Flying Tired? A Real-World Guide to Beat Jet Lag from a Pilot
Why Jet Lag Hits Pilots Differently
Most passengers battle jet lag a few times a year. We do it at least once a week. That’s why the goal isn’t to be superhuman—it’s to be strategic: decide when to adapt, when to “home-base,” and when to simply protect a core block of sleep and ride it out. Here I am sharing my experience and strategy to make your next long haul flight/ journey as comfortable as possible and share tipps and best to do’s to get you the max out of your holiday time.
The Science in 90 Seconds
Jet lag is a temporary shift in your body’s 24-hour rhythm after rapid time-zone travel, leading to sleep disruption, daytime fatigue, fogginess, and digestive upset.
The effects seize gradually over several days, roughly proportional to the number of time zones crossed.
Rule of Thumb: You need approximately 1 day to balance 1 hour of time difference.
Your circadian rhythm runs a bit longer than 24 hours. It delays (stays up later) more easily than it advances (goes to bed earlier). That’s why westbound often feels simpler than eastbound. You’re loosing hours moving east and earn some moving west!
Night owls usually cope better westbound; morning types often cope better eastbound—adjust your shift pace accordingly.
Light is the strongest time cue. Morning light tends to advance your clock; evening light delays it. Sunglasses and indoor lighting are tools, not fashion.
Sleep pressure and caffeine interact can support to adjust for the new time zone if managed correctly!
Short, planned naps reduce sleep debt; long, late, or accidental naps can make night sleep harder. Even better if you can skip naps.
The food timing and choice also makes an impact as carbs and sugar make more tired and protein rich food gives you more energy. Use this!
Important: Nothing here is medical advice. I am against taking any medication as sleeping pills or even melatonin as the management with natural tools are also possible and more soft to the body’s system!
My Core Rules for long Haul Travels
Plan the time-zone strategy before the flight: adapt, semi-adapt (anchor sleep), or stay on home time- especially if the stay is only short (<7 days)
Protect the anchor sleep no matter what the place throws at you or what activities can be done- stick to a solid sleep in length and quality!
Use light like a switch: seek or avoid it at specific times to push your body clock in the direction you want.
Use caffein wisely: An uninterrupted intake of caffein drinks is no solution to tiredness or jet lag. Rather stick to specific times, where you take caffein products to energise the body to cope with your strategy.
Avoid too stimulating activities: Skip heavy workouts, parties or festivals in the first few days to allow your body to reset and adjust itself easier and smoother.
Listen to your body: Try to work with it rather than against. If it’s tired or energetic- go with it. A nap is always a good idea and won’t destroy your sleeping schedule.
From planning to Arrival- Best Practices:
1) Before the flight (24–48 hours out)
Book and plan your journey wisely: A long haul flight somewhere with a time zone difference of 9 hours makes no sense if you’ll stay only a week. You’ll be impacted by the Jet-Lag until flying back!
Nudge bedtime by 30–60 min toward destination time for two nights if possible.- especially if the flight goes eastbound!
Caffeine taper: last heavy dose 10 hours before your planned sleep at destination.
Pack the kit: eye mask, soft earplugs, blue-light–blocking glasses, light snack with protein + complex carbs, electrolyte packet tokeep the body hydrated, socks for the flight ( the cabins usually have an average temperature of 19-21 degrees max. to ensure proper ventilation!)
2) Inflight
Controlled caffeine: small, regular doses according to your current body clock; avoid the “rescue” double-shot late in the night.
Meal timing: Stick to your usual meal times especially on board and resist the attempt of eating whatever is being served at random times. It’ll help you to stick with your usual schedule.
Meal choices: You can always bring your own- healthy food on board rather than just taking the served meals. It is not advisable to have too much of raw food (e.g. salad), bloating veggies, heavy milk products or carbonated drinks on board which often lead to bloating. I avoid these and most of the times the airplane foods completely to ensure a proper and healthy nutrition level and protect the digestive system.
Movement: 2–3 short stretch breaks per hour when feasible. It is okay if you go to wider corridors or available spaces on the plane to stretch and move a bit when the seatbelt signs are switched off.
Sleep: Avoid meals or movies during your core sleeping time- use a mask& plugs and try to keep up your pre- sleep routine even on board. (Brushing teeth, listening to sleep podcast or whatever you do at home..)
3) After Arrival
East or West- try to nap after the arrival to give your body and mind to arrive at the new place and reset- but keep it to a max of 35 min’s.
Commit to adaptation. Slide 1–2 hours per day using morning/afternoon light.
Exercise: short, moderate sessions after the nap help you to mobilise the body and get rid of the stifness after a long flight. Yoga or a moderate cardio session are ideal for this.
