What should you know about being jet-lagged?

Your sleep-wake rhythm is guided by light, meals, activity, and regular routines. Rapid travel across time zones can leave that rhythm out of step with the clock at your destination. You may notice difficulty sleeping at the desired time, daytime sleepiness, reduced concentration, headache, or changes in appetite. Jet lag is different from ongoing insomnia, although disrupted travel sleep can aggravate existing sleep difficulties. Symptoms generally ease as the body clock adjusts.

Use the destination's schedule for meals, sleep, and daylight as soon as practical. Seek daylight at a suitable local time, keep naps brief if you need one, and make the sleep environment dark, quiet, and cool. Drink fluids and avoid using alcohol as a sleep aid. If you consider melatonin or another medicine, ask a clinician or pharmacist about timing, interactions, and whether it is appropriate for you. A travel health consultation can help with plans for complex itineraries or frequent travel.

Arrange medical advice if sleep problems continue after you have had time to settle into the new time zone, or if daytime sleepiness affects driving, work, or safety. Seek urgent help for confusion, fainting, chest pain, severe breathlessness, or a sudden severe headache. These symptoms should not be assumed to be jet lag.

Ask how to shift your sleep schedule for the route you are taking, whether any medicine is suitable with your health conditions, and when persistent symptoms should be assessed for insomnia or another cause.