What is Jet Lag and How Do You Get Over It?

Jet lag can turn the excitement of travel into a challenging ordeal, disrupting your sleep and leaving you feeling out of sync with your destination’s local time. Although we all dream of being sun-kissed in long-distance destinations, a long-haul flight rarely comes without unwanted jet lag.

This guide covers everything from what jet lag is to its symptoms, causes, and how to overcome it. Whether you’re a seasoned traveller or a first-time flyer, understanding jet lag can help you navigate your journey easily and ensure your travel experience is as enjoyable as possible.

Jet lag meaning:

A maladjustment of circadian rhythms that results from travelling through several time zones in a short span of time. Rest, work, eating, body temperature, and adrenocortical-secretion cycles may require several days to adjust to local time.

Source: APA dictionary

To get technical, jet lag, also known as “time zone change syndrome” or “jet lag disorder”, is the name for a temporary sleep disorder caused by travelling across multiple time zones. Generally, it occurs when travelling across three or more time zones.

Jet lag often feels like your body’s internal clock is still in your home time zone while you’re trying to function in a new one. This mismatch makes it difficult to sleep and wake at the appropriate local times. It can leave you feeling exhausted, frustrated, and unable to sleep properly when you arrive at your destination or return home.

According to the NHS, jet lag is a range of symptoms experienced while adapting to a different light-dark schedule following a flight to a new time zone.

There are 24 different time zones in the world, and once you cross them, your body’s 24-hour clock is disrupted. This confuses your daily circadian rhythms, such as sleeping and waking, appetite, and even bowel habits.

Plane travel worsens jet lag symptoms, which can include jet lag insomnia, daytime drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, and mood swings. Such symptoms usually occur for the first day or two after travel.

Other causes may include:

• Long periods of sitting on a plane.
• Lack of oxygen and decreased air pressure in the aeroplane cabin.
• Warm cabin temperature and low humidity cause dehydration.

While each of these treatments in isolation is thought to offer some reduction in the duration of jet lag, the best solution is likely to be a mixture of several. One meta-analysis of jet lag studies concludes that:

“Long-haul flights over several time zones cause both travel fatigue and jet lag. The most obvious consequences of jet lag are poor sleep at night, excessive sleepiness during the day, and poor mental and physical performance. These consequences occur because the human circadian system cannot immediately adapt to time cues in a new time zone. This manuscript has presented recommendations on how to minimise jet lag using judiciously timed light exposure/avoidance and ingestion of melatonin to help adapt your circadian system to a new time zone.”

Jet lag is a significant cause of sleep disruption, so whether you’re travelling for business or pleasure, follow these top tips to make sure you stay as fit and healthy as possible throughout and after a long flight:

Adjust your body clock ahead of your travels: If you travel regularly, try moving your daily routine ahead or behind by a few hours in the days before you travel. This will make it easier to adjust to your new time zone and avoid jet lag.

Take along some sleeping aids: Pack some herbal sleep aids to help you sleep at the right times when you get to your destination. There are many natural sleep aids on the market containing lavender, chamomile, and hops. Eye masks and earplugs are also a big help, but for some, it’s their own pillow that ensures the dose right off.

Take it easy: Don’t push your body clock to instantly convert to a new time zone. Put off any strenuous activities, such as extended sightseeing, until the second day of your visit. If it’s a business trip, try and wangle an extra day before a conference to allow yourself time to adjust.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol: It’s so tempting to have a cup of coffee to wake yourself up after an early start, and many of us celebrate the start of our holidays by having an alcoholic drink on the plane, but these are both bad ideas. Caffeine and alcohol cause dehydration, which in turn can disrupt sleep, so drink plenty of water instead.

Keep mobile wherever possible: While on the plane, get up and move around every now and then, especially on a long flight. This has two benefits: first, it reduces the risk of blood clots, and second, it keeps your body refreshed and awake. If you desperately feel the need to sleep on the plane, then try and limit it to quick naps.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do: In other words, even if you arrive at 9 am local time and feel ready for your dinner, go and have a light breakfast instead. Adjust to the local customs as quickly as possible, and you will feel a lot better and cope with the time difference much more comfortably.

And when you’re back home, do the same thing: It might be tempting to snuggle down in bed all day after an overnight flight – but don’t do it! It could take days to get back to your normal hours. Instead, go and have a quick nap, setting your alarm to wake you up in a couple of hours’ time.

A general rule of thumb for how long it takes to get over jet lag is that it takes about one day for every time zone you’ve crossed. For example, if you cross six time zones, you can expect to feel the effects for up to six days, although the worst symptoms usually subside in 2-3 days. The time it takes to get over jet lag can also depend on your treatment; someone who stays hydrated and adapts to their new time zone is likely to feel better quicker than those who push themselves and neglect proper rest.

Many travellers report that jet lag feels more intense when travelling east. This is because flying east “shortens” your day, forcing you to go to sleep earlier than your body is used to. It’s generally harder to force yourself to sleep when you aren’t tired than it is to stay awake a bit longer (which is what happens when you fly west).

You may find that you tend to feel more tired and experience worse jet lag symptoms once your trip is over, compared to arriving on your holiday. This is a common phenomenon that can be due to two factors. First, you might be travelling east to get home, which, as we’ve noted, is tougher on the body clock. Second, there’s a psychological element: the excitement of the holiday is over, and you’re returning to daily routines and responsibilities, which can make you feel the fatigue more acutely.

Jet lag might be an unavoidable part of long-haul travel, but it doesn’t have to take over your trip. With the right preparation, proper rest and hydration, and a little patience, you can ease the symptoms and get back to enjoying your destination or settling back into home life faster.