10 Tips for Managing Jet lags

Jet lag is a common challenge for travelers crossing multiple time zones, disrupting the body’s internal clock and leading to symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, and irritability. Managing jet lag effectively can make a significant difference in your travel experience, allowing you to arrive at your destination feeling refreshed and ready.

This guide compiles expert tips and strategies from scientific research and practical advice to help you adjust more smoothly to new time zones. Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, these techniques will assist you in mitigating the effects of jet lag and maintaining your well-being throughout your journey.

What is Jet lag?

Jet lag, medically known as circadian desynchrony, is a temporary sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s internal body clock is out of sync with the external environment following rapid travel across multiple time zones. This misalignment between the internal circadian rhythms and the local time at the travel destination results in a range of symptoms including fatigue, difficulty concentrating, gastrointestinal disturbances, and alterations in mood.

The severity and duration of jet lag depend on several factors, such as the number of time zones crossed, the direction of travel (eastward travel typically causes more severe symptoms than westward), and individual susceptibility.

Effective management of jet lag involves strategies like adjusting sleep schedules before travel, strategic exposure to natural light, and, in some cases, pharmacological aids such as melatonin. Understanding and mitigating jet lag is crucial for travelers to maintain optimal performance and well-being during and after long-haul flights .

Circadian Rhythm Misalignment

The human circadian rhythm typically exceeds 24 hours but is synchronized to the 24-hour day through environmental cues like light. Misalignment with the light-dark cycle causes daytime fatigue, insomnia, hypersomnia, and other health issues. Traveling across multiple time zones or working night shifts exacerbates this misalignment, resulting in jet lag or shift work sleep disorder.

Symptoms and Severity Symptoms include:

• Daytime anergia
• Alternating insomnia and hypersomnia
• Emotional disturbances
• Gastrointestinal distress

The severity depends on the degree and duration of the circadian disruption and individual factors such as age and chronotype (whether a person is an early bird or a night owl).

Evaluation and Tools:

Evaluation involves a detailed sleep history and specific questions about sleep patterns, alcohol and caffeine consumption, and external factors affecting sleep quality. Tools include:

• Sleep Diary: Logs sleep times, sleep latency, wakefulness after sleep onset, and sleep quality.
• Actigraphy: Worn like a wristwatch, it measures motion to infer sleep patterns.
• Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire: Determines whether a person is a morning or evening type, which can influence how they cope with shift work or jet lag.

Implementing these strategies can help minimize the effects of jet lag and ensure a smoother transition to your new time zone, enhancing your travel experience and overall well-being.

How to Manage Jet Lags:

Adjust Before Traveling

Gradually shift your sleep schedule closer to your destination’s time zone in the days leading up to your trip. Adjust your bedtime by 15-30 minutes earlier or later each day, depending on the direction of travel (earlier for eastward, later for westward)​ (Oura Ring, Trafalgar Tours).

Optimize Light Exposure

Light plays a crucial role in resetting your internal clock. Expose yourself to morning sunlight upon arrival to signal to your body that it’s time to wake up. In the evening, avoid bright lights to help your body wind down. Using blue-light blocking glasses at night can also help​.

Exposure to bright light before the core body temperature minimum delays the clock, beneficial for westward travel. Light exposure after the minimum advances the clock, beneficial for eastward travel.

Hydrate and Avoid Alcohol/Caffeine

Stay hydrated before, during, and after your flight. Dehydration can worsen jet lag symptoms. Avoid alcohol and caffeine as they can disrupt sleep patterns and exacerbate dehydration​.

Consider Melatonin + Other Medications

• Melatonin: Helps realign the circadian rhythm. Studies show varying doses (2-8 mg) improve sleep quality and reduce jet lag symptoms as suggested in this Report by Robert Auger, MD and Bhanu P. Kolla, MBBS both from Mayo Center for Sleep Medicine. Read full Guide on use of Melatonin for Managing Jet Lags.
• Hypnotics: Medications like zolpidem and zopiclone can improve sleep during circadian misalignment but may have side effects.
• Stimulants: Caffeine and armodafinil help maintain alertness but should be used cautiously due to potential sleep disruption.

Melatonin and Light Phase-Response Curves

The diagram below from the Report illustrates the phase-response curves for light and melatonin, showing how these factors can influence the human circadian rhythm.

The blue line represents the phase-response curve to light, while the red line depicts the response to exogenous melatonin. The y-axis indicates the direction and magnitude of the phase shift, either advancing or delaying the circadian clock.

Key insights include:

• Light Exposure: Light exposure in the evening can delay the circadian phase, while morning light can advance it. This relationship is depicted by the blue line, with a significant phase delay occurring when light exposure happens in the evening and an advance in the morning.
• Melatonin Administration: Exogenous melatonin, represented by the red line, also shifts the circadian phase. Melatonin taken in the late afternoon or early evening can advance the phase, whereas administration during the early morning hours can cause a phase delay.
• Timing of Exposure: The timing of light and melatonin exposure relative to the circadian rhythm’s core body temperature minimum is crucial. For optimal phase adjustment, light should be avoided during the sensitive period around the core body temperature minimum, typically occurring a few hours before habitual wake time.
• Phase Shift: The graph highlights how these interventions can be used strategically to manage circadian rhythms, such as adjusting to new time zones or shift work schedules, helping to mitigate jet lag and shift work sleep disorders.

In summary, the diagram underscores the importance of timed light exposure and melatonin supplementation in regulating the circadian clock, providing practical strategies for adjusting sleep patterns in various scenarios.

