20/20: Creating Your Jet Lag Strategy

Dec. 1, 2000 -- If you are planning to spend several days or a few weeks in new lands, you’d be best served by timing your sleep very carefully right from the start.

By doing so, you’d stand a better chance that — sooner rather than later — your body will catch up with the environment.

In addition to making it through your journey feeling healthy and vital, you’ll also want to speed the rate at which your internal clock adjusts to the time in your new environment. No matter what you do, this process is apt to take at least a couple of days, but the more quickly and well you can sleep at the local bedtime and wake up feeling rested in the morning, the better. What follows are some tips to help you do just that:

Anticipate your new time zone. If you’re flying when it’s nighttime at your destination and it’ll be morning when you arrive, try to sleep on the plane. If it’s daytime, try to stay awake — no matter what time your body thinks it is at the moment — or at most catch a 20-minute power nap to take the edge off.

Time your light exposure. We mean the light, especially the sunlight, to which you expose your body. Indeed, light therapy can be very helpful in resetting your internal clock—as long as you’re careful about when and how long to exposure yourself to it. Exposure to bright light in the morning will help shift you forward, allowing you to go to bed later and wake up earlier in the coming days. Bright light in the evening, on the other hand, will shift you back, so that you’re going to bed earlier and getting up later.

Jet Lag: Direction MattersThe direction of the flight you take significantly influences the degree of jet lag you experience. When you fly eastbound, or against the direction of the sun, jet lag tends to be more severe than when you fly west. That’s because when flying westward, you’re allowing your body to follow its natural inclination to extend the day to 25 hours. Your bedtime shifts forward, later and later. Let’s say you’re a Londoner and you travel to New York. Within five days, without even trying, your bedtime would quickly shift so that you’re going to bed on New York time.

By traveling east, on the other hand, you’re forcing your body to go against its natural tendency. If you’re from New York and travel to London, then, your body will want to extend the day when, in order to catch up, you’d be best served by going to bed earlier than your body might prefer.

No matter which way you’re traveling, for how long or how far, you’re bound to feel some ill effects. You can help to minimize those effects in two ways: By preparing as best you can for your journey and, at the same time, by working to readjust your biological clock as efficiently as possible.

Minimizing Jet Lag: PreflightAlthough for many people it’s impossible to eliminate all the negative effects of travel on the body and mind, you can help minimize them bybeing as healthy and well-rested as possible before you get on the plane and then by treating yourself well during the flight. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Get plenty of sleep before you travel. The effects of jet lag areconsiderably greater if you’re already carrying a sleep debt. Not only will you feel the symptoms of sleep deprivation—excessive daytime sleepiness, headaches, irritability, etc.—but lack of sleep will also exacerbate the problems due to the disruption of your circadian rhythms.

Try a gradual approach pre-flight. If you’re traveling west and have some flexibility with your routine, you can try going to bed and getting up an hour later each day for three days before leaving—that way, you’ll be well on your way to meeting the local schedule by the time you arrive. If you’re flying eastward, you’ll want to reverse the process.

Choose your strategy. Your very first decision when it comes to your biological clock is whether or not you want to stay on your “home time” or make the adjustment to your new environment. To a large extent that depends on how long you’re planning to stay: If it’s a very short trip — under three days — and you have control over your time (you’re on vacation, for example), you may be best served by maintaining your home schedules as much as possible. If you’re staying longer, or have business meetings to attend that require you to be alert when you’d besleepy at home, you’ll want to readjust your circadian clock as soon as you can.

Schedule your trip with care. The very best itinerary has you arriving at your destination in the early evening (local time). That way, you’ll be able to get a light bite to eat, take a walk, and have a little time to relax before going to bed. Because you’ll already be tired from the sheer act of traveling, even if it’s earlier than usual “body time,” you may be tired enough to sleep.

Minimizing Jet Lag: Inflight Avoid dehydration. Airplane travel is highly conducive to dehydrationbecause of how dry the air is in the cabin. Dehydration results in diminished blood flow to the muscles, reduced kidney function, andfatigue, all of which exacerbate jet lag. You can prevent dehydration by drinking one liter of water for every 6 hours of flight in addition to the beverages you drink with meals. Even if you may not feel thirsty, it is important to drink water on a regular basis throughout the flight.

Avoid alcohol. Alcohol not only affects the quality of your sleep, but also tends to dehydrate the body, two effects you want to avoid if you’re trying to alleviate jet lag.

Exercise. Although you can’t play tennis on board, you certainly can stretch, walk up and down the aisle, and even perform some isometric exercises in your seat. This will help keep your body limber and reduce stress during a long flight.

Be prepared for sleep on the plane. In addition to timing your sleep period well , you also want to come aboard prepared. Ear plugs, an eye mask, an inflatable neck pillow, and a sweater or shawl will help makeyou more comfortable, and thus more likely to relax and fall asleep.

Eat well. Generally speaking, it’s best to eat several small, light meals throughout the days before, during, and just following your journey. Eating a big, heavy meal will only increase your chances ofsuffering an upset stomach. Avoid high-sugar snacks, caffeine, and alcohol, all of which can interfere with your ability to sleep and makeyou feel uncomfortable.

Minimizing Jet Lag: PostflightIn addition to making it through your journey feeling healthy and vital, you’ll also want to speed the rate at which your internal clock adjusts to the time in your new environment. No matter what you do, this process is apt to take at least a couple of days, but the more quickly and well you can sleep at local bedtime and wake up feeling rested in the morning, the better. Here are some tips to help you do just that:

Avoid using sleeping pills. Although a quick fix for a travel-related sleep problem may seem like a dream come true (literally!), in the end, you’ll probably only make things worse for yourself. The “hang-over” effect of most sleeping pills will only increase your feelings of sleepdeprivation the next day, and may even make it harder for you to get to sleep the next night.

Make the most of your hotel. When you book your hotel, find out what kinds of “jet lag treatment” services they offer. Many rooms now come equipped with blackout curtains that allow you to sleep even when the sun is shining brightly outside, full spectrum light if you require more light, and room service that can prepare whatever meal your body clock desires (dinner at 7 a.m. for example).

Nap wisely. Napping can be a godsend when it comes to helping make up for a sleep loss, as well as for preparing the body for a good night’s sleep by taking the edge off exhaustion. Just as is true if you’re napping at home, however, timing is everything. You’ll want to keep your naps short—from 10 to 30 minutes, and in the middle of the afternoon (local time).

Copyright 2000 by Circadian Technologies, Inc.