Jet lag can knock the shine off the first few days of an otherwise great trip. You cross several time zones, and suddenly you are wide awake at three in the morning and falling asleep over lunch. While you cannot always beat it completely, you can do a lot to soften it. Here is how to avoid jet lag, or at least recover from it far faster, based on what actually works.
Jet lag happens because your body clock is still set to your home time while the world around you runs on a new schedule. Everything below is about nudging that internal clock to catch up more quickly.
Quick Summary
- Start shifting your sleep by an hour a day before you travel.
- Set your watch to the destination the moment you board.
- Use daylight to reset your clock and avoid bright light at the local night.
- Drink plenty of water and go easy on alcohol and heavy coffee.
- On a daytime arrival, push through to a normal local bedtime.
Start adjusting before you leave
You can begin shifting your body clock in the days before your flight. If you are heading east, try going to bed and waking up an hour earlier for a few days beforehand. If you are heading west, do the opposite and shift a little later.
Even a small head start means your body has less of a gap to close once you land. You do not need to fully switch, just move in the right direction.
Set your watch to the destination
As soon as you board the plane, change your phone and watch to your destination's time. This sounds minor, but it helps you mentally commit to the new schedule right away. From that moment, start thinking in the new time and decide whether you should be sleeping or staying awake based on it, not on where you came from.
Sleep on the plane, but at the right time
Whether you should sleep on the flight depends on what time it will be when you arrive.
- If you land in the morning or daytime, try to sleep on the plane so you arrive somewhat rested and can push through to a normal bedtime.
- If you land in the evening, try to stay awake on the flight so you are tired enough to sleep when you get there.
Match your in flight rest to the destination clock rather than just sleeping whenever you feel like it.
| You arrive... | On the flight |
|---|---|
| In the morning or daytime | Try to sleep, so you arrive rested and can last until bedtime |
| In the evening | Try to stay awake, so you are tired enough to sleep on arrival |
Use light to reset your clock
Light is the most powerful tool you have for fixing jet lag, because it is the main signal your body uses to set its clock.
- Get outside into natural daylight when it is daytime at your destination. A walk in the sun after you arrive does more than almost anything else.
- Avoid bright light, including screens, when it is nighttime at your destination and you are trying to sleep.
Sunlight at the right times tells your body clock what the new schedule is, and it adapts faster.
Stay hydrated and go easy on alcohol
Plane cabins are extremely dry, and dehydration makes the tired, foggy feeling of jet lag worse. Drink plenty of water throughout the flight, and keep drinking once you land.
Go easy on alcohol and heavy coffee on travel days. Both can mess with your sleep and leave you feeling rougher on arrival. A glass of water beats a free drink when you are trying to arrive fresh.
Push through to a local bedtime
When you arrive during the day, the hardest and most important thing is to stay awake until a normal local bedtime. A long nap the moment you land feels wonderful and then wrecks your night, leaving you awake at odd hours.
If you are truly struggling, allow yourself a short nap of no more than twenty or thirty minutes early in the afternoon, then get back outside into the light. Aim to go to bed at a sensible local time, even if you are exhausted a little early.
Move your body
Gentle activity helps you adjust. A walk, some light exercise or simply staying on your feet and exploring keeps you awake and helps your body settle into the new rhythm. Sitting still in a dark hotel room is the fastest way to give in to the urge to sleep at the wrong time.
Eat on the local schedule
Meal times are another signal your body uses to keep time. Try to eat at normal local meal times rather than when your home clock says you should. Even if you are not very hungry, sitting down to breakfast, lunch and dinner on the new schedule helps pull your internal clock into line.
Be realistic and kind to yourself
Here is the honest part. Crossing many time zones will affect you, and a rough first day or two is normal, especially heading east, which is generally harder than heading west. The tips above shorten the adjustment and make it milder, but they do not switch it off entirely.
So plan your trip with that in mind. Do not schedule anything demanding or precious for your first day after a long haul flight. Keep it light, get outside, eat and sleep on local time, and let your body catch up.
The simple version
If you remember nothing else, remember this. Set your clock to the destination the moment you board, chase daylight when it is day and darkness when it is night at your destination, drink lots of water, and push through to a local bedtime on arrival. Do those four things and you will handle long trips far better than most travellers, and get back to enjoying the trip that much sooner.
The four things that matter most
Set your clock to the destination when you board, chase daylight by day and darkness by night, drink lots of water, and push through to a local bedtime on arrival.