Avoid workouts directly after the flight - a gentle yoga session or a walk outdoors after the nap is my key strategy to reconnect to myself and reawaken the body.
Food: Try to listen to the body and eat only when it feels hungry in order not to confuse and stress the metabolism additionally. Avoid alcohol as much as you can.
Activities: Try to resist the urge of going full in for sight seeing or places with lots of noise and crowds for the first few days. Do some more relaxed and rewinding activities in fresh air if possible.
Patience: Be patient with the body and observe how long it actually needs to fully adopt in order to plan your future journeys. You can even journal the effects of Jet-Lag and try to adjust the measures for the next time.
Eastbound vs. Westbound Cheatsheet
Eastbound (advance your clock):
Flying eastbound means simply you are loosing hours of your day. So it’ll be later (next day morning) upon arrival-Your inner clock will be in a morning mode with bright light at destination; So you’ll be starting a next day right away after landing. If you had good sleep on the flight you’re fine but if not- you’ll need some sleep to get through the day.
A micro‑nap on arrival and then early local bedtime is recommended but this doesn’t work for me. I usually take a longer nap or sleep for 2-3 hours first and still are able to go to bed at midnight local time.
From the next days on- shift your wake up times further back (earlier) to gradually match up with the local time and go to bed in local time.
Take your caffeine during local daytime only and stop in the afternoon to be able to sleep until the body is fully adapted.
If you arrive at a local darkness ( evening/night): Try to avoid any activity and caffeine at all - you’ll be tired until you reach the hotel/ place where you’re staying and prepare for a good sleep as usual. If you aren’t able to sleep - keep it easy and spend the time with unpacking and planning the day ahead. Be prepared that you’ll be tired the on the next local day. That’s normal.
Try to start the local morning with a normal caffeine intake- catch some sunlight as early as possible- and go for a workout. I usually do a 60-90 min’s morning yoga session for an energetic but calm start. Plan some easy activities for the day- if you can’t stay awake the whole local day- go for a very short nap- but don’t sleep until the local night time! I usually make it a short day and go to sleep around 8/9 p.m. local time. If you follow this schedule you’ll support your body in the best way to adapt gradually without having big issues.
Westbound (delay your clock):
Flying westbound means, you have more hours of the running day. So it’ll be earlier upon arrival.The inner clock is in the Evening mode at bright light/exposure
Again- a nap after the flight of 25-35 min’s is absolutely okay and helpful
You can have your caffeine afterwards and be active during the local time ( gentle workout or Yoga)
Commit to stay up until a reasonable local bedtime and prefer food which is rich in protein to have enough energy for the local day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I always adapt to destination?
No. For (ultra‑)short layovers, I protect anchor sleep and minimise exposure to the wrong light. For multi‑day layovers- 4 days or more- I adjust partially.
How much time do I need to adopt to a new timezone?
The rule of thumb says: You can balance an hour of time zone difference in 24 H. For example: If the time difference is 6H at the destination- You’ll need approximately 5-6 days to adjust yourself.
Do wearables help?
Wearables might help if you use them for the timing of your sleep/ movement/ food intake. A lot of of physical effects can be more clear, if you know the current time of your circadian rhythm.
How does alcohol effect jet- lag?
I don’t drink alcohol at all and can’t share any experiences on that but alcohol fragments sleep and dehydrates you—especially at altitude I would recommend to skip any alcoholic drinks in order not to over stress the body. Long- Haul flights with dry air and less space to move are enough stress for the body.
How can I accelerate the transition into the new time?
You can adjust your sleeping time even before the journey a bit according to the destination time (1-2 hours) to soften the effects. Once you arrived at the destination try to support the body with the right; light and nourishing food and good hydration. If you adjust your caffeine intake accordingly to sleep and rest at the present time and manage the light exposure for good sleep, you’ll do better. Soft and moderate movement can help the body to relax and reset additionally. Try to avoid exhausting workouts for the first few days.
Does hydration make me adapt faster?
Not really, but it helps the body to balance the effects better !
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Closing Thoughts
Jet lag doesn’t reward heroics—it rewards planning. Even before booking the next trip, think of the effects of Jet-Lag on the body and make sure the duration of the stay does clearly exceed the time you need to balance to the new time zone. It makes less sense to be busy with the effects for as long as your stay goes.
My personal rule : For any long haul travels with a time zone difference of 6 hours or more- I plan a minimum stay of 11 days!
Decide your strategy before the journey, start adapting before the journey and on the flight already.Protect anchor sleep , and let light do the heavy lifting.
Also check my Free Jet- Lag Yoga Flow - which helps me a lot smoothen and open the joints and muscles after long haul flights!
