Jet lag and sleep: what should you know?

Crossing time zones moves the clock on the wall faster than your internal body clock can adapt. You may wake earlier or later than planned, feel sleepy during the local day, or lie awake at night. Difficulty sleeping and headache can occur alongside this temporary mismatch. The direction and size of the time-zone change, your usual routine, and the quality of the journey can all affect how disruptive the transition feels.

Use the destination schedule for waking, meals, activity, and bedtime as soon as it is practical. Seek daylight at a suitable local time and keep evenings calm and dim before bed. Limit late naps, caffeine late in the day, and alcohol near bedtime. Keep regular wake time even after a poor night, while allowing enough opportunity for sleep. If symptoms are severe, discuss a personalised plan with a travel health clinician or ask about insomnia management rather than starting a sleep medicine yourself.

Arrange medical advice if sleep problems persist beyond the travel adjustment period, cause marked daytime sleepiness, or interfere with driving, work, or caring for someone. Seek urgent help for chest pain, severe breathing trouble, collapse, or new severe confusion. A clinician can consider insomnia, medication effects, mood symptoms, or another sleep disorder.

Ask how to time light exposure, whether your current medicines alter sleep, and what plan is suitable for your destination and return journey.