What to expect from travel health consultation for jet lag

Jet lag happens when your body clock is out of step with local time after crossing time zones. The consultation may cover your direction of travel, arrival time, length of stay, usual sleep pattern, work or sport commitments, and medical conditions. Advice can include when to seek daylight, when to dim light, how to time sleep, and how to shift meals and activity.

The aim is to make tiredness, poor concentration, disrupted sleep, and digestive upset easier to manage while your body clock adjusts. A clinician can also check whether a sleep aid or melatonin is appropriate; do not assume an over-the-counter product is suitable for you.

Share your flight details and normal bedtime before the appointment. On the journey, rest when practical, move around during long periods of sitting, and avoid making major medication changes without advice. After arrival, use the light and sleep schedule you were given, keep caffeine earlier in the day, and allow time for alertness to recover before driving or safety-sensitive work.

Seek medical advice if sleep disruption is severe, lasts well beyond your expected adjustment, or repeatedly affects work and safety. Get urgent help for chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting, new confusion, or neurological symptoms rather than assuming they are jet lag.

Ask which local-time bedtime to target, how to use daylight on your route, whether any sleep product is safe with your medicines, and when it is safe to drive after arrival.