Jet Lagged? Get Your Sleep Schedule Back on Track After Travel
If you’ve ever traveled across an ocean or even just across the U.S., you’ve probably experienced the unpleasant side effects of jet lag. Traveling over three or more time zones, especially when going from west to east, can make you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation.
Jet leg is technically a sleep disorder, but it’s temporary and usually resolves within a few days. While everyone experiences jet lag differently, it has both physical and psychological symptoms, including:
- Extreme fatigue
- Insomnia
- Irritability
- Nausea
- Headache
- Difficulty concentrating
Understanding Jet Lag
Thanks to the modern convenience of air travel, you can hop on a plane, and a few hours later find yourself in Europe. Quick travel may be convenient, but rapidly crossing several time zones disrupts your body’s circadian rhythm—your internal body clock.
“One of the factors that controls our sleep is our circadian rhythm, and it can’t just be reset like you would a watch,” says Kelly Baron, PhD, a clinical psychologist who specializes in at 91鶹ֱ. “When you change time zones, you experience a misalignment between your light/dark cycle. The more time zones you cross, the longer it takes you to catch up.”
The general rule of thumb is that it takes about a day per time zone to get back on track, but this will vary on an individual basis, as well as the direction you’re traveling.
“Traveling west is easier than traveling east because our internal clock is a little bit longer than 24 hours, so it’s easier to stay up a little bit later than it is to wake up earlier,” Baron says.
Resetting Your Rhythm
While jet lag isn’t entirely preventable, you can take steps before, during, and after travel to get your sleep schedule back on track.
Before
Gradually shifting your sleep schedule a few days before your flight can help make jet leg a little easier to get over. Be sure to adjust based on if you’re traveling east or west. If you’re traveling east, go to bed about 30 minutes earlier each day until you’ve moved your bedtime up an hour or two earlier. If you’re going west, do the opposite. Start going to bed 30 minutes later and work your way up to a couple of hours. This will help your circadian rhythm slowly adjust to the time zone change.
Tip: Take a melatonin supplement to help shift your sleep schedule if you’re having trouble falling asleep earlier.
During
If it’ll be morning at your destination when you land, try to get some sleep on the plane if you can. It’s also important to stay hydrated but avoid caffeine and alcohol. During waking hours on the plane, try to get up and move around when it’s safe to do so.
After
It may take your body a few days to adjust to its normal schedule once you land.
To help your body adjust sooner, incorporate the following tips:
- Follow the local time. Even if you’re exhausted, try to follow the time based on where you are, not where you just came from. Eat and sleep at times appropriate for that location.
- Get some sunlight. Your circadian rhythm is dependent upon stretches of light and dark. Go outside and keep curtains open during the day to expose yourself to natural sunlight. Dim the lights and avoid screens a couple of hours before your usual bedtime to signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down.
- Limit naps. It can be tempting to take a long, luxurious nap after a long stretch of travel, but try to avoid this. If you must nap, try to limit it to 30 minutes. Longer naps can prevent you from falling asleep at nighttime. Try to stay awake until your normal bedtime if you can.
- Have a consistent routine. If you’re back at home after a vacation, try to get back into your normal day-to-day routine as quickly as possible.
“If you have insomnia or another sleep disorder, it can be daunting to think about going on a trip and it getting worse,” Baron says. “But I really encourage my patients—regardless of if their sleep is disrupted—that it’s just part of time zone travel, and it’s normal to need some time to adjust. Try to get out during the day, enjoy some sunlight and activity, and it will generally resolve in a few days.”
