How you can beat Jet Lag - Tips from Professionals
You've landed in Tokyo after a 12-hour flight from London. It’s 10 AM outside, but your brain thinks that it’s still 9 PM. You're wide awake when you should be sleeping, and starving when there’s no meal in sight.
That’s jet lag.
And while it’s a familiar inconvenience for travelers, it’s a daily occupational hazard for pilots and flight crews.
Let’s unpack what causes jet lag, what it does to your body and mind, and how airline professionals manage it when time zones blur into each other.
What Is Jet Lag, Really?
Jet lag is a disruption of your body’s circadian rhythm, your internal biological clock that tells you when to eat, sleep, and wake. This rhythm is synced to your home time zone, but when you travel rapidly across multiple zones, it doesn’t adjust instantly.
Your body still thinks it’s in Zurich even though you’ve just landed in Bangkok.
The result? You may experience:
Sleep disturbances
Daytime fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Mood swings
Digestive problems
A general sense of disorientation
Jet lag typically kicks in after crossing two or more time zones, and the more you cross, the more intense it gets.
The Science Behind Circadian Rhythm Disruption
At the core of jet lag is a group of cells in your brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master clock. It regulates:
Melatonin production (your sleep hormone)
Body temperature
Alertness levels
Hormone cycles
This master clock is deeply influenced by light exposure, particularly sunlight. When you land in a new time zone, your SCN still operates on your departure time until it gets enough environmental cues, like daylight, to gradually reset.
On average, your body adjusts at a rate of about 1 time zone per day.
East vs. West: Direction Matters
Flying eastward (e.g., New York to Paris) shortens your day, which your body resists more than westward travel, which lengthens it.
That’s why flying east typically causes more severe jet lag than flying west. Your internal clock prefers to delay sleep, not force it earlier.
How Pilots and Flight Crews Handle Jet Lag
Unlike most travelers, pilots don’t have the luxury of time to adapt. They’re expected to perform at peak mental sharpness regardless of body clock confusion.
Here’s how they manage:
1. Strategic Napping
Pilots often take pre-flight naps and rest during long-haul flights (in crew rest compartments). Rest is regulated by aviation authorities to ensure alertness.
2. Bright Light Exposure
To reset their internal clocks faster, flight crews use light exposure strategically, either by going outside or using light therapy lamps to shift their circadian rhythms.
3. Melatonin Supplements
Some pilots use melatonin pills to help align their sleep cycles with destination time zones.
4. Controlled Caffeine Intake
Pilots are careful with caffeine, using it to stay alert at critical times, but avoiding it when it could interfere with post-flight sleep.
5. Route Pairing & Crew Scheduling
Airlines often assign pilots to specific routes where they’re less likely to bounce between wildly different time zones.
This helps limit extreme circadian disruption over time.
What You Can Learn From the Pros
For regular travelers, borrowing a few tricks from the cockpit can ease the pain of jet lag:
Adjust your sleep schedule 2–3 days before your trip
Expose yourself to sunlight at your destination as early as possible
Avoid alcohol and caffeine in the air
Stay hydrated
Don't force sleep and let your body gradually adjust