Here's the science of jet lag — and how to avoid it during the holidays

Getting enough sleep regularly can be tough — and even harder when you're traveling for the holidays. "We need sleep like we need water," says Jade Wu, a behavioral sleep medicine psychologist and author of the book Hello Sleep. She and host Regina G. Barber discuss what's happening to our bodies when we get jet lag and the clocks in our body get out of whack. They also get into the science of the circadian rhythm and how to prepare for a long flight across time zones. Check out CDC's website for tips on minimizing jet lag.Want to hear more science of holiday living? Email us your ideas to [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you! Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

Getting enough sleep regularly can be tough — and even harder when you're traveling for the holidays. "We need sleep like we need water," says Jade Wu , a behavioral sleep medicine psychologist and author of the book Hello Sleep . She and Short Wave host Regina G.

Barber discuss what's happening to our bodies when we get jet lag and the clocks in our body get out of whack. They also get into the science of the circadian rhythm and how to prepare for a long flight across time zones. Check out CDC's website for tips on minimizing jet lag.

Want to hear more science of holiday living? Email us your ideas to [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you! Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts . Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.

npr.org/shortwave . This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson.

It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. It was fact-checked by Tyler Jones. The audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.

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