What should you know about flight jet lag?

You may feel sleepy during the day, wake before dawn, struggle to sleep at the local bedtime, or develop headache and reduced concentration. The direction and distance of travel, your usual sleep pattern, and how quickly you change your schedule all affect the experience. Jet lag is different from insomnia that continues without a travel-related shift.

Use the destination’s meal, light, activity, and sleep times as soon as practical. Seek daylight at a suitable local time, keep naps brief if you need one, and avoid driving or safety-sensitive work when very sleepy. Limit alcohol, keep caffeine away from your intended bedtime, and make the bedroom dark and quiet. A travel-health clinician can discuss whether a planned sleep aid or timed melatonin is suitable for you.

Arrange medical advice if sleep disruption remains troublesome after your body has had time to adjust, repeatedly affects work or driving, or occurs without recent travel. Seek urgent help for confusion, fainting, chest pain, severe headache with neurological changes, or extreme sleepiness that makes you unsafe.

Ask which light schedule matches your route, whether medicines or supplements are safe with your health conditions, and how to plan sleep before a demanding trip.