Suppose a traveller is flying from Las Vegas to New York. By getting bright light in the morning (through sunlight or a light box), she is able to quickly adjust to the new time zone. See the example jet lag plan below.
Follow the plan below until you are alert during the day and sleeping well at night. If the suggestions are inconvenient for you, explore more options.
Preview
| Las Vegas time | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sun, 31 | Mon, 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mon, 1 | Tue, 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tue, 2 | Wed, 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wed, 3 | Thu, 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New York City time | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sleep ideal Light ideal Melatonin Travelling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Plan
| Mon, 1 Jan | ||
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Depart and set your watch to arrival time zone (12:00). Sleep when needed on plane. The following times are in the arrival time zone. | |
| 18:30 | Arrive | |
| 21:00 | Take melatonin (0.5 mg) | |
| Tue, 2 Jan | ||
| 02:00–10:00 | Sleep ideal (or earlier) | |
| 10:00–13:00 | Light ideal after waking | |
| 20:00 | Take melatonin (0.5 mg) | |
| Wed, 3 Jan | ||
| 01:00–09:00 | Sleep ideal (or earlier) | |
| 09:00–12:00 | Light ideal after waking | |
| 19:00 | Take melatonin (0.5 mg) | |
| Thu, 4 Jan | ||
| 00:00–08:00 | Sleep ideal (or earlier) | |
| 08:00–11:00 | Light ideal after waking |
Guidelines
- Light ideal means try to get as much light as possible. Spend time outside in sunlight (even if it's cloudy) or near a bright window. If it's dark out, seek bright artificial light, preferably from a portable light box. Intermittent light works, but try to stay in light for as long as convenient.
- Sleep ideal means that sleep is ideal during this period.
- Take melatonin means that melatonin (0.5 mg) can be used for this trip. See the products page for important information before taking melatonin.
To reduce travel fatigue
- During the flight:
- Drink a lot of water (rather than tea, coffee, or alcohol)
- Eat fruit
- Upon arrival:
- Drink a lot of water (rather than tea, coffee, or alcohol)
- Take a shower
- Take a 20-minute nap if needed
More options
(Your personal jet lag plan will have more options here.)
See the reduce jet lag page for your own jet lag plan.