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While there are a few things that you can do to help reduce the effects of jet lag, the sad reality is that it cannot be avoided entirely. The best you can hope for when traversing the world (or an expansive country, in some cases) is to mitigate the worst effects of jet lag using a combination of preventative measures and manipulating your environment. And yes, leveraging credit card perks can help with this, too.
However, before we explore jet lag solutions, we'll first explain what it is and what causes it.
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What Is Jet Lag — And What Causes It?
Jet lag is a feeling of tiredness or exhaustion caused by a long flight traversing several time zones. An unavoidable side effect of international travel, jet lag, is the fatigue experienced when the cells that regulate our body clock are unable to adjust to a rapid change in our sleep/wake cycles.
Our bodies use circadian rhythms dictated by the rise and fall of the sun to regulate sleep cycles and adapt our sleep cycle to the local environment via external cues such as light and temperature.
When we cross multiple time zones in a short period of time, our bodies need time to adjust to this change in environment. We feel the effects of jet lag while our bodies try to synchronize their internal clocks to the local environment.
Depending on how many time zones you cross, it can take days for your body to adjust to a new time zone and the effects of jet lag to fade. That can be frustrating if you only have a short time to explore a new destination and enjoy your stay.
So, what can you do to lessen the impact of jet lag?
The Direction and Time of Day You Fly Contributes to Jet Lag
Flying east requires more preparation and recovery time than flying west. When you travel east, every time zone you cross is an hour earlier you need to wake — and an hour earlier you need to sleep. Due to how our brain cells measure each 24-hour cycle, it’s easier to extend the length of a day than shorten it.
The general consensus is that our bodies need one day to recover for every time zone crossed. However, when you travel east, your body can take longer to recover due to how the brain regulates sleep cycles. A best practice to combat flying east is to prepare by controlling the body’s access to light.
By turning out the lights and restricting screens progressively earlier each night for three or four days before flying, you can control access to light and begin to influence your circadian rhythms.
The opposite goes for the morning. Be sure to rise earlier each day before your flight and get straight out into natural light. Or, if it’s winter, switch on the lights and jump in front of a computer for 20 minutes for a dose of blue light, effectively jump-starting the brain cells that regulate sleep.
While this may sound a little old school and a lot of work, it’s work that your body will need to do anyway, and you can either do it before departure or when you arrive at your destination.
If you're flying west, you can reverse the strategy to expose yourself to light later in the evening and ensure your environment remains dark further into the morning each day in the lead-up to departure. This technique can effectively advance or slow your body clock in preparation for travel, making adjusting when you arrive after a long-haul flight easier.
How To Avoid Jet Lag To Europe
One of the most traveled flight corridors is between the United States and Europe. Avoiding jet lag to Europe (especially if you're flying from the U.S. East Coast) can be tricky because you'll be on a relatively short flight. Leaving in the evening and arriving in Europe early in the morning can make it hard to beat jet lag. You might have slept poorly on the flight, and if you arrive in Europe in the morning, it might be hard to make it through an entire day without taking a long nap somewhere in the middle of it, further messing up your sleep schedule.
So, you should consider a flight that leaves later in the day (after 9 p.m.) or one that arrives a bit later in the morning.
Another option is to use your miles and points to fly business class to Europe. Splurging won't change the duration of the flight, but at the very least, you'll be well-fed and likely enjoy a lie-flat seat on the ride over.
Best Ways To Alleviate Jet Lag
Despite numerous products that claim to address jet lag, there's no magic pill to prevent or cure it. When stripped back to basics, it comes down to controlling our environment and exposure to light. This also includes while we are transiting the airport and on the plane. And that means employing any method we can to control exposure to light in line with earlier preparation.
UV protective sunglasses, eye masks, earplugs (nothing to do with light, but they help with getting to sleep), and keeping an eye on the time to stay synced as close as possible to the destination time zone will do more to alleviate the symptoms of jet lag and make for a speedier recovery than all the magic pills and potions combined.
Getting into direct sunlight after arriving at a destination, particularly if there is time for a short workout or brisk walk, can help the body to reset. Sunlight is nature's method for setting our body clocks; its effect should not be underestimated.
