Jetlag Recovery Planner

How the planner works

Enter your origin, destination, and flight timing. The planner works out how many time zones you are crossing and in which direction, then lays out a day-by-day schedule for sleep and light exposure in the days before departure and after arrival.

The schedule is a general guide built on widely used circadian principles, not medical advice. Adapt it to your own sleep patterns, and speak to a healthcare professional about anything health-related.

Flying east versus flying west

Direction matters more than distance. Left to itself the human body clock runs slightly longer than 24 hours, so delaying sleep comes more easily than advancing it.

• Flying east shortens your day and requires advancing the clock — going to bed and getting up earlier. This is the harder direction, and morning light on arrival is the main lever.
• Flying west lengthens your day and requires delaying the clock — staying up later. This is usually easier, and evening light helps hold the later schedule.
• Crossing fewer than three time zones rarely needs a pre-trip shift; the flight schedule itself matters more than the time change.

When to start adjusting before departure

A shift of 30 to 60 minutes per day is realistic to sustain. Two or three days of preparation covers most trips, and even one day helps.

• Three time zones — one or two days of shifting, or none if your trip is short.
• Five to six time zones — two to three days, shifting an hour a day in the direction of travel.
• Eight or more time zones — three days is a practical maximum; beyond that, focus on arrival-day light and sleep timing rather than a longer pre-shift.

A worked example

New York to Paris is six hours east on an overnight flight. Three days out, move bedtime and wake time an hour earlier, then another hour on each of the following two days, taking bright light in the early morning. On the flight, set your watch to Paris time at boarding and sleep as much as the schedule allows.

On arrival, get outside into morning light, keep moving through the afternoon, limit any nap to about twenty minutes before mid-afternoon, and go to bed at a normal Paris bedtime even if you are not tired. Coming back west, run the same plan in reverse: later bedtimes beforehand and evening light on arrival.

Arrival-day habits that help

• Switch to local time immediately, including meal times.
• Get outdoor light at the right end of the day — morning after flying east, late afternoon and evening after flying west.
• Keep naps short and early. A long late nap is the most common reason the first night goes badly.
• Stay hydrated and go easy on alcohol on the flight and the first evening.
• Keep the room dark and cool for the first night, and use an eye mask if you are waking before dawn.

Common mistakes

• Going to bed on arrival afternoon "just for an hour" and sleeping until midnight.
• Staying indoors on the first day, which removes the light cue the body clock needs.
• Trying to shift the full time difference in a single day before departure.
• Sleeping on a westbound daytime flight that lands in the evening.
• Keeping meals and work on home time for the first few days.

Frequently asked questions