Jet Lag Planner
Jet lag is your body clock stuck on the old time zone. Tell us your route and we build a day-by-day plan — exactly when to seek light, when to avoid it, and your target bed and wake times — so you adjust in days, not the whole trip.
Shifting your schedule a little each day before you fly means you land already partly adjusted.
Days to adjust after you land
~4 days
Flying east means advancing your clock — the harder direction. Morning light is your strongest tool. Your prep days already shaved this down.
Your day-by-day plan
Prep day 2 (before you fly)
home time🌙 Target bed
9:30 PM
☀️ Target wake
6:00 AM
💡 SEEK bright light
6:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Get outside or use bright light right after waking — this pulls your clock earlier.
🕶️ AVOID bright light
6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Dim the evening and wear sunglasses if needed — late light drags your clock the wrong way.
💊 Optional: a small dose ~9:00 PM can nudge the advance. General guidance only — not a dose recommendation. Check with your clinician first.
Prep day 1 (before you fly)
home time🌙 Target bed
8:30 PM
☀️ Target wake
5:00 AM
💡 SEEK bright light
5:00 AM – 7:00 AM
Get outside or use bright light right after waking — this pulls your clock earlier.
🕶️ AVOID bright light
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Dim the evening and wear sunglasses if needed — late light drags your clock the wrong way.
💊 Optional: a small dose ~8:00 PM can nudge the advance. General guidance only — not a dose recommendation. Check with your clinician first.
Arrival day
destination time🌙 Target bed
2:30 AM
☀️ Target wake
11:00 AM
💡 SEEK bright light
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Get outside or use bright light right after waking — this pulls your clock earlier.
🕶️ AVOID bright light
11:30 PM – 2:30 AM
Dim the evening and wear sunglasses if needed — late light drags your clock the wrong way.
💊 Optional: a small dose ~2:00 AM can nudge the advance. General guidance only — not a dose recommendation. Check with your clinician first.
Day 2
destination time🌙 Target bed
1:30 AM
☀️ Target wake
10:00 AM
💡 SEEK bright light
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Get outside or use bright light right after waking — this pulls your clock earlier.
🕶️ AVOID bright light
10:30 PM – 1:30 AM
Dim the evening and wear sunglasses if needed — late light drags your clock the wrong way.
💊 Optional: a small dose ~1:00 AM can nudge the advance. General guidance only — not a dose recommendation. Check with your clinician first.
Day 3
destination time🌙 Target bed
12:30 AM
☀️ Target wake
9:00 AM
💡 SEEK bright light
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Get outside or use bright light right after waking — this pulls your clock earlier.
🕶️ AVOID bright light
9:30 PM – 12:30 AM
Dim the evening and wear sunglasses if needed — late light drags your clock the wrong way.
💊 Optional: a small dose ~12:00 AM can nudge the advance. General guidance only — not a dose recommendation. Check with your clinician first.
Day 4
destination time🌙 Target bed
11:30 PM
☀️ Target wake
8:00 AM
💡 SEEK bright light
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Get outside or use bright light right after waking — this pulls your clock earlier.
🕶️ AVOID bright light
8:30 PM – 11:30 PM
Dim the evening and wear sunglasses if needed — late light drags your clock the wrong way.
💊 Optional: a small dose ~11:00 PM can nudge the advance. General guidance only — not a dose recommendation. Check with your clinician first.
Day 5 — adjusted
destination time🌙 Target bed
10:30 PM
☀️ Target wake
7:00 AM
💡 SEEK bright light
7:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Get outside or use bright light right after waking — this pulls your clock earlier.
🕶️ AVOID bright light
7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Dim the evening and wear sunglasses if needed — late light drags your clock the wrong way.
💊 Optional: a small dose ~10:00 PM can nudge the advance. General guidance only — not a dose recommendation. Check with your clinician first.
On the plane & arrival day
- 🕐 Set your watch to destination time the moment you board — start thinking in the new clock.
- 💧 Hydrate and skip alcohol; both make jet lag noticeably worse.
- ☀️ On arrival, get outside in daylight at the times marked "seek light" above — light is the master signal.
- 😴 Try to stay up until your target bedtime on arrival, even if you are tired.
✈️ Take your plan with you
Email yourself this day-by-day jet-lag schedule so it is ready for your trip — plus a weekly rhythm tip.
Free. Plus a weekly rhythm tip. Unsubscribe anytime.
Your chronotype changes how fast you adjust — a free quiz from The Body Clock tailors the plan to you.
How it works — the science
Every cell in your body runs on a roughly 24-hour clock, coordinated by a master clock in your brain. When you cross time zones, that clock stays on home time while the world around you has moved — the mismatch is what you feel as jet lag: wired at 3am, foggy at noon, hungry at strange hours.
Your clock can only shift about an hour per day. The most powerful thing that resets it is light. Light in the morning pulls your clock earlier (an advance); light in the evening pushes it later(a delay). So flying east — where you need to wake and sleep earlier — calls for morning light and dim evenings. Flying west — where you need to stay up later — calls for evening light and dim early mornings. Getting light at the wrong time can actually shift you the wrong way, which is why timing matters more than how bright it is.
East is harder than west. Your internal clock naturally runs a touch longer than 24 hours, so delaying it (west) goes with the grain and advancing it (east) goes against it. That is why this planner estimates slightly faster adjustment westward, and why a few prep days of pre-shifting before an eastward flight pay off.
This planner is built on the same circadian science behind the 2017 Nobel Prize in Medicine. It gives general, non-medical guidance — for anything involving melatonin or a health condition, check with your clinician.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get over jet lag faster?
Light is the single strongest lever. Your body clock shifts about an hour a day on its own — but well-timed bright light can speed that up, and badly-timed light slows it down. Flying east (advancing your clock), seek bright light in the morning and avoid it late at night. Flying west (delaying your clock), seek light in the evening and keep early mornings dim. Shifting your sleep schedule a little before you fly helps too. The planner above lays out the exact times for your trip.
Is jet lag worse flying east or west?
East is harder. Flying east means advancing your clock (going to bed and waking earlier), and your internal clock naturally runs slightly longer than 24 hours, so it resists being pushed earlier. Flying west means delaying your clock (later bed and wake), which is closer to its natural drift — so most people adjust a little faster westward.
How long does jet lag last?
A useful rule of thumb is roughly one day of adjustment per time zone crossed — slightly faster going west, slightly slower going east. The planner estimates your total based on your route and direction, then breaks it into a day-by-day schedule.
Should I take melatonin for jet lag?
For eastward travel, a small dose in the destination evening can help nudge your clock earlier, used alongside well-timed light. This tool offers general timing guidance only — it is not a dosing or medical recommendation. Talk to your clinician before using melatonin, especially if you are pregnant, on medication, or have a health condition.
Can I prevent jet lag before I even fly?
Partly, yes. Shifting your bedtime and wake time by about an hour a day in the direction of your destination for a few days before you leave means you arrive already partly adjusted. Set the prep-days option in the planner to build this into your schedule.
Travel less wrecked, every day.
Jet lag is just your body clock out of sync — the same clock that runs your energy, focus, and sleep at home. Get your full personalized protocol from The Body Clock: meal, movement, light, and sleep timing built around your chronotype. One-time $29, no subscription.
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