[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.timemanagementplans.com\/how-to-recover-from-jet-lag\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.timemanagementplans.com\/how-to-recover-from-jet-lag\/","headline":"How to Recover from Jet Lag","name":"How to Recover from Jet Lag","description":"Jet lag is a temporary disruption of your sleeping cycle. It can occur for any number of reasons but most often happens to people who fly long distances east or west, such as from the United States to Europe and\/or Asia. There are many opinions on how to handle jet lag, none of them very...","datePublished":"2016-08-24","dateModified":"2025-06-04","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.timemanagementplans.com\/author\/mark\/#Person","name":"Mark","url":"https:\/\/www.timemanagementplans.com\/author\/mark\/","identifier":2,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/131cfccbaaff5083caadb2ebb178119fe605ab5a0bdcf4a00e7f2ec170a49434?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/131cfccbaaff5083caadb2ebb178119fe605ab5a0bdcf4a00e7f2ec170a49434?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Reflective Dynamics, Inc.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.timemanagementplans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/time-management-plans-blog-logo.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.timemanagementplans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/time-management-plans-blog-logo.jpg","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.timemanagementplans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-recover-from-jet-lag.jpg?fit=720%2C360&ssl=1","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.timemanagementplans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-recover-from-jet-lag.jpg?fit=720%2C360&ssl=1","height":360,"width":720},"url":"https:\/\/www.timemanagementplans.com\/how-to-recover-from-jet-lag\/","about":["Systems"],"wordCount":990,"articleBody":"Jet lag is a temporary disruption of your sleeping cycle. It can occur for any number of reasons but most often happens to people who fly long distances east or west, such as from the United States to Europe and\/or Asia.There are many opinions on how to handle jet lag, none of them very universally accepted. I can tell you from personal experience how I have managed jet lag while flying over seas or across country. My system has never failed to leave me feeling refreshed in less than 24 hours after stepping off a plane. After 2-3 days I am fully adjusted to the new time zone.Jet lag makes you feel tired and exhausted. It degrades your productivity on business trips and makes personal travel less enjoyable.Will this work for you? I cannot promise that. Your body’s sleeping cycle may be affected by several different factors, not the least of which could be a really poor flight experience. When I fly overseas I try to get a Business Class seat. They are very comfortable for me. Some people prefer First Class, although those seats are much larger and may not be as comfortable for people of small stature (I am less than six feet tall).If you have to fly by Coach Class you’ll want to sit on an exit row or near the aisle. Middle seats work okay for children and people of very small stature. It’s important to understand that flying is always a very stressful experience and even if you sleep on the plane you may arrive feeling tired and exhausted.For what it is worth I almost never sleep while flying, even if my flight is eight hours long. When flying from the US to Europe I found it much easier to read books or magazines while everyone else slept around me. But that is part of my secret. I allow my body to stress itself out as much as possible during the flight. That way I arrive at the airport nearly exhausted.Now I may take catnaps on the plane. I may even sleep for an hour or more. But unlike everyone else around me I don’t arrive at my destination intending to stay awake all day long.Instead, when I get off the plane I check into my hotel, set out some clothes for later, and go to sleep for a few hours. I’ll wake up in time for dinner or lunch and I will still be very tired, but having had a few hours’ decent sleep I know I will be able to function for a while.On the basis of the few hours sleep I have had I will spend a little time doing something, maybe meeting friends for dinner or checking out my surroundings so that I can get my bearings. On a business trip I may be fortunate to stay in a good hotel or to have a hired driver.After spending a few hours tiring myself out again I’ll go to bed early in the evening or by no later than 10PM. In this way I make sure I get a good night’s sleep. I usually awaken the next morning feel refreshed and ready to take on the day. So while the rest of the people force themselves to stay up and fight through that first day on the ground, I listen to my body and let it guide me through my energy cycles.Before you take the advice that is offered even on the best sites available, stop and think about why your body feels so sluggish and tired after a long flight. Even when you try to sleep on the plane you will come off feeling exhausted and dehydrated. That is because moving at such a high speed for so many hours puts pressure on your body that it has to overcome.This pressure is the very subtle drag force that you feel as you walk through the plane. Your body doesn’t quite know what is going on, and so it releases stress hormones and prepares itself for an unexpected crisis. Being in this state for 5, 6, 8 or more hours wears you out even while you sleep.Another factor contributing to flight discomfort is that as you change altitude the air pressure in the cabin changes. Your sinuses react to these changes in air pressure. Some people become very congested. Other people may experience inner ear discomfort. As your body struggles to adjust to the changes in air pressure you may not be getting as much oxygen as you normally would on the ground. Hence, your efforts to sleep won’t be as productive. Sleeping people do not breathe as well as when they are awake.The uncomfortable positions you have to sit in on a plane also contribute to the stress that your body experiences. You cannot stretch out and lay flat as if you were in a bed (unless, like me, you’re a person of small stature who can fully recline in a large First Class seat). Sleeping in this semi-seated position for any length of time is very uncomfortable.Airplane food is not not necessarily the best food you can eat. It may be tasty but that doesn’t mean it will help you sleep well. So even though your flight lasts all night you are still asking your body to deal with a full meal that might be better digested sitting up or moving around.All in all, I much prefer my way of flying overseas to the other methods people insist are the “right” way. The only real right way is whichever way helps your body adjust to the changes in time zone quickly and easily.Did you like this article?  Please share it with your friends and visitors to your Website.  Tell people about www.TimeManagementPlans.Com.  Thank you."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"How to Recover from Jet Lag","item":"https:\/\/www.timemanagementplans.com\/how-to-recover-from-jet-lag\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]