Jet lag how long

Here are a few tips:. You may want to consider melatonin to help your body get or stay sleepy while jet-lagged. Use caution when trying it, and be sure to talk to your doctor about any questions you have before using it. Talk to your doctor about whether sleep aids may help jet lag-induced insomnia. You may also consider taking these aids during air travel. Keep in mind that sleep aids have side effects, so discuss the pros and cons of this solution with your doctor.

If you travel often and know jet lag can be a problem, you can ask your doctor for recommendations. They may prescribe sleeping pills or discuss ways to use supplements like melatonin most effectively.

Travel comes with some inconveniences, such as jet lag. You may also want to plan plenty of time during your trip to adjust to the new time zone so that you can enjoy some days where you feel on schedule and refreshed. Jet lag is a common condition that goes away after a few days or weeks. The symptoms of jet lag can be difficult to manage in your first few days of traveling to a different time zone. Keeping a new schedule and managing your wakeful and sleepy times with certain interventions may help reduce jet-lag symptoms.

Ever feel off after a long flight? That's jet lag. Find out the causes, treatments, and some tips for prevention. Melatonin may help reduce symptoms of jet lag. We explain the research behind melatonin for jet lag, and provide some tips on how to use it when…. If you need it, taking a short nap can help you stay awake during the day.

But napping for more than 30 minutes can keep you from falling asleep at night. Try to stay awake until your normal bedtime and to get up on time the next day. Bring earplugs and a sleep mask. These can help you fall asleep even if your body does not feel ready.

What other parts of travel can affect my sleep? So, packing earplugs might be a good idea. Using a white noise app on your phone or running a fan can help. And, it will help you get up in the morning at the correct time. If your destination is hot, wear light, breathable clothing. It takes a few weeks for your body to get used to altitudes of 13, feet or more. And anything more than 6, feet can be tough if you have breathing problems. Less oxygen in the air makes it harder to breathe, and that can affect your activity as well as your sleep.

Try to sleep at a lower altitude than where you spend your days. Stay hydrated, sleep on your side and use a humidifier at night if possible. Most people find that jet lag is worse when traveling east than it is when traveling west. Jet lag does not occur on north-south flights that do not cross multiple time zones.

Not everyone who takes a long-distance flight gets jet lag. Multiple factors influence the likelihood and severity of jet lag:. Because there are many factors involved, it is hard to know exactly who will develop jet lag, how severe it will be, and how long it will last. However, it is common for at least mild jet lag to occur when more than three time zones are crossed during flight.

Travel fatigue includes symptoms like tiredness and headaches that can arise because of the physical toils of travel. Airplane cabins, which have cool, dry, low-pressure air, can cause dehydration and susceptibility to respiratory problems.

Air pressure changes can lead to bloating, and long-term sitting can cause leg swelling. All of these factors contribute to feeling exhausted after a long flight; however, this is distinct from jet lag. Unlike jet lag, travel fatigue does not involve circadian rhythm disruption. It is possible to have both travel fatigue and jet lag after a long-haul flight, but jet lag is far more likely to cause lasting and extensive symptoms.

Jet lag can have ruinous effects on a vacation, business trip, or athletic competition. As a result, travelers of all kinds strive to minimize the effects of jet lag. The key to preventing and reducing jet lag is quickly realigning your circadian rhythm to synchronize with the time zone of your destination.

Until this is achieved, steps can be taken to manage symptoms. For very short trips, you may be able to avoid jet lag by scheduled activities, including sleep, to keep your circadian rhythm aligned with your home time zone. For travel lasting more than a few days, minimizing jet lag requires acclimating to the day-night cycle at your destination.

The following sections address methods of reorienting your circadian rhythm and practical tips for reducing jet lag. Light is the most powerful influence on circadian rhythm, and strategic light exposure may help adjust your internal clock to avoid or reduce jet lag. The effect on circadian rhythm depends on the level and timing of light exposure.

Sunlight has the highest level of illumination and the strongest circadian effects. Different types of artificial light can also influence circadian timing to a lesser degree. At certain times, light exposure can either advance or delay your internal clock. Properly timed periods of both daylight and darkness can help sync your circadian rhythm with local time. When access to natural light is limited, light therapy lamps, also known as lightboxes, can deliver bright light exposure with greater circadian influence.

Melatonin is a hormone that the body produces that helps to both make you feel sleepy and govern your circadian rhythm. Melatonin is normally produced in the evening, a few hours before bedtime, but this schedule can get thrown off by jet lag.

Other types of sleeping pills , including prescription and over-the-counter drugs and natural sleep aids, may help you fall asleep or stay asleep, but they do not work to change your circadian rhythm. In some cases, they may even mask an ongoing case of jet lag. Sleep aids can have side effects, including a heightened risk of falls and accidents if they increase drowsiness.

Some methods of preventing jet lag are based on modifying your sleep schedule in the days leading up to your trip so that when you arrive at your destination there is less of a discrepancy between your circadian rhythm and the local time. In addition to changing your bedtime, this approach often involves carefully timed melatonin and light exposure to proactively alter your circadian rhythm. While this approach may be beneficial in some cases, it may not be practical depending on your daily schedule, and professional, family, and social obligations.

The optimal plan to avoid jet lag depends on many factors including the direction of your flight, the number of time zones crossed, how long you will remain at your destination, and your schedule and obligations during your trip. Taking these factors into account, you can create a personalized plan to reduce jet lag.

Light and melatonin together can help you realign your circadian rhythm, but without proper timing, they can exacerbate rather than reduce jet lag. A doctor, travel nurse, or sleep specialist may be available to help you prepare a plan for managing jet lag. Several online resources and apps can help you generate tailored schedules to help reduce jet lag based on your trip detaails. A number of practical tips for before, during, and after your flight can help reduce sleep disruptions and travel fatigue so that you make the most of your trip.

Eric Suni has over a decade of experience as a science writer and was previously an information specialist for the National Cancer Institute. His research and clinical practice focuses on the entire myriad of sleep disorders. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.

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Your body has its own internal clock circadian rhythms that signals your body when to stay awake and when to sleep. Jet lag occurs because your body's clock is still synced to your original time zone, instead of to the time zone where you've traveled.

The more time zones crossed, the more likely you are to experience jet lag. Jet lag can cause daytime fatigue, an unwell feeling, difficulty staying alert and gastrointestinal problems. Jet lag is temporary, but it can significantly reduce your vacation or business travel comfort. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help prevent or minimize jet lag. Symptoms of jet lag can vary. You may experience only one symptom or you may have many.

Jet lag symptoms may include:. Jet lag symptoms usually occur within a day or two of travel if you've traveled across at least two time zones. Symptoms are likely to be worse or last longer the more time zones that you've crossed, especially if you travel in an easterly direction. It usually takes about a day to recover for each time zone crossed. Jet lag is temporary. But if you're a frequent traveler and continually struggle with jet lag, you may benefit from seeing a sleep specialist.

Jet lag can occur anytime you cross two or more time zones. Jet lag occurs because crossing multiple time zones puts your internal clock circadian rhythms , which regulates your sleep-wake cycle, out of sync with the time in your new locale. For example, if you leave New York on a flight at 4 p. Wednesday, your internal clock still thinks it's 1 a.