Beat Jet Lag NOW: 5 Tips to Sleep Better and Travel Smarter 

As a retired airline pilot, these are in general ok. But I hotly disagree with the stay awake after the morning landing. For many people get a couple hours sleep at the hotel then get up and on the local time. This technique is approved by sleep doctors. Trying to power through the first day just makes many people totally miserable.

I travel to Munich every year from Texas to see family. 7 hour time difference. When traveling east to Europe, ALWAYS choose a "red eye" or overnight flight. I always choose a night-time flight so that I land in the morning. It helps a TON, taking off at night typically around 8pm, sleep the last 2-3 hours of the flight, and then wake up landing at 9am in Munich. And then spend the whole day outside, I will go on a run or long walk. Doing this, my body typically instantly adjusts. The first day I am very tired, and the second day it gets better. By the third day its over. I torture myself though because I always only stay for 8 days lol, so just a couple days after I really fully adjust, I go back to the states and start the process over haha. Also, try to get a flight on a new airplane. I love the A380. The technology with cabin pressure and lighting is designed to help you adjust better.

Another thing to consider is adjusting your bedtime gradually for the week or so before you leave. We knocked 2-3 hours off the 7 hour time difference by going to bed and waking up earlier before our JFK to Johannesburg flight, making the adjustment easier.

I travel to Europe with a nine hour time change every year. This video is a good basic guide. One point which I doubt is that somehow jet lag to Europe can be overcome in two or three days. Based on my conversations with an actual sleep scientist from Harvard, the most the body will adjust is one hour per day - or a bit more with experience. Additional advice: Eat lightly starting two days before your flight and then hit the protein when you land in the morning. I also recommend the swimming pool when you arrive.

I’m old school and still wear a wrist watch. I set the time on my watch for my destination’s time as soon as I board. I also prefer to take a late flight so I’m more likely to be ready to sleep after the meal service.

Agree 1000% with your recommendations!

Very helpful. Thanks!

Lots of great suggestions!

Thank you that was brilliant ❤

Sounds like good tips!!

Really appreciate this video. Definitely plan on following your suggestions in July when traveling to Europe. Thanks.

I use the same light that you do! Living in the northern US, I find it amazing to help me beat the blues in the winter, or any 'blah' day.

I’ve been at Flight Attendant for over 27 years and enjoyed this so much you are ‘right on’ great advice!

Great tips

Thank you.

We have always laid down for a power nap(a couple of hours) once we get checked into our accommodation. Then get up and out and on local time. We stay up as late as possible and get a full nights sleep. Has always worked for us. I do thank you for all your tips. Good knowledge to have and use on our next travels.

This is a great video! Really helpful! 👍🏻👍🏻

Thanks for a great video Nik. Regards Rusty from Perth Australia.

All your videos are super helpful. Liked and subscribed already. One of the big challenges I have been facing I never get sleep not even a nap in the flight despite the sleeping aids not drinking alcohol. That makes it hard after I land and get into jet lag. Not sure is there a solution for it in my case. Cheers 👍

I’m with you on the light therapy! It’s such an underrated technique!

Thanks, you organized the thoughts I had. Great collection of Europe through the Back Door you have. Do you live near the store?

I try to start adjusting my sleep to earlier. This helps me ease into the rhythm better. Also, I fly west so any tips are good. I'm flying a couple days early next time just to rest and get acclimated. I did not last time and it was not great. I recommend restricting sodium intake a couple of days prior. Helps with inflammation and airport/airline food is very salty. Sip anti-inflammatory tea helps too.

omg you are so right. when i travel from Washington dc to Prague (once or twice a year), its not much of a problem but when i return home, its a GD nightmare. i cant sleep (or sleep very little) for a week or two, its awful. normally i travel in the summer, so in prague its starting to get light out around 330am and by 430am it looks like noon here in the states, that doesnt help either

Flying from the East coast to Spain every year; I follow what you suggest 👍. However, coming back home is always harder (east to west). 3 connections and I’m dragging in. Takes about a week to feel “normal.”

