Beat jet lag with a plan

Jet lag planner: shift your sleep before and after the flight

Jet lag happens when your body clock is out of step with the local time at your destination. You feel sleepy at noon, wide awake at 3 AM and tired for days. This jet lag planner takes the city you fly from, the city you fly to, your travel date and your usual bedtime, and builds a day-by-day plan to move your sleep, meals and light exposure gradually, starting a few days before you leave.

Common searches include "how to beat jet lag", "jet lag calculator" and "how long does jet lag last". A useful rule of thumb is that recovery takes about a day for each time zone crossed when flying east, a little less going west. A plan can shorten that.

How the planner works

Choose where you are leaving and where you are going, the travel date and your normal bedtime. The planner works out the time difference and the direction of travel, then gives a daily target for bedtime, wake-up time and light exposure. For eastward trips it moves your sleep earlier, and for westward trips later, a little each day, with tips on light and daily habits. It also covers the days after you arrive.

Why east is harder than west

The human body clock runs slightly longer than 24 hours, so delaying it is easier than advancing it. Flying west lengthens your day and feels like a late night. Flying east shortens it and asks you to sleep when your body is not ready. This is why eastward jet lag often lasts longer.

Light, melatonin and meals

Light is the strongest signal for the body clock. After an eastward flight, seek morning light and avoid late-evening light for the first days; after a westward flight, seek evening light. Timed melatonin is also used for jet lag and should be discussed with a doctor or pharmacist first, as doses and timing matter and it is regulated differently in different countries. Eat meals at local times as soon as you board.

On the flight and after landing

Set your watch to destination time on boarding. Sleep on the plane if it is night at your destination and stay awake if it is day, using an eye mask, earplugs or the sleep sound mixer. Drink water and limit alcohol and late caffeine; the caffeine cutoff calculator helps you time the last cup. After landing, stay up until a local bedtime if you can, and take a 20-minute nap at most during the day. Use the nap calculator to keep it short.

Travelling with children

Children are often more flexible than adults but dislike surprises. Shift bedtime by 15 to 30 minutes a day before you leave, keep familiar sleep cues such as a toy and story, and use the night light screen and stories in an unfamiliar room. For babies, the baby wake window tool helps you keep naps on a rhythm, though a flexible plan is wise.

Using a sleep tracker while travelling

Wearables can show how your sleep timing recovers after a flight, and some apps now estimate your body clock. Do not rely on them for exact numbers. A simple sleep diary works anywhere, and the best sleep tracker guide covers devices with good battery life and travel features.

Example: New York to London

London is five hours ahead of New York, so you are flying east. Start three days before by going to bed about an hour earlier each night, spend the mornings in bright light and avoid bright light late in the evening. On the overnight flight, try to sleep for a few hours. On arrival, get outdoors in the morning and stay awake until a local bedtime. By the second or third day your sleep should be close to local time.

Example: London to Los Angeles

Los Angeles is eight hours behind London, so you are flying west, which is usually easier. Go to bed later for a couple of nights before you leave, and on arrival, stay up until local evening. Use daylight in the afternoon to hold you awake and keep the first night short. Most people feel normal within three to five days.

Short trips and stopovers

For a trip of two days or less, stay on home time as far as you can, schedule meetings at times that suit your body clock and use blackout curtains to protect sleep. For a long stopover, a short sleep of 90 minutes (one full cycle) can make a big difference. Use the nap calculator to choose when to set the alarm.

Using light correctly

Light has the strongest effect on the body clock and its timing decides the direction of the shift. Light in the hours after your body temperature reaches its lowest point (about two hours before your usual wake-up) shifts the clock earlier, while light before that point shifts it later. In practice: when flying east, seek light in the morning and avoid it in the evening; when flying west, do the opposite. Sunglasses at the wrong time are as useful as sunshine at the right one.

Practical packing list for sleeping well while travelling

Pack an eye mask, earplugs, a neck pillow you like, a light layer for the cold cabin and a refillable water bottle. Download the sleep sound mixer page in advance so it works offline. Avoid heavy meals and alcohol on the plane, move around when you can and set your devices to the local time as soon as you board.

Frequently asked questions