8 Strategies for Reducing Jet Lag

September 19, 2024

Woman with luggage sitting on hotel room floor

If you’ve ever taken a long flight across the country or overseas, you’re probably familiar with the feeling of excessive sleepiness during the day, inability to fall asleep at night, and the sense of disorientation and mental fatigue. These are all signs of jet lag.

Not only is travel exhausting, but the physical and mental effects of jet lag can put a serious damper on your trip.

While you may not be able to entirely prevent jet lag, you can reduce its effects and make the most of your travels, says University Hospitals sleep medicine expert Eileen Wong, MD.

What Is Jet Lag?

Jet lag is a circadian rhythm disorder that causes your body’s internal clock to become out of sync when you travel long distances. Your circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle that regulates sleep and alertness. Normally, it promotes sleep at night when it is dark and wakefulness during the daylight hours. It also controls biological processes such as mood, metabolism, hormones, immune function and more.

However, when you fly across multiple time zones, the body’s internal circadian clock can’t adjust quickly enough to the light-dark cycle of your new location. This can cause jet lag, symptoms of which include:

Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
Daytime drowsiness.
Attention or memory problems.
Problems with physical function.
Irritability and emotional difficulties.
General malaise or feeling of discomfort.
Gastrointestinal problems such as poor appetite, nausea or constipation.

Jet leg generally happens when a person travels across at least two time zones, and it can be more pronounced when traveling west to east, says Dr. Wong. The more time zones you cross, the more severe the symptoms can be.

Jet lag might not set in right away, either. Most people are tired enough after a long day of traveling to sleep well the first night in a new location. However, they may begin to encounter sleep problems a day or two into their trip.

Jet Lag vs. Travel Fatigue

Jet lag is often confused with the general feeling of exhaustion associated with a long day of travel. Symptoms of travel fatigue may include feeling tired, headaches, irritability and bloating or swelling from pressurized airplane cabins. But unlike jet lag, travel fatigue doesn’t affect the body’s circadian rhythm.

“A good night’s rest will usually resolve symptoms of travel fatigue, while symptoms of jet lag may persist for several days,” says Dr. Wong.

Preventing and Reducing Jet Lag

To reduce the effects of jet lag, travelers need to quickly realign their circadian rhythm with the light-dark cycle of the destination time zone. To do this, adjust your activities to your new time zone right away.

Some strategies to ease jet lag symptoms include:

Get a head start. You can try to reduce jet lag before travel by gradually adjusting to the new location’s day-night schedule a few days before your trip. Adjusting your sleep by one hour each night in the days leading up to your trip will make it easier to acclimate once you land.

If possible, sleep on the plane. If your flight takes place during nighttime hours at your destination, try to sleep on the plane. Make the flight more compatible with sleep using aids such as travel pillows, noise-cancelling headphones, earplugs and sleep masks.

Avoid or limit naps. Likewise, if you arrive at your destination during daylight hours, resist the urge to nap at your hotel. If you must, keep naps no longer than 20–30 minutes and time them at least 6–8 hours before bedtime.

Soak up some sunlight. Light is one of the most important influences on your circadian rhythm, and lack of light signals your body to release melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy. Exposing yourself to bright sunlight during the day can help you sync up your circadian clock to the new time zone. You can achieve a similar effect through bright, artificial light if access to sunlight is limited.

Stay active. Plan an activity when you reach your destination to avoid the temptation to nap and to help your body’s internal clock adjust. Even something as simple as taking a walk outside can help with jet lag – it will both expose you to sunlight and the exercise may make it easier to sleep later.

Take some melatonin. Studies have shown that taking a supplement form of melatonin can help reduce jet lag symptoms. You can take it about 30 minutes before bed once you arrive at your destination, or if travelling eastward, you can take it the day before at your ideal bedtime in your destination time zone. Effective doses range from about 0.5 milligrams up to 5 milligrams or higher. Always talk to your healthcare provider before taking melatonin or any supplement.

Set aside "recovery" days. You may be tempted to go right back to work after returning from a vacation. However, it may be helpful to build in a few days of recovery time after you return home if possible. By delaying your return to work or working shorter hours for a few days, you can give your body time to readjust to your home time zone and avoid excessive sleepiness at work or during your commute.

Download a jet lag app. Get a helping hand from technology by downloading a jet lag app on your phone. These apps give customized plans for adjusting your sleep prior to a trip and offer concrete advice like best time for light exposure, naps and melatonin intake. Dr. Wong recommends Timeshifter as one of the best apps, but there are many out there to choose from, depending on which features you are interested in.

In general, it can take about 1 to 1.5 days per time zone traveled to recover from jet lag. However, Dr. Wong says if you plan ahead and implement some of these strategies, you can get your internal clock back on schedule while limiting the effects of jet lag.