Few things take the shine off a long-awaited trip like lying wide awake at three in the morning in a hotel room, then drifting through the first afternoon of sightseeing in a fog. Jet lag happens because your internal clock is still running on home time while the sun, the meals and the people around you have moved on. There is no switch that resets it instantly, but there are calm, everyday habits that help the body catch up sooner and make the in-between days more pleasant.
Why crossing time zones feels so rough
Your body keeps a rough daily rhythm that tells you when to feel sleepy, hungry and alert. It takes its cues mostly from daylight, and also from meals, movement and social contact. When you land several time zones away, those cues suddenly arrive at the "wrong" moments. The result can be poor sleep at night, heavy tiredness in the day, a muddled head, a grumbling stomach and a shorter temper than usual.
Many travellers find that flying east feels harder than flying west, because it asks the body to go to sleep earlier than it wants to. The direction, the number of zones crossed, your age and how rested you were before setting off all play a part, so two people on the same flight can have quite different experiences.
Before you fly
- Arrive at the airport rested. A trip that starts after a week of late nights and frantic packing tends to begin with a sleep debt. Try to finish the preparation a day early.
- Nudge your routine. In the few days before departure, moving bedtime and meals a little towards the destination's clock can soften the jump. Small shifts are easier to live with than big ones.
- Plan a gentle first day. Leave the big museum, the early safari drive or the important meeting for later in the trip if you can.
On the plane
As soon as you board, set your watch and phone to destination time and start thinking in that clock. If it is night where you are heading, treat the cabin as a bedroom: eye mask, earplugs or headphones, a layer to keep warm and the screen switched off. If it is daytime there, stay awake for a while, watch something, walk the aisle when it is safe to do so and keep naps short.
Drink water regularly, because cabin air is dry and thirst can feel a lot like tiredness. Many people find it helps to go easy on alcohol and to keep coffee for the hours when the destination is awake.
The first days after landing
Let daylight do the heavy lifting
Light is the strongest signal your body clock receives. Getting outside in daylight during the destination's morning and early afternoon usually helps more than anything else. A walk to find breakfast, a coffee on a terrace or an unhurried stroll around the neighbourhood all count. In the evening, keep lights soft and screens dimmer so the body can wind down.
Eat on local time
Sit down to meals at the normal hours for the place you are in, even if you are not very hungry. Lighter dishes in the evening can make it easier to fall asleep.
Nap with a timer
A short afternoon nap can rescue a day, but a long one can wreck the following night. Set an alarm, keep it brief and get back into daylight when you wake.
Move a little
Gentle exercise helps many travellers feel more awake in the day and sleep better at night. You do not need a gym; our no-equipment hotel room workout fits into twenty spare minutes before breakfast.
Short trips and very long ones
If you are away for only a couple of days, some travellers prefer to stay roughly on home time rather than chase a new rhythm they will have to undo straight away. For longer journeys with several stops, such as the routes many people take on a safari in East Africa, building a quiet buffer day into the plan gives the body room to adjust before the early starts begin.
A quick comparison
| Habit | When it tends to help most |
|---|---|
| Morning daylight | After flying east, when you need to feel sleepy earlier |
| Late afternoon daylight | After flying west, when you want to stay up a bit longer |
| Short, timed naps | The first one or two afternoons |
| Meals on local time | From the very first day |
A note on sleep aids and health
Some travellers consider sleep aids or supplements for long journeys. These are not right for everyone and can interact with other medicines or health conditions, so please speak to a GP or pharmacist before trying anything new. The same goes if you live with a long-term condition, take medication at fixed times of day or are pregnant: a GP can help you plan how to handle the time change safely. If tiredness, poor sleep or low mood carry on long after you are home, see a GP rather than putting it down to the flight.
The kind approach
Jet lag usually fades on its own as the days pass. Be patient with yourself, keep the first day light, follow the sun and eat with the locals. By the time you have found your favourite café, your body clock will usually have caught up too.
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