Fly Without Jet Lag
Three days before departure and four after landing: sleep, light and drinks set to your destination time.
For travelers crossing three or more time zones. For three days before departure and four after landing, you shift your sleep, light and drinks, just a few minutes each day.
A day in the program
Tasks, in order.
Times assume waking at 7:00 and going to sleep at 23:00. In the app, they shift to fit you.
Morning
- 7:00Wake up on destination timeSleep · Every day
When you arrive, get up by local time, not home time. Before you leave, shift your alarm along with your bedtime.
Melatonin. Higher-strength melatonin is regulated as a medicine in some countries, including the Czech Republic since 2023. If you are considering it, follow the package leaflet or ask a pharmacist (Seznam Zprávy, per SÚKL).
Late morning
- 9:00Go out into daylight30 min · Lifestyle · Every day
When you fly east, get light in the morning at your destination; when you fly west, move this to the early evening. For a shift of 8 hours or more, go out closer to midday for the first two days. A walk or a coffee outside is enough.
Light sets the clock. A week of natural daylight only moved melatonin onset about two hours earlier (Wright et al. 2013).
- 11:00Drink a glass of water250 ml · Water · Every day
When you are on the plane, drink 200 to 250 ml of water for every hour of the flight, and while you do, circle your ankles and do 10 seated heel raises. Go easy on alcohol on board. When you are not flying, one glass in the morning is enough.
Caution. If your calf hurts or swells after a flight, see a doctor right away. For chest pain or sudden shortness of breath, call your local emergency number.
A drink on board? Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it disrupts sleep in the second half of the night and shortens REM (Ebrahim et al. 2013).
Night
- 22:00Shift your bedtime by an hourSleep · Every day
When it is the last three days before departure, go to bed one hour closer to destination time: earlier when flying east, later when flying west. After landing, go to bed by local time.
Step by step. Shifting by an hour a day is a practical rule for preparation, not an exact dose.
General suggestions for everyday wellbeing, not medical advice. Adjust the tasks to suit you. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication regularly, talk to your doctor before making changes.
What our programs build onSources
What the program builds on.
The steps are planned ahead in the form "when I land, I will", which has a medium-to-large effect on reaching goals.
- Ebrahim et al. 2013: Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep (review) (opens in a new tab)review
The program suggests water instead of alcohol, because alcohol disrupts sleep in the second half of the night.
The program does not dose melatonin, because higher strengths are regulated as a medicine in some countries, and it refers you to a pharmacist.
Morning light on destination time follows a study in which a week of natural daylight shifted the internal clock by about two hours.