How to Actually Beat Jet Lag:An Evidence-Based Protocol for Summer Travel

By Dr. Lauren Skattum, DO · Board-Certified OB/GYN & Lifestyle Medicine Physician

We travel a lot, and I have learned through trial and error that crossing time zones without a plan means spending the first couple of days jet-lagged and functional but not quite right, the middle of the trip finally feeling like yourself, and the last few days dreading the adjustment that is waiting on the other side of the flight home. There is a better way, and it does not require anything complicated.

Jet lag is fundamentally a circadian rhythm disruption. Your internal clock — the system that regulates when you feel awake, when you feel hungry, when your body is ready to sleep — is anchored by three inputs: light, food, and movement. All three are levers you can pull intentionally, and the direction you need to pull them depends entirely on which direction you are flying.

The protocols below are evidence-based and straightforward once you understand the logic behind them. The key is matching your strategy to your direction of travel, because what works going west actively works against you going east, and vice versa.

Why Your Body Struggles to Adjust

Your circadian rhythm is not just about sleep. It governs cortisol secretion, digestive enzyme release, hormone production, immune function, and body temperature regulation — all of which are timed to your home time zone and do not simply reset when you land somewhere new. When those internal rhythms are misaligned with the local clock, you feel it in ways that go well beyond tired: brain fog, poor appetite, disrupted digestion, irritability, and a general sense of being slightly off that is hard to articulate but impossible to ignore.

The good news is that your circadian system is responsive to external cues — what researchers call zeitgebers, or “time givers.” Light is the most powerful of these, but food timing and movement also play meaningful roles. Using all three intentionally can cut your adjustment time roughly in half compared to simply waiting for your body to catch up on its own.

Traveling West

Goal: delay sleep onset to align with the later local time.

Westward travel is generally easier for most people because you are extending your day rather than cutting it short. Your body is being asked to stay awake longer than usual, which tends to feel more manageable than being asked to fall asleep earlier than your internal clock wants.

Light

Seek out bright light in the evening at your destination. Light exposure delays melatonin secretion — the hormone that signals your brain it is time to sleep — which is exactly what you want when you need to stay awake later. Get outside after dinner, sit near windows, or use a light therapy lamp if you are somewhere with limited natural evening light.

In the morning, hold off on light exposure by approximately 10 minutes relative to your ideal local wake time. This nudges your circadian clock later more gradually, helping your body shift in the right direction without the jarring effect of a sudden reset.

Food

Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking to anchor your circadian rhythm to the new time zone — food timing is a powerful signal to your internal clock about what time of day it is. In the evening, lean toward higher carbohydrate meals. Carbohydrates support serotonin availability, which in turn supports melatonin production later in the evening, helping you fall asleep at the right local time once you are ready.

Movement

Evening exercise inhibits sleep drive, which when traveling west is exactly what you want. A walk after dinner, a workout later in the day, or even light movement in the evening will help extend your wakefulness long enough to sync with local time. This is one of the more practical tools available — even a 20-minute walk after dinner makes a meaningful difference.

Traveling East

Goal: advance sleep onset to align with the earlier local time.

Eastward travel is harder for most people. You are being asked to fall asleep earlier than your body wants and wake earlier than feels natural. The protocols below work with your physiology to make that shift happen faster and with less resistance.

Light

Get light exposure as early as possible in the day at your destination. Morning light is the single strongest signal you can send your circadian system that the day has begun and the clock should shift forward. Get outside within the first hour of waking, even if you do not feel like it.

On the other end, begin limiting evening light about 20 minutes earlier than you normally would. Darkness is the primary trigger for melatonin release. Creating that environment earlier — dimming lights, avoiding screens, drawing curtains — nudges your body toward an earlier sleep onset.

Food

A skipped, late, or low-carbohydrate breakfast tends to push natural wake time later, which is the opposite of what you need when traveling east. Prioritize an early, substantial breakfast to anchor your circadian clock forward. Think protein, fiber, and some healthy fat — the kind of meal that stabilizes blood sugar and signals clearly to your body that the day has started.

Shift your carbohydrate-heavier meals to earlier in the day. This supports serotonin and melatonin production in the evening hours, making an earlier bedtime feel more natural rather than forced.

Movement

Morning and afternoon exercise increases sleep drive across the day, which when traveling east works entirely in your favor. Getting your workout in early — even a moderate session — allows adenosine (the sleep pressure compound) to accumulate naturally through the day, so that by local bedtime your body is genuinely ready to sleep rather than just lying there waiting for a clock it does not recognize yet.

Quick Reference Summary

GOING WEST (stay up later):

• Light: seek evening light, delay morning light by 10 minutes

• Food: eat breakfast within 30 min of waking; heavier carbs at dinner

• Movement: exercise in the evening to inhibit sleep drive

GOING EAST (sleep earlier):

• Light: get morning light immediately; limit evening light 20 min earlier

• Food: early substantial breakfast; shift carbs to earlier in the day

• Movement: exercise in the morning and afternoon to build sleep pressure

A Few Practical Notes

These protocols work best when you start implementing them on the day of travel rather than waiting until you arrive. Adjusting your light exposure and meal timing on the plane itself, aligned with your destination time zone, gives your system a head start.

Melatonin can be a useful short-term tool when traveling east, taken at the local bedtime in a low dose (0.5 to 1mg is often more effective than the higher doses typically sold). It is not a substitute for the light, food, and movement protocols but can complement them during the first few nights of adjustment.

Hydration matters more than most people account for. Airplane cabins are dry, alcohol dehydrates, and dehydration meaningfully worsens the subjective experience of jet lag. Prioritize water over everything else on travel days.

And finally — be patient with yourself. Even with a solid protocol, your body needs time. Most people need roughly one day of adjustment for every time zone crossed. The protocols above compress that timeline. They do not eliminate it entirely.

Dr. Lauren Skattum is a board-certified OB/GYN and Lifestyle Medicine physician and the founder of Britt Haus, a direct primary care women’s health practice in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She writes monthly on women’s health, hormones, and the physiology behind everyday life.

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