What is Jet Lag?

Your body has an internal 24-hour clock, known as the circadian rhythm. This helps regulate sleep, alertness, hormone release, appetite and body temperature.

When you travel quickly across time zones, your internal clock remains aligned with the time at home, while the local time at your destination is different.

• Difficulty falling asleep at the local bedtime
• Waking too early or during the night
• Daytime sleepiness
• Poor concentration and slower thinking
• Irritability or low mood
• Headaches
• Reduced appetite or digestive upset
• Reduced physical and mental performance

Jet lag is often more noticeable after eastward travel, but the severity varies considerably between individuals.

 Why a Jet Lag Plan?

You may benefit from a tailored jet lag plan if:

• You are crossing several time zones
• You have an important meeting, event or competition soon after arrival
• You have struggled badly with jet lag before
• You are travelling eastwards
• Your trip is short and you have limited time to adjust
• You have difficulty sleeping when travelling
• You use sleeping tablets or melatonin when flying
• You have a medical condition that may affect sleep or medication timing
• You travel frequently for work
• You are planning a complex trip involving several destinations

Generic online advice may not take into account your flight times, direction of travel, usual sleep pattern, destination schedule or medical history.

Why Personalised Planning Matters

The best jet lag strategy depends on:

• The number of time zones crossed
• Whether you are travelling east or west
• Departure and arrival times
• The length of your trip
• Your usual sleep and wake times
• Your age and natural sleep pattern
• Whether you need to be alert immediately after arrival
• Your exposure to light
• Your use of caffeine, alcohol, medication or melatonin

Advice that is helpful at one time of day may be unhelpful at another.

This is particularly important when considering light exposure and melatonin, as incorrect timing may move the body clock in the wrong direction and make adjustment more difficult.

What about Melatonin?

Melatonin is sometimes used to support adjustment across time zones, but timing is critical.
It is not simply a general sleeping tablet. It can influence the timing of the body clock, and taking it at the wrong time may worsen circadian disruption.

Before recommending melatonin, we consider:

• Direction of travel
• Flight and arrival times
• Intended bedtime at the destination
• Other medication
• Medical conditions
• Driving and work requirements
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• A history of epilepsy or other relevant conditions

It should be used as part of a wider plan rather than as a standalone solution.

Why not just use a sleeping tablet?

Sleeping tablets may make you drowsy, but they do not reset the body clock.

They may also cause:

• Grogginess
• Reduced alertness
• Impaired coordination
• Memory problems
• Poor-quality sleep
• Difficulty functioning after arrival
• Dependence or tolerance with repeated use

They may be particularly unsuitable where you need to drive, work or make important decisions after landing.

Preparing for important travel

Jet lag planning may be especially useful before:

• Business travel
• Conferences
• Sporting events
• Weddings
• Long-haul holidays
• Cruises
• Touring trips
• Travel involving repeated time-zone changes

The earlier the journey is reviewed, the more scope there may be to prepare in advance.

Book Your Sleep Clinic Appointment

The first step is a consultation with one of our GPs.

We will review your itinerary, sleep pattern, medical history and goals for the trip before developing an individual plan.
Where appropriate, you will receive written guidance outlining what to do before departure, during the journey and after arrival.

To arrange an appointment, please contact our bookings team or book a sleep assessment online.

Essex Private Doctors provides private insomnia treatment in Brentwood, Essex, including medical sleep assessment and face-to-face CBT-I. Serving Chelmsford, Billericay, Basildon, Romford, Colchester, Southend, Harlow and surrounding Essex areas, with easy access from North and East London via the Elizabeth line.