Virtually everyone who has taken a red-eye flight to Europe from the U.S. has experienced jet lag—even those who can catch some sleep while en route. Likewise, anyone who has flown west across 3 or more time zones will feel jet lag for a few days. It’s a by-product of traveling a distance in a short period.

Jet Lag Symptoms

Jet lag symptoms vary by individual but typically include feeling exhausted, irritable, nauseous, foggy, and generally ‘off’. That’s because your biological clock is on a different schedule than the local time zone you are in.

For example, if you fly east across 6 time zones, and when you land it is 8:00 am local time, your body will feel like it is 2:00 am (because that’s what time it is in your home time zone.) You’ll wish you were in a bed sound asleep, even if just for an hour. Unfortunately, since your vacation has started, you’ll want your body as awake and ready as possible for a full day.

What Causes Jet Lag?

Jet lag is caused by disrupting the body’s natural circadian rhythm–your body’s natural biological clock in the brain. This internal clock is naturally aligned with the cycle of day and night. As your body’s circadian rhythm gradually resets to align with a new time zone, jet lag symptoms dissipate.

Circadian rhythm differs slightly from person to person (some people are night owls whereas some are morning people), but regardless, it often takes a few days for your biological clock to align with a new time zone.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), when your circadian rhythm is thrown off by time zone changes, you might experience daytime sleepiness, have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, become irritable, have gastrointestinal problems, or even feel depressed. Your judgment can even become impaired.

How To Combat Jet Lag

You can’t control time zones, or change your body to the new time zone with the flip of a switch, but you can do a few things to soften the blow during your flight and on the first few days of your trip.

Here are a few things you can do as you transition to a different time zone, whether you’re heading to your destination or returning home):

1. Adapt as quickly as possible to your new time zone. 

Forget your old time zone. Eat and sleep based on your destination’s schedule as soon as you land and even on your flight if you can.  

2. Arrive at least one full day before the start of your tour or must-see sites you’ve been dreaming about.

Most tours start in the early morning so at a minimum, you’ll need to arrive the day before. And, when you travel to Europe from the U.S., most departures are red-eye (overnight) flights so that you’ll arrive at your hotel mid-morning or mid-afternoon on the next day (given the time it takes to deplane, pick up your checked bags, grab a cab or rental car, drive to your lodging, etc.) That doesn’t give you a full day before your tour begins. That only gives you a half-day. If you can, add another full day before the tour. It may sound like a lot but the worst jet lag days are the first 2 or 3 days, and you don’t want to feel crummy when you’re visiting that must-see site you’ve dreamed about.

For example, if you have a European tour starting on a Tuesday at 8:00 am (most tours don’t start on weekend days), you’ll want to take a Saturday night flight from the U.S. that arrives in Europe on Sunday. This will give you all of Monday as your full day. Your body, mind, and travel companions will thank you.

3. Don’t schedule anything super important the day your flight lands.

You won’t be at your best. Walk a bit, grab a meal at a relaxed pace, go to one or two tourist sites, and consider anything else you do that day as an extra. 

4. Sleep according to your destination’s schedule

If your flight overlaps when people at your destination are sleeping, try to get a bit of shut-eye on the flight. For example, if a flight from Boston to London leaves at 10:00 pm, it’s 3:00 am in London. That’s an overlap of 3-4 hours of sleep time.

Keep in mind that the cabin lights will be on during the first hours of the flight. To help get some sleep, bring a travel neck pillow, eye mask, and ear plugs. Even a few hours of dozing will help.

Also, keep in mind that most people struggle with falling asleep on a flight. Close your eyes, relax, and try not to get worked up or frustrated. 

5. Don’t take a nap as soon as you arrive at your hotel

Most European flights from the U.S. are red eyes with arrivals early to mid-morning. By the time you get to your hotel, it might be noon or later local time. That bed will be calling your name! Instead, drop your bags off, freshen up a bit, and head out to enjoy a light activity day. 

If you’re traveling with grandchildren, don’t let them ‘lay down for a moment’. On a trip to Paris with our high school-age son, we turned our backs for a few moments to find him on the bed asleep. It took several hours of convincing to get him out of the room and into the sunshine. Not a great way to start a vacation.

6. Enjoy the sunshine in the afternoon

Daylight releases cortisol to wake the brain. On your first few days in Europe make a point to enjoy the afternoon sun (don’t nap). Sun will help your body stay awake a bit longer when fatigue sets in, and help block the production of melatonin so you can adjust your internal clock quickly.

When you wake up early local time (and you probably will those first few days in Europe), get out and enjoy a sunrise or watch the city come alive. Think of it as an opportunity!

7. Take melatonin (peri) in the evening

Darkness encourages the brain to release the sleep hormone melatonin. You can also take a melatonin supplement after dark for the first few days in Europe (I’ve found it takes as much as an hour to work) to get your body sleepy at night.

8. Stay hydrated with water

Proper hydration is important before, during, and after your flight. When your body is dehydrated, you may have some body aches, that can affect your ability to sleep when you need to and enjoy those first few days of your trip.

9. Use caffeine to extend your day

If it’s mid-afternoon and that foggy feeling is creeping in, grab a cup of coffee, a caffeinated soda, or chocolate. This will help you get energized for a few more hours to stay up closer to your new time zone’s bedtime.

10. Know that jet lag is temporary

You will likely experience some amount of jet lag during the first few days of a long-distance trip. Know that it is a temporary situation. Accept it and use the tips listed above to get past it quickly.

Does anyone have any other tips that they’ve used on a long-distance trip? Leave a comment!