Beating Jet Lag: Save for your next trip! ✈️
Don’t mind me…I’ll just be over here in a new, gorgeous corner of the world updating my circadian rhythm! ☀️ ✌️ 😂
If you’ve ever suffered from jet lag, you know that lying awake at 4 AM, only to later fall asleep at 2 PM isn’t the best way to take full advantage of your time at your destination!
So here are a couple of my go-to practices to set my body up for a smoother transition.
Jet lag basically happens when you get to a destination in a new time zone but your body is still operating like you’re back home. Depending on how shifted your destination is from your home, you may need more or less time to adjust. We shifted ~6 hours yesterday - first from Orlando to LA, and then on to Oahu. So, when we landed ~4 PM local time in Hawaii, our bodies felt like it was 10 PM in Florida. Hence fighting to stay awake in our uber to the hotel - Disney’s beautiful Aulani Resort!
However knowing a few tricks about the human body and its rhythms can go a long way when it comes to adjusting better!
Your body doesn’t just run on a circadian rhythm (24-hour clock)… it also follows a diurnal pattern, meaning certain things are supposed to happen during the day vs. night.
- ☀️ Day = light, movement, food, alertness
- 🌙 Night = darkness, recovery, sleep, repair
Jet lag happens when your circadian clock is shifted, and your diurnal patterns may also be flipped or blurred and take longer to adjust if you’re not very intentional.
So this routine isn’t just about “waking up”… it’s about rebuilding a clear daytime signal in your new location:
- ☀️ 💡 Light → tells your brain it’s daytime
- Movement 🚶♀️ 🧘♀️ → reinforces that it’s time to be active now
- 💦 🥐 Hydrating + Eating → says this is when we fuel (& digest!)
- ☕️🥱 Caffeine → supports daytime alertness (if timed appropriately)
The clearer and stronger your day signals, the faster your body restores its natural day–night (diurnal) rhythm! 🔄
Have you ever been jet lagged? Which of these strategies will you try to remember? Save this post for your next trip or share with a friend who is traveling soon. 💌