Delayed onset jet lag: what to know

Your sleep-wake rhythm, appetite, alertness, and hormone timing do not immediately match the local day. Symptoms may become more noticeable on the first or second local night, when you try to sleep at a new time. Common effects include difficulty sleeping, waking early, daytime sleepiness, poor concentration, irritability, and headache. Flying east or west can affect the pattern differently, and poor sleep during travel, dehydration, and stress can add to the discomfort.

Use local time for meals, light exposure, and sleep as soon as practical. Seek daylight during the part of the day that fits your destination schedule, keep naps short if you need one, and make your bedroom dark and quiet at night. Drink water, limit alcohol, and avoid driving or demanding work when very sleepy. A clinician or pharmacist can help you decide whether a sleep aid is suitable; do not combine sedating products with alcohol.

Arrange a medical review if sleep disruption remains severe, repeatedly affects safety, or continues after your body should have had time to adjust. Seek urgent help for chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, fainting, new confusion, or a sudden severe headache. Persistent daytime sleepiness may have another cause, including an underlying sleep condition, so do not assume every ongoing symptom is jet lag.

Ask: Does my travel pattern fit jet lag? Which light and sleep schedule suits my destination? Is a medicine or supplement appropriate for me? How can I protect myself from driving while sleepy? Could another sleep problem explain symptoms that continue?