Yes yes yes. I have found all the things you suggest are what I do and I have recently taken 4 long haul flights (Perth, Australia-London; Istanbul-Perth; Perth-New York and back) and had NO jet lag on each by following this regime. In Australia you can get a mild sleeping tablet from your GP called Temazepam which I always take on the long haul flight and it doesnt make you groggy if you have to wake up and then when at my destination I take one melatonin tablet to go to sleep for the first two nights only. Only additional things I'd recommend is using an eye mask and good ear plugs on the plane while sleeping and I just used a hammock for my feet on long haul flights which helps make sleep in coach sooo much easier. Last thing is after the meal service I usually try to sleep as much as possible on the flight. Thanks for all your videos guys.

Love the Rick Steves’ guides in the background!

I never get jet lag at my destination , usually East from where I live, even though I’m sometimes up for 32 hours straight. I set my watch to the time of my destination and never think about it after that. BUT I get it bad when I return home. I think it’s because I come home exhausted.

This video is very "fly east"-oriented, which is great for flying from LAX to Europe, and thank you! Flying to West to Asia is different. I try to stay awake the whole time and land in the evening and go to bed. Your recommendations would be helpful!

Thank you for your video. The coming month I fly from Montreal to Seoul via Istanbul. Question: what city should I adjust to in both planes? Appreciate your help!

Love these suggestions. I find airlines I’ve travelled are much better now at helping us get used to the upcoming time zone. eg. Lights out time. Yes, when you get there, stay awake long enough to go to bed at the new time. Once I was awake for 36 hours but it worked. Cheers from 🇦🇺

Thanks for the good info. What do you think of the app Timeshifter that maps your sleep before departure to acclimate the body to the new destination gradually? Have you tried it?

Thanks for the helpful tips! I'd also recommend plenty of Vitamin C - fruit on the plane, freshly squeezed juices on arrival at your destination.

This was a good summary, and I lived in Asia for 14 years and made many, long transpacific journeys.. with 3 children! How do I find your "link below" for the options you were going to share about the light therapy?

Okay,but temazapan sleeping tabs are amazing, you wake up feeling having such a good sleep... i know you are not a medical person, but I am a retired Qantas employee, and have travelled a lot from Australia, which is a LONG way from any where .....USA or Europe....or more ... and I have not had a bad experience, so may be it was the excitment of a new destination, but I honestly am sooo excited about the new destination, I must admit, when I am able to sleep that night, at the destination, I AM EXHAUSTED and sleep well ... ps... cannot resist a glass or 2 or 4 of the best RED they offer on the flight .. love you experiences ... well done, .. I just want the experience of long haul can be fun .. and not a total non fun...and healthy experience... plenty of time afer this arduous airflight ... just have fun and enjoy their amenities

Drinking water with minerals (electrolytes) is also a good idea to avoid dehydration from drinking a lot of regular water. You can add a pinch of Himalayan salt which contains dozens of trace minerals. Great video!

I wear an old school analog watch and set it to the destination time before the plane takes off. I don’t wear my smartwatch. I set my phone and iPad manually so I can’t cheat and get confused by the dual times. Wearing an analog watch prevents me from waking up too much by checking time on a device with blue light.

I was a million miler international traveler. First, I'd get cleaned up in the hotel and pound down the water. I'd try and schedule the flights so I landed in late afternoon or evening. I was never miserable from getting out and walking asap. Hydration and exercise seemed to do it for me. Yeah, east bound to Europe from LAX/SFO was the worst. Asia not so much.

