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To beat travel fatigue and jet lag, start shifting your sleep toward your destination's time a few days before you leave, sleep on the plane with an eye mask and earplugs, get daylight at the right time once you land, and switch to local time right away. Drink water, go easy on caffeine and alcohol, and get up and move on long flights. Most travelers adjust by about an hour a day, faster when flying west than east.
For many people, travel is draining: early alarms, long lines, cramped seats, time zone changes and the struggle to sleep while flying. The good news is that a little planning can make a big difference. Here's how to arrive feeling more like yourself, based on guidance from the CDC and the World Health Organization.
Key takeaways
- Shift your sleep by about an hour a day for 2 to 3 days before a big time zone change.
- Flying east is harder than flying west. Most people adjust about 1 hour a day eastbound and 1.5 hours a day westbound.
- Cabin air is very dry, which can irritate your eyes and skin. Drink water and pack moisturizer and eye drops.
- On flights over 4 hours, get up and walk around every 1 to 2 hours.
- Switch to local time on arrival and use daylight to reset your body clock.
Before you go
1. Start shifting your schedule early
If you're crossing several time zones, the CDC Yellow Book suggests moving your sleep toward your destination's schedule 2 to 3 days before you leave, by about an hour a day. Go to bed earlier for eastbound trips and later for westbound trips. For very short trips of a day or two, it can be easier to stay on home time.
2. Build in recovery time
Give yourself a window to recover when you land. You don't want to step off a long-haul flight and head straight into a packed schedule. Plan a few easy hours, and if you can, keep the first day light.
On the flight
3. Drink water, and skip the alcohol
Cabin air is very dry. The World Health Organization notes that humidity in aircraft cabins is usually below 20%, which can dry out your skin, eyes, mouth and nose. While dry air doesn't dehydrate you on its own, the CDC notes that alcohol and caffeine can, and dehydration can make jet lag symptoms worse. Sip water throughout the flight and keep alcohol to a minimum.
4. Bring an eye mask and earplugs
Even with the cabin lights dimmed, planes can be noisy and bright, with people moving around and switching on reading lights. The CDC notes that an eye mask and earplugs may help you sleep in flight, and since losing sleep during travel can make jet lag worse, they're worth packing.
5. Pack a travel pillow
A neck pillow can make it much easier to doze off sitting upright. Clip one to your carry-on so it's within reach when you board.
6. Pack comfort and self-care items
To fight the dry cabin air, bring a travel-size moisturizer, lip balm, eye drops and a saline nasal spray. If you wear contact lenses, consider switching to glasses for long flights. Cooling eye pads can help tired eyes feel refreshed.
7. Get up and move
Long periods of sitting slow blood flow in your legs. On flights longer than 4 hours, the CDC recommends walking around every 1 to 2 hours and exercising your calves by extending your legs and flexing your ankles. If you have risk factors for blood clots, talk with your doctor before you travel.
8. Pack healthy snacks
When you're tired, it's tempting to reach for sugary or heavy snacks, which can leave you feeling sluggish. Pack easy options like fruit, nuts, cheese and whole-grain crackers to keep your energy steady.
When you arrive
9. Switch to local time and use daylight
Set your watch, meals and bedtime to local time as soon as you land. Light is your most powerful tool for resetting your body clock. According to the CDC, morning light helps shift your clock earlier, which helps after flying east, while evening light helps shift it later, which helps after flying west. If you need a nap, keep it to about 20 to 30 minutes so it doesn't interfere with your first night's sleep.
Be smart about caffeine
Caffeine can help you push through a tired afternoon, but it lingers in your body for hours. The CDC suggests stopping caffeine about six hours before bed so it doesn't keep you up at night.
Jet lag cheat sheet: east vs. west
| Flying east | Flying west | |
|---|---|---|
| How hard is it? | Harder. About 1 hour of adjustment per day. | Easier. About 1.5 hours of adjustment per day. |
| Before you leave | Go to bed about an hour earlier each night | Go to bed about an hour later each night |
| Light after landing | Get morning daylight | Get evening daylight |
| Caffeine | Morning caffeine can help | Avoid caffeine early in the morning |
Thinking about melatonin? The CDC notes that timing matters and that melatonin isn't regulated by the FDA, so products may not match their labels. Talk with your doctor before using it for jet lag.
Just so you know: this article is for general information only and isn't medical advice. Always talk with your doctor or another health care provider about your own health, sleep or any changes to your routine.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to recover from jet lag?
According to the CDC, most people adjust by about 1 hour per day when flying east and about 1.5 hours per day when flying west. So a trip across 6 time zones eastbound can take about 6 days to fully adjust.
Why is flying east worse for jet lag?
The body clock naturally runs slightly longer than 24 hours, so it's easier to stay up later, as you do when flying west, than to fall asleep earlier, as you need to when flying east.
Does flying dehydrate you?
Cabin humidity is usually below 20%, which can dry out your skin, eyes, nose and throat. The World Health Organization says low humidity hasn't been shown to cause internal dehydration, but alcohol and caffeine can, so drink water and limit both.
How can I sleep better on a plane?
Bring an eye mask, earplugs and a neck pillow, limit caffeine and alcohol, and time your sleep to match night at your destination when you can.
What is the fastest way to get over jet lag?
Switch to local time right away, get daylight at the right time of day for your direction of travel, keep naps short and avoid caffeine in the hours before bed. Shifting your sleep schedule a few days before you leave helps too.
Home sweet sleep
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Sources
- CDC Yellow Book, Jet Lag Disorder.
- CDC, Blood Clots and Travel.
- World Health Organization, International Travel and Health, on cabin humidity, as quoted in Business Traveller.