You should also avoid stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine; instead, focus on drinking water. Water can greatly impact our body's ability to bounce back from travel.
How Credit Card Perks Can Help Beat Jet Lag
One of the best ways credit card rewards can help beat jet lag is through easier access to premium cabins on redeye or long-haul flights. Using miles and points to fly first class or business class can do several things that help combat jet lag. You'll have access to better food, allowing you to feel full. And most importantly, you'll likely have access to a lie-flat seat making it easier to fall asleep. This will help you feel more rested when you arrive and get you ready for the new day.
Another way credit cards can help you is with a credit card that gives you access to an airport lounge upon arrival. If you arrive early in the morning and don't have access to your hotel, you can use an arrivals lounge to get a solid meal along with a hot shower, helping you start your new day off on a good footing.
Broadly, one of the best ways to get lounge access is to pick up a credit card that offers a Priority Pass Select membership. This membership will grant you access to over 1,300 airport lounges — some of which you can access on arrival. The Platinum Card® from American Express offers this type of membership (Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.) as does the Chase Sapphire Reserve® — plus a handful of other cards.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $120 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 10X points on Chase Dining (including prepaid reservations and prepaid takeout purchased through Chase)
- 5X points on airfare purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on all other travel
- 3X points on dining at restaurants
- 1X points on all other purchases
Related: What Priority Pass Airport Amenities Can You Access With the Chase Sapphire Reserve®?
Final Thoughts
Jet lag is the tiredness you get when crossing many time zones as part of traveling. Unfortunately, there isn't a magic pill to fix jet lag. However, there are a few strategies that you can use to mitigate it. These strategies include gradually moving your body clock forward or backward over a few days leading up to your flight. It's also a good idea to limit caffeine and alcohol on the day of travel. And of course, using credit card perks for lounge access or business class is helpful, too.
Have any secret weapons in the fight against jet lag? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I think this article is great and I agree with what it says. Jet lag is one of the downsides of travel and can happen to a lot of people. I love to travel and have done but lucky enough to not experience that much jet lag. But some good tips in there I will certainly use if I do suffer next time
Ambien puts me out like a light. Some people have weird effects from it though.
Great tips! We always adjust our watches to our destination’s time zone as soon as we get on the plane. We’ll have to try your suggestion of starting to prepare 2-3 days before and see if it helps. Pinning this article for reference later!
One thing that I find is that one can book ticket with overnight stays along the way.
For example, EWR – HNL (overnight) – NRT (overnight) – Singapore as international ticket allows up to 24 hours to connect. I would then stay in a hotel/hostel to adjust to jetlag.
some great ideas to try especially the 2 – 3 days before leaving home. Cryotherapy I learned something new today .
Light therapy makes sense, will have to try, but sleeping earlier when heading east right before trip is difficult cramming in last minute things before a trip. Often sleeping later and being more tired on red eye flights, but hard to sleep on plane. Avoiding caffeine and alcohol doesn’t make it easier to sleep on a flight.
It’s a tricky thing getting used to the jet lag adjustment when kids are in the equation. Whether or not we are in a flatbed is secondary to the fact that kids will be kids and usually love to be playing and watching videos on the IFE. Flying eastbound US -> Europe I generally find easier, because the flight times correspond somewhat with bedtimes, but going Europe -> US, it can be tough to get the kids used to the idea of sleeping during a daytime flight (and then struggling to keep them awake until normal bedtime back in the US).
Fly 1st class in flat beds and problem solved. Of course, since I can’t afford it, I will have to give your suggestions a try, especially the tips to start 3-4 days before.
I’ve always struggled with trying to adjust in the 3/4 days before I fly. My job tends to get in the way. However, when I’m flying east, I try to leave in the evening (UK time) in order to also arrive 13-15 hours later, also in the evening. I’ll sleep for a few hours on the flight then force myself to stay away. Then I get a few hours to travel to my hotel, check-in, get some dinner, then go to sleep, at the same time (locally) that I would go to bed at home. I might be up early that day, but from the day after, I’m right as rain. It’s worked a treat every time.
