Have Jet Lag? These Tips to Beat Jet Lag Really Work

You work hard all year to enjoy a short getaway to the exotic beaches of Thailand or the cobblestoned streets of Europe. But if you’re not careful, jet lag can turn your trip into a drowsy, moody mess. Unfortunately, you can’t avoid your body’s reaction to zipping through timezones. But, with a little planning and a few science-backed health hacks, you can beat jet lag (or at least get over it far sooner). That means more days feeling full of energy and more nights out when it matters most—on your vacation! 

To beat jet lag, you’ve first got to understand what it is and how travel affects your body—so we’ll start there. Then, we’ll tell you how to steer your circadian rhythms back on course so you don’t fall asleep in your soup at lunchtime or sit wide awake at 3 AM.

Let’s jet! 

What is Jet Lag?

Jet lag is a condition that occurs when rapid, long-distance travel causes a disruption to your body’s internal clock (aka your circadian rhythm). When your body clock becomes misaligned with your destination’s local time, it can take a while for your body to adjust. You might think that we get naturally sleepy and nighttime and we naturally wake up in the morning—and this is partially true. But in order for this to happen, our hormones form bonds with our location based on the light/dark cycle of sunrise and sunset [1]. Based on the light, your body learns to release a certain hormone (cortisol) in the morning to wake you up. And in the evening, it releases another (melatonin) to make you drowsy. 

When you travel too fast across many time zones, your body continues to release its sleep/wake hormones as if you hadn’t traveled at all. So, you might feel super tired in the middle of the day and wide awake at night. This type of fatigue can also lead to other problems, such as brain fog, stomach issues, moodiness, and feeling generally unwell [2]. So, despite how much you’d been looking forward to hiking to Machu Pichu, jet lag might leave you feeling more like chilling at your hotel when the day comes. And that’s no fun for you or your travel companions. 

5 Tips for Recovering from Jet Lag

Jet lag isn’t an illness, so you can’t take any medicine for it and you can’t be immune. However, you can hack your body clock to make jet lag much milder. And if you’re lucky, you might beat it entirely! Try these top science-backed tips to beat jet lag the next time you travel.

1. Manage your light exposure

Light is the most important determiner of your circadian rhythm. That means you can teach your body when to sleep and when to wake up by exposing it to light at the right times. When you arrive at your destination, natural light is your best friend. If you arrive during the day, stay out in the sun as long as possible (avoid going to the theater or a museum on the day of your arrival). If you arrive at night, don’t pull the blinds in your hotel. Let the sun shine through the window in the morning and get up at a reasonable hour. Managing your natural light exposure ensures that your body adjusts to your new time zone as quickly as possible.

2. Take Melatonin

This tip is a body hack that works wonders. Remember the sleep-wake hormones we talked about above? Melatonin is the most important one. It’s responsible for regulating your circadian rhythm. It makes you drowsy and night and determines when your body will release its energizing hormones in the morning. By taking melatonin as a supplement at the right time, you can veer your hormonal cycle onto a new track much more quickly, resetting your body’s internal clock to your new time zone. You can purchase melatonin over the counter, but not all melatonin is the same. When you’re trying to beat jetlag, try taking it as part of a sleep complex with other natural ingredients that encourage fulfilling sleep. 

Note: You might be tempted to take pharmaceutical sleep aids to help with jet lag, but this is a bad idea. Unlike melatonin, sleep aids don’t influence your body clock or your hormones. While they can help you fall asleep, they don’t help your body to adjust to a new timezone. Plus, they can cause side effects worse than jet lag, such as headaches, weakness, stomach issues, and more [3].

3. Align your sleep schedule with your destination

This tip is a bit tougher—especially if you’re a staunch night owl or early bird—but it can help. Before you travel, try to gradually adjust your sleep schedule to match your destination’s time zone. For example, if you’re traveling east, go to bed an hour earlier each night for several nights before departure. If heading west, try to go to bed an hour later each night. Research has found that gradually moving your bedtime will influence your circadian rhythm [4]. So, by the time you arrive at your destination, you might have done half the work already, making it much easier to adjust. 

4. Stay active

Exercise is one of the best ways to get your body systems to sync with your body clock, and it stimulates the natural production of melatonin, the sleep-wake hormone [4]. Physical activity also gives you an opportunity to get light exposure and reduce stress (which can contribute to jet lag). And of course, sleeping in the evening is much easier when you’ve done exercise during the day. Luckily, exercising on vacation is much easier than you think. After arriving at your destination, take a walk to explore your new surroundings or head to the pool for a light swim. If you’re stuck in an airport or hotel room, do some stretching or yoga. 

5. Avoid caffeine and alcohol

You might be tempted to pop some bottles to celebrate your vacation—or to drain coffee to stay awake during your travels. But both caffeine and alcohol can interfere with your sleep quality, and they have the potential to extend your jet lag considerably. Alcohol reduces the quality of your sleep, but it’s even worse for jet lag because it suppresses melatonin production and makes it harder for your body to respond to light [5,6]. Caffeine delays the production of melatonin, so by trying to stay awake longer, you may be stopping your body clock from properly adjusting [7]. Don’t worry; we aren’t suggesting you can’t have a glass of wine or an espresso, but make sure to enjoy these beverages far before bedtime. 

Leave Jet Lag at the Gate

It’s impossible to avoid the effects of long-distance travel on your body clock. But jet lag doesn’t have to ruin your trip. Before you travel, make a jet lag-friendly itinerary. This might involve going to bed at a different time before your trip and then planning activities that expose you to light during the first few days of your travels. If you’re planning to go out at night or drink alcohol, plan those activities for a few days after your arrival to avoid extending jet lag. And don’t forget to pack a sleep complex with melatonin to give your hormone cycle a hand. By following these tips, you can reduce the impact of jet lag and enjoy your journey to the fullest.