destination--which is outside of his own timezone. Thomas Reilly of the Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science says "it takes about one day for each time zone crossed for body temperature to adapt completely." Reilly goes on to say that until the body completely adjusts, "the performance of exercise may be below par." The effects of jet lag are amplified with the increase of the number of timezones crossed.
  
  

Duration

• Symptoms typically worsen 2 to 3 days after arrival--making it worse on athletes who typically arrive a day or two early to practice before a match. For sports like basketball, volleyball and baseball where athletes may stay in one city for more than one match, the effects of jet lag may drag out the duration of their stay--truly creating a home court advantage.
  
  

Going West vs. Going East

• Athletes going west adjust easier to their new timezone than eastward travelers. The symptoms aren't as severe and may subside early. Athletes traveling east lose time, and their bodies have to adjust in a shorter amount of time. Athletes traveling west gain time--the longer cycle gives their bodies more time to acclimate. Thus, the Miami Dolphins would be less affected by jet lag when playing in Seattle than the San Diego Chargers in New England.