What causes jet lag?
Jet lag is caused when the sleep-wake and light-dark cycle shift too quickly. Our 24-hour circadian clock located in the hypothalamus part of the brain just can't keep up.
Jet lag comes with significant consequences.
Light is the most important time cue for resetting your circadian clock.
The right light exposure at the right time can significantly accelerate your adaptation to a new time zone. Seeing light at the wrong time will make your jet lag worse.
Melatonin can help you shift to new time zones even faster.
Taking melatonin at the right time can help you shift faster and sleep better when you are transitioning between time zones by telling the brain to sleep at a different time than normal.
How timed light and melatonin affect your circadian rhythm.
Ways to increase your energy level while traveling
Caffeine
Caffeine is a powerful stimulant and can help you stay awake at times when you should see light, to help reset your clock more quickly. But be careful, using caffeine at the wrong time can have negative effects on your sleep quality.
Napping
Naps can be an additional tool to help maintain high levels of alertness and performance but they need to be scheduled at the right time to give you maximum recovery without affecting your scheduled night-time sleep.
What travelers do today (and why it isn’t working).
Follow generic advice
Jet lag receives a lot of media attention, but most tips shared in the media are generic, incorrect, and won’t help.
Use sleep medication
Sleep meds might help you fall asleep faster, but they don’t shift the clock, and you need to know the right time to sleep to reset your circadian rhythm.
Use stimulants
Caffeine can help with travel fatigue, but you need to know when to use it and when not to use it to minimize negative effects on sleep.
Trust airplane lighting
"Jet lag LED lighting" on new airplanes looks great, but often delivers the wrong light at the wrong time.
Travel business class
Being able to sleep well in business class is a great benefit, if you know when to sleep to maximize the circadian resetting.
Stay at 5-star hotels
While 5-star hotels provide good mattresses and pillows, they don’t address the underlying circadian disruption.
Schedule recovery days
People schedule recovery days to get over their jet lag, but these are not needed if you know how to shift your clock back to normal quickly.
You are unique,
and so is your jet lag.
"The problems caused by jet lag cannot be tackled using generic advice, which is oversimplistic and can often be counterproductive, making jet lag worse. Each traveler and trip is different and requires a personalized approach taking your sleep pattern, chronotype, flight plan, and a range of personal preferences into account."
Steven W. Lockley, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
Become a Timeshifter.
Join the community of Timeshifters around the world who demand a better travel experience. Whether you’re traveling for business, going on vacation, or competing in a sports event abroad, with this jet lag app, you will arrive ready to go.
