How do you actually beat jet lag?
Jet lag is your internal clock disagreeing with the sun, and light is the only lever that truly moves the clock. The working rules: after flying east, seek bright morning light and avoid evening light; after flying west, do the reverse. Getting this backward, easy to do after long eastward flights, makes things worse, which is why the first morning in Europe matters so much. Rough recovery math is one day per time zone crossed, with eastward travel hitting harder.
Force the destination schedule immediately: eat, walk, and sleep on local time, and cap any arrival-day nap at 30 minutes. Small-dose melatonin, 0.5 to 5 milligrams near destination bedtime, has decent evidence for eastward trips. Alcohol on the flight sabotages all of it.
For trips under 48 hours, consider not adjusting at all and simply scheduling around your home clock. Sometimes the winning move is refusing to play.
Light is the lever: get morning light after flying east, evening light after flying west, and shift your sleep an hour a day beforehand. Expect about one day of adjustment per time zone crossed.
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https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/how-to-beat-jet-lag/Everybody Asks. (2026, July 28). How do you actually beat jet lag? https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/how-to-beat-jet-lag/“How do you actually beat jet lag?” Everybody Asks, 28 July 2026, https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/how-to-beat-jet-lag/.“How do you actually beat jet lag?” Everybody Asks. Last modified July 28, 2026. https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/how-to-beat-jet-lag/.This page summarizes the primary sources listed above. For academic or encyclopedic work, cite those primary sources directly wherever possible.