Jet lag after 3 days: what to know

Jet lag follows rapid travel across time zones. Your internal sleep-wake rhythm may still be timed to your departure location, even when clocks, meals, and daylight around you have changed. You may feel sleepy during the day, wake too early, or lie awake at night. Appetite and concentration can also feel unsettled. These symptoms fit jet lag when they began around travel and are gradually easing.

Use local time for waking, meals, activity, and bedtime. Get outdoor daylight during the part of the day that matches your desired schedule, keep the bedroom dark and quiet at night, and avoid long late naps. Drink water and keep caffeine earlier in the day. Gentle movement may help alertness, but avoid driving or safety-sensitive tasks if you are very sleepy. A clinician or pharmacist can discuss whether a sleep aid is suitable for you; do not start one solely because travel disrupted sleep.

Arrange medical advice if symptoms are not easing, repeatedly prevent normal work or study, or continue after you have had time to follow a local sleep schedule. Seek urgent help for chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting, new confusion, weakness on one side, or a sudden severe headache. Ongoing difficulty sleeping may have another explanation, such as insomnia, especially if it began before the trip.

Ask whether your symptoms still fit jet lag, whether another sleep problem should be considered, and which timing of light, caffeine, or medication is appropriate for your travel direction and health history.