Jet lag is one of those annoying things that can completely wipe out the first day or two of a holiday you’ve spent months looking forward to. You land somewhere exciting, the sun is shining, but you feel completely spaced out, like your brain is in a fog. Not fun!
After plenty of long-haul trips, I’ve learned what really helps reduce jet lag quickly – what actually works – and what doesn’t.
Lots of bloggers talk about slow travel and just letting your body take its time, but if you’re on annual leave, and you’ve only got 2 weeks – that’s not going to cut it.
Here’s what I do to beat jet lag as quickly as possible and get on with enjoying the trip.
Contents
- What is Jet Lag?
- How Long Does Jet Lag Last?
- Best Jet Lag Tips That Actually Work
- Beating Jet Lag With Kids
- The Bottom Line
What is Jet Lag?
Jet lag happens because your body clock (circadian rhythm) is still running on your home time zone, even though you’ve landed somewhere completely different.
That’s why you can end up wide awake at 3am, desperate for a nap in the afternoon, or feeling completely foggy for the first few days of a trip.
The more time zones you cross – especially flying east – the worst it usually feels.
How Long Does Jet Lag Last?
The general rule is about one day per time zone crossed, though it tends to be worse when you’re flying east. So a flight from the UK to Thailand, which crosses around seven time zones, could mean up to a week of feeling off if you don’t manage it.
Flying west, like the UK to New York, is usually a bit kinder. Everyone’s different, but that’s a rough guide to set expectations. The worst jet lag I ever experienced was as a teen, going to Hong Kong. I just couldn’t stay awake for the first week!
Best Jet Lag Tips That Actually Work
1. Stay up until local bedtime the day you land
This is the big one. However exhausted you feel, push through and get yourself onto local time from day one. It’s hard, but it makes a massive difference. The longer you give in, the longer the jet lag will last.
2. Get up early on day one
Even if you’ve had a rough night, set that alarm. Getting up at a normal local time helps your body clock reset faster than anything else.
3. Get outside in daylight as soon as you can
Natural light is one of the most powerful signals to your body that it’s time to be awake. You need to get enough daylight at the correct time to reset your circadian rhythm. A walk outside on arrival day works wonders.
4. Avoid napping – or keep it very short
I know. It’s tempting. But if you sleep for two hours in the afternoon you will pay for it at 3am. If you absolutely have to nap, set an alarm for 20 minutes maximum. Think of it like sleep training a toddler 😅
5. Time your caffeine carefully
Coffee in the morning at your destination helps kick-start your body clock. Avoid it after early afternoon local time or you’ll be wired in the middle of the night wondering why you can’t sleep.
6. Skip the alcohol on the flight
It disturbs your sleep and dehydrates you, which makes jet lag worse. I won’t pretend I always follow this rule, because I never do (lol) but I bet if I did I’d notice the difference on landing.
7. Drink water constantly
Cabin air is brutally dehydrating and that alone makes you feel groggy. Keep drinking throughout the flight and on arrival day.
8. Set your watch to local time when you board
It sounds small but mentally switching to destination time from the moment you get on the plane helps you start eating, sleeping and thinking in the right time zone. Before I got an Apple watch I always did this and it does actually work.
9. Try the Timeshifter app
It’s a science-backed app that gives you a personalised plan for light exposure, sleep and caffeine based on your flights. It did work for me on our trip to Mexico – but I found the whole pre-flight process a bit of a pain. Read my full Timeshifter app review to see if it’s worth it for your trip.
10. Don’t eat on long-haul flights
Some frequent flyers swear that avoiding heavy meals on long-haul flights helps reduce jet lag symptoms. I haven’t tested this properly myself, but it’s an interesting idea.
Beating Jet Lag With Kids
I’ll be honest, we found beating jet lag much harder with kids, and it takes longer. When we took our children to Florida they really struggled to adjust – early wake-ups at ridiculous hours, grumpy afternoons, falling asleep at the dinner table. They couldn’t stay awake late enough to watch the fireworks for at least the first 5 days.
The good news is it does get easier as they get older, and we found it much more manageable on later trips.
A few things that helped:
- Follow the same rules as adults – stay up until local bedtime and get outside in daylight as early in the morning as possible.
- Don’t stress too much about very early mornings in the first couple of days. Just get up, get outside and get on with it.
- Don’t over-plan for the first few days.
- Resist the long afternoon nap, however much everyone needs it. A short nap is fine; a two-hour sleep at 4pm is not your friend.
- Build in a quieter first day or two if you can – sightseeing can wait a day or two.
- Accept that younger children take longer to adjust and factor that into your plans.
The Bottom Line
Jet lag is manageable. My approach is to tough it out from the moment I land – stay up, get outside, get up early the next day – and I’m usually fine within a day.
I have used the Timeshifter app and it did actually work, but I did find there are some downsides – read my full Timeshifter app review here.
Do you have any tips to beat jet lag? What are you favourite jet lag hacks – let me know in the comments. (Especially if you’ve tried not eating on a long-haul flight – that one I’m really intrigued about!)
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