I only have a six hour time difference from the East Coast to Europe and it's not too bad. You almost always have an overnight flight going over and while you might not get a good night's sleep on the plane, it will be dark when it's supposed to be dark and you'll probably at least doze a few hours. When you land it is very early morning EST and late morning local time time but either way it is light outside when it's supposed to be day time according to your body clock so it's not too big of a shock to your system. You're excited to be in Rome or wherever and that perks you up. You get to your hotel and take a nap (just an hour or two) and then you go out and wander around a bit, get an early dinner, and go to bed about 10:00 pm local time. Since you didn't get much sleep for the past 36 hours, you sleep hard and wake up early the next morning ready to start the day. I've never had any jet lag going to Europe and I think the key is to take a short nap when you arrive and then stay awake until the local bedtime. Going back home, to me, is a little harder since your flight follows the sun which never sets. You arrive in the early afternoon but it feels like it should be dark by then and that is a little disorienting. You go to bed as soon as it gets dark, and you'll probably wake up super early the first morning, but by the next day you're good.

Best method is to land at your destination after 6pm (worst is early morning arrival). Chances are you will be really tired when you get to your destination so sleeping should be easy. When you arrive at say 6pm, by the time you get your bags, clear customs and check into your hotel, it'll be 9p or 10p. Perfect time to sleep. Avoid at all costs arriving before noon.

For the case where you get tired in the afternoon and wake up at 4 am, I found that other than delaying bed time as much as possible, putting an alarm to 12 midnight to take a Melatonin sleep aid, to help you delay wakeup time as much as possible is very helpful.

When I travel to Europe from the west coast of the US, I always book a flight that leaves San Francisco in the morning, so I start my travel day fresh out of a good night's sleep at home. I spend that first leg of my trip that gets me to the east coast awake & reading or doing puzzles or playing cards. Then for the Atlantic crossing, which is a night flight, I eat supper (no alcohol) & put on my eye masks & my noise cancelling headset & try to sleep at least a little. Then I land in Europe in the morning, like around 9:30-10am, so I have all day long when I arrive to get through customs, get to my hotel, go out for a light lunch, then come back to my room & do a little R&R for 2-4 hrs, like some yoga & maybe a brief nap, before I shower & go out for some walking around 4pm before supper. When this is my travel schedule, I usu. sleep pretty good my first night there.

I always get to Europe a day early to deal with the jet lag. I take a 3 hour nap right away then carry on.

I’m going to Australia, and the time difference is +8 hours ( from the uk). Does that mean if I sleep early on in the flight ( assuming I’ll land in the night) I can sleep during the night time there, by spending my 'day' doing stuff on the plain? So if I sleep for the first 5 hours of the flight I can tire myself out for the sleep when I land by doing stuff?

I'm the type that cannot sleep on a plane. Pills, reading, eye covers...nothing works. Going to Europe from USA and arriving in the morning, my strategy is to power through that day and don't sleep until the evening. It's not too bad during the day; it only feels really bad once the sun goes down. I'll get a good night sleep, and the next day the jet lag is totally gone.

Planning for Destination during daylight hours is the best strategy and getting there at night is the worse no matter where you go: East, West, North or South.

I don’t know if Nik reads these comments. There is a question about these long overnight flights that I haven’t heard addressed. This is: if your wife says that you snore, is there a way to avoid this in a plane if you actually do fall asleep?

One traveler said that cherries are good sleep aid. What do you think about it ?

Hi Nik - do you pack the Light with you on overnight flights?

I visit Asia once a year. My jet lag is worse after the trio home to the USA…..ug.

if you're bringing "jet lag medication " with you ( in your carry on bag) , it might be prudent to have a doctor's note /prescription to explain the medication to any curious authorities

I’m lucky. I’ve been a shift worker for 25 years and I very very rarely get jet lag (touch wood!)

Landing in Frankfurt at 7am later this year and then have a 4 hour train ride to munich. Not sure i'll be able keep myself awake 😅

Thanks for your tips. Btw it should have been ‘don’t LIE down’ not ‘lay down’, because ‘lay’ must be followed by an object i.e: lay a suitcase or lay a baby on the bed.

Take a cruise ship. Aviation is no longer a romantic option. And I’m a pilot.

Airline coffee? Yeah right.

𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. ❤️🇵🇭