Stay Active

Engage in light physical activity, such as walking or stretching, during the flight and after arrival. Exercise helps adjust your circadian rhythm and can reduce stress, making it easier to fall asleep at the appropriate time.

Plan Your Meals Wisely

Align your meal times with your destination’s schedule. Eating at regular intervals that match the new time zone can help reset your body’s internal clock. Avoid heavy meals that can disrupt sleep.

Strategic Napping

If you need to nap, keep it short (20-30 minutes) to avoid disrupting your nighttime sleep. This can provide a quick energy boost without interfering with your adjustment to the new time zone​.

Control Sleep Environment

Create a sleep-conducive environment by lowering the temperature in your room and using earplugs or an eye mask to block out noise and light. Taking a hot bath before bed can also help signal to your body that it’s time to sleep​

Use Apps for Assistance

Apps like Timeshifter and Rise use scientific data to create personalized plans for adjusting your sleep schedule, exposure to light, and meal times. These tools can help you start the adjustment process even before you fly​.

Behavioral Adjustments:

• Gradually shift sleep times before travel.
• Use strategic napping to improve alertness during night shifts.
• Maintain consistent sleep schedules even on days off to minimize disruption.

Practical Applications

For those traveling across time zones or working night shifts, maintaining a consistent routine and using strategic light exposure and sleep aids can significantly reduce symptoms.

For example, eastbound travelers should avoid light in the morning and seek it in the afternoon, while westbound travelers should do the opposite. Shift workers can use bright light during night shifts and wear sunglasses on the way home to minimize light exposure.

Jet Lag Plan for Seven Time Zones East

The attached image provides a detailed jet lag management plan for travelers flying from Chicago to Paris, crossing seven time zones east. The plan aims to realign the traveler’s internal clock with the destination’s time zone through strategic management of light and darkness exposure, as well as sleep timing.

Key Points:

1. Pre-Flight Preparation (Day 0 – Home)
   • Current sleep schedule aligns with Chicago time (CST).
   • Typical flight time spans overnight from Day 0 to Day 1.
2. Initial Adjustment (Day 1 – Day 4)
   • Gradual exposure to darkness (D) and light (L) to shift the internal clock.
   • Darkness (D) is recommended during the early hours of the destination’s morning.
   • Light (L) exposure is increased progressively, aligning with Paris morning times.
3. Intermediate Adjustment (Day 4 – Day 6)
   • Continued emphasis on darkness in the early destination morning to prevent premature waking.
   • Increased light exposure during the day to reinforce the new sleep-wake cycle.
4. Final Adjustment (Day 7 – Day 8)
   • By Day 7, the sleep schedule should align closely with the target sleep schedule in Paris.
   • Minimum core body temperature shifts accordingly, indicating alignment with the new time zone.
5. Overall Strategy
   • The inverted triangles mark the minimum core body temperature, crucial for adjusting the internal clock.
   • By managing light and dark exposure, the plan aims for average daily phase shifts of one hour, facilitating gradual adaptation.

This systematic approach helps mitigate the effects of jet lag by realigning the traveler’s circadian rhythm through controlled light exposure and sleep scheduling, ensuring a smoother transition to the new time zone.

Tips for Optimizing Layover Sleep to Manage Jet Lags:

Yes, optimizing layover sleep can significantly help in managing jet lag. Here are several ways in which strategic sleep during layovers can mitigate the symptoms of jet lag:

Aligning with Circadian Rhythms

1. Circadian Rhythm Adjustment: Taking advantage of layovers to align sleep with your destination’s time zone helps reset your internal clock. Studies have shown that strategic sleep during layovers can reduce the misalignment between your circadian rhythm and the local time at your destination.

Sleep Environment Optimization

2. Quality Sleep Environment: Ensuring a comfortable sleep environment during layovers, such as using quiet lounges or sleeping pods, can lead to better rest. This minimizes sleep disruption and contributes to overall better sleep quality, reducing jet lag symptoms.

Strategic Napping

3. Short Naps: Short naps during layovers can boost alertness and performance without causing sleep inertia. A study by Lovato N, Lack L. on The effects of napping on cognitive functioning found that brief naps of 5-15 minutes can quickly reduce sleepiness and enhance cognitive performance, with benefits manifesting almost immediately after the nap and lasting for 1-3 hours. Read the study here.

Light Exposure Management

4. Light Exposure Control: Adjusting light exposure during layovers can aid in shifting your circadian rhythm. Avoiding bright light exposure before your destination’s bedtime and seeking light in the morning helps advance or delay your internal clock as needed (Burgess et al., 2005).

Hydration and Nutrition

5. Hydration and Nutrition: Staying hydrated and maintaining a balanced diet during layovers can enhance sleep quality and reduce fatigue, contributing to better management of jet lag (Samuels, 2012).

Melatonin and Sleep Aids

6. Melatonin Use: Melatonin supplements can be used during layovers to help induce sleep according to the new time zone. Melatonin can assist in advancing or delaying your sleep-wake cycle, which is particularly useful during long layovers (Petrie et al., 1994).

Practical Implementation

7. Pre-Trip Preparation: Gradually adjusting your sleep schedule a few days before travel and planning layovers that allow for sleep periods aligned with the destination time can significantly reduce jet lag (Herxheimer & Petrie, 2001).

By incorporating these strategies during layovers, travelers can better manage their sleep schedules and reduce the impact of jet lag, making their transitions between time zones smoother and more comfortable.