I’ve always been a fan of flying red-eyes when I travel east transcon. I’m good at sleeping on a plane so I basically sleep the 4-5 hours of the flight, and land on the east coast to a sunrise and go about my day like I normally would. I’m certainly sleepy since I really only got 4-5 hours of imperfect sleep, but when the day is over, I go to sleep at a normal east coast time and wake up the following day at a normal east coast time. Instantaneous time-zone adjustment that works for me.
Of course, if you can’t sleep on a plane, my method is null and void.
Preparing the body clock prior to the actual departure date sounds good in theory, but I yet have to be able to actually pull it off.
It’s just not easy to behave as if you’re in a different time zone when you’re not. 🙂
A lie flat seat is a must, even a 3 – 4 hours proper sleep on a flat bed has always helped us whereas I can never fall asleep sitting upright even reclined.
I’ve had to simply power through the day when traveling. Recently we did a trip to Sydney from the US and our first night there we had coffee as soon as we could then went on to have a normal (ish) day. Simply going to bed early and taking sleeping pills helped us a lot.
Headed to London on a 7PM overnight flight tonight, then on to Ireland. Last night, I stayed up late, and got up really early so that I’ll be tired on the plane. Hoping to be able hit the ground running when we land tomorrow morning, London time.
When we can, we start 2-3 days before the trip and begin adjusting our schedule to the upcoming time zone.
Drinking lots of water and cutting back on caffeine also seems to help us.
I suggest getting lots of rest before a big trip. Sleep if possible on the plane. Arrive at destination and head to bed at local bedtime is the best. We had our 2 year old on the local sleep schedule within 48hrs. In addition the flight time worked perfect with time change. That always helps.
That’s impressive. When our kids were little we couldn’t cross to the neighboring time zone without sending the kids into a sleep-cycle tailspin!
Some great ideas and I have never heard of cryotherapy – interesting but not sure I would do that. Lol.
Make sure to adjust your clock to the destination as soon as you get on the plane and manage sleeping/eating accordingly for avoiding jet lag!
Isn’t adjusting to jet lag part of the fun of traveling? It’s always a popular conversation piece/ice breaker. Endure the first few days and be grateful you get to travel this big world.
I just try to stay awake for as long as possible throughout the flight, entertaining myself with movies/tv shows so I can go to bed at whatever “normal” time is in my destination.
Limiting jet lag is never easy and luckily for me I rarely get it. I have done some of the things suggested here like sleeping pills but they never did much for me. I still don’t have a solution.
I love the idea to start adjusting to the new time zone 3-4 days before the trip. Can’t think why I’ve never thought of that before (although sometimes those pre-trip days get crazy busy, so not always practical). I usually try to make myself adhere to the new time zone as soon as I land. No naps, going to bed at a reasonable local bedtime, then making myself get up in the morning. I am usually okay by my second day of the trip.
Best to stay up the night before and then sleep all the way to the destination. Always works for me
Sleeping pills and a lie flat bed are essential. I also just power through the arrival day. Visited my son in HK and got in and went right to the bars and nightlife with him. Fell asleep and woke up ready to go the next day!
I love the suggestion to start simulating the new time zone 3-4 days before the trip. Seems silly that this has never occurred to me before. One thing I try to do is to make myself adapt to the new time zone sleeping schedule as soon as I arrive. No naps! Go to bed the first night at a reasonable time and make myself get up in the morning. I am usually fine by the second day.
These are great ideas! Now its time for me to test them and see if they actually work!
I absolutely love this article. It makes so much sense and I am the fool that falls into the “fight jet lag products”. Now I know better and what I can do better to fight it. Definitely pinning this for later too!
I fly often to Hawaii and its good to be able to wake up super early every day. Lol. On the way back im not sure if its jet lag or just disappointment that im leaving the islands.
I think limiting exposure to light might help, but there’s not much you can do if you land in the early morning or at noon! I think if you take a long flight, just time your naps/sleep. If you know you’re going to land in the morning, sleep as much as possible on the plane. If you’re landing at night, stay up as much as possible. I have this during dozens of trips between Asia and the US. Furthermore, it’s actually quite nice to wake up extra early because you haven’t fully gotten over jet lag because it’s most peaceful in the morning and tourist attractions are the emptiest.