How to reduce jet lag

Start adjusting bedtime and waking time toward the destination when your schedule permits. Once there, use meals, activity, and daylight as cues for local time, while keeping any nap brief enough that it does not replace the next main sleep.

Jet lag occurs when the internal body clock remains aligned with the departure time while the destination follows a different light-dark cycle. Difficulty sleeping at night, daytime sleepiness, reduced concentration, headache, appetite changes, and altered bowel habits can follow.

Direction of travel, the number of time zones crossed, flight timing, sleep loss, and individual sensitivity shape the experience. Tiredness caused by a cramped or overnight journey can overlap with jet lag, even before the body clock has begun adjusting.

Before leaving, protect sleep and move your routine gradually toward destination time. During travel, set your watch to the destination, drink water regularly, limit alcohol, and use caffeine strategically rather than near the planned sleep period. An eye mask, earplugs, and a supportive travel setup may make intended rest easier.

After landing, seek daylight at a time that supports the new schedule and dim light when preparing for sleep. Eat on local time and choose gentle activity outdoors if you feel alert enough. Do not drive or operate machinery when sleepy. Ask a clinician before using melatonin or a sleep medicine, especially with pregnancy, long-term conditions, or other medicines.

Get urgent help for chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting, a seizure, new weakness on one side, or confusion that does not clear. After a flight, one-sided leg swelling or pain with sudden breathlessness also warrants urgent assessment.

Arrange routine care if sleep difficulty continues after your schedule should have settled, repeatedly impairs daytime function, or occurs without time-zone travel. Loud snoring with breathing pauses, persistent low mood, or reliance on alcohol or sedatives to sleep deserves a focused review.

Share your route, arrival time, work or driving commitments, usual sleep pattern, health conditions, and current medicines. Ask when to take time-sensitive prescriptions at the destination and whether a light or medication plan is appropriate for you.