Why east is worse
Your body clock runs slightly longer than 24 hours, so stretching a day comes easier than shortening one. Flying west asks you to stay up late, which most people manage. Flying east asks you to fall asleep hours before you are tired and to wake in what feels like the middle of the night. After a long eastbound flight, do not schedule anything that matters for the first morning.
Use light on purpose
Light is the strongest signal the clock receives. After flying east, get bright outdoor light in the morning and keep the evening dim. After flying west, seek light in the late afternoon and evening so that you can stay up. Sunglasses and a drawn curtain are tools in the same kit. For a few days before a big trip, shifting your bedtime an hour a day toward the destination takes some of the edge off. For a trip of only two or three days, it can be easier to stay on home time and schedule around it.
On the plane
- Set your watch to destination time when you sit down, and eat and sleep by it.
- Sleep if it is night where you are going, with an eye mask, earplugs and a warm layer for the cold cabin.
- Drink water steadily, because cabin air is very dry, and go easy on alcohol, which fragments sleep.
- Stand and walk the aisle every hour or two, and flex your ankles while seated.
That last step is about blood clots rather than jet lag. Sitting still for more than four hours raises the risk of a clot in the leg, slightly for most people and more for anyone who is pregnant, recently out of surgery or has a history of clots. If that describes you, ask your doctor about compression stockings before the trip.
The first two days
Stay awake until a reasonable local bedtime, around nine or ten at night. If you must nap, set an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes and do it before mid-afternoon, because a three-hour nap resets nothing and ruins the night. Eat meals at local times. Caffeine helps in the morning and hurts after lunch. Melatonin helps some travelers fall asleep at the new bedtime, particularly going east. Follow the label, and ask a doctor or pharmacist first if you take other medication.
Tip When you have a choice of flights, pick one that lands in the afternoon or early evening. You then need to last only a few hours before a legitimate bedtime.
