Jet Lag Throws Off Your Sleep Schedule—What to Do

Recently we had guests in our offices from Singapore, which has a time difference of 14 hours. By the middle of the day, they were definitely feeling the effects of jet lag. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the human body works on a 24-hour cycle called circadian rhythms which are measured by the rise and fall of body temperature, plasma levels of hormones, and other biological conditions—all of which are influenced by exposure to sunlight and help determine when to sleep and when to be awake.

If you’ve traveled across time zones, you’ve probably experienced jet lag. It is more noticeable when traveling overseas. You feel as if you are on the time schedule from which you just came. What is really happening is that your circadian rhythms are slow to adjust and remain on their original biological schedule for several days. So when it’s the middle of the day, you—just like our Singapore guests—may feel like sleeping because your body tells you it’s time for sleep. Jet lag can also make us stay awake when it’s late at night.

Some great suggestions for combating jet lag from the National Sleep Foundation include:

• Select a flight that allows early evening arrival and stay up until 10 p.m. local time. (If you must sleep during the day, take a short nap in the early afternoon, but no longer than two hours. Set an alarm to be sure not to over sleep.)
• Anticipate the time change for trips by getting up and going to bed earlier several days prior to an eastward trip and later for a westward trip.
• Upon boarding the plane, change your watch to the destination time zone.
• Avoid alcohol or caffeine at least three to four hours before bedtime. Both act as "stimulants" and prevent sleep.
• Upon arrival at a destination, avoid heavy meals (a snack—not chocolate—is okay).
• Avoid any heavy exercise close to bedtime. (Light exercise earlier in the day is fine.)
• Bring earplugs and blindfolds to help dampen noise and block out unwanted light while sleeping.
• Try to get outside in the sunlight whenever possible. Daylight is a powerful stimulant for regulating the biological clock. (Staying indoors worsens jet lag.)
• Contrary to popular belief, the type of foods we eat have no effect on minimizing jet lag.

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