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EspañolJet lag symptoms: What are the early signs of jet lag?
Overview: What does jet lag feel like?
People experience jet lag when they travel by plane across three or more different time zones. As a result, their body’s internal clock falls out of sync with time at their new location. The body wants to wake or sleep at the accustomed times, but these times no longer align with the local time. The farther they travel, the more their body’s circadian clock falls out of sync with the local time. Circadian rhythm is what is known as the body’s internal clock. It’s like starting night-shift work, so predicting what happens next is easy. People feel tired, listless, drowsy, foggy, and headachy during the new daylight hours. They find it hard to go to sleep at night. When they do, they experience poor sleep, waking up frequently and then popping fully awake in the very early morning. The good news is that the body will naturally adapt to the new hours without any treatment, but it may take a few days.
Key takeaways:
Jet lag is a common health condition affecting anyone regardless of age, sex, race, or ethnicity.
Early signs of jet lag include daytime sleepiness, fatigue, inability to sleep, headaches, minor digestive system complaints, and difficulty concentrating. Symptom severity will depend on how many time zones are crossed.
Jet lag does not have serious symptoms that require immediate medical attention.
Jet lag is caused by rapid air travel across three or more time zones. You may be at increased risk of developing jet lag symptoms if traveling a long distance, traveling eastward, or being older. People with rigid sleeping habits are more likely to experience severe symptoms of jet lag.
Jet lag is usually self-diagnosable.
Jet lag generally does not require treatment. Jet lag symptoms typically resolve without treatment in one to seven days, depending on a person’s age and the number of time zones crossed.
Treatment of jet lag may include light therapy, steady alterations in the sleep schedule, melatonin, sleeping pills, other prescription drugs, and caffeine.
Untreated jet lag could result in complications like accidents.
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What are the early signs of jet lag?
Jet lag symptoms are typically at their most severe a day or two after making a time zone change. Any one symptom of jet lag could be an early sign of jet lag:
Daytime sleepiness
Tiredness
Fatigue
Headache
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty staying alert
Poor performance
Irritability and other negative mood changes
Digestive system complaints such as upset stomach or constipation
Loss of appetite or interest in food
Other jet lag symptoms
Unlike many other medical conditions, the symptoms of jet lag are more pronounced in the first day or two and gradually get better with each passing day. Keep in mind that people experience jet lag in vastly different ways. Some people have only one or two problems that clear up in a day or two. Some suffer severe symptoms that hang on for a while. These include:
Low-quality sleep
Early awakening
Decreased concentration
Decreased alertness
Poor performance of physical tasks or mental tasks
Negative mood changes such as irritability, anxiety, or depression
Jet lag vs. travel fatigue symptoms
After a long flight across several different time zones, people will be knocked out by jet lag and travel fatigue. Some symptoms people associate with jet lag may be partly or mostly due to travel fatigue. The constant motion makes sitting in a plane harder than it looks. Air travel causes dehydration, low oxygen (hypoxia), leg swelling, and psychological stress.
Travel fatigue causes many of the same problems as jet lag, so the misery adds up on both sides of the equation. Since many of the symptoms of jet lag disorder are also consequences of travel fatigue, many of the most popular tips to avoid jet lag are also ways to avoid travel fatigue. The good news is that travel fatigue improves greatly just by getting a good night’s sleep. Jet lag holds on for a few days.
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When to see a doctor for jet lag symptoms
Jet lag doesn’t require a doctor’s help. Symptoms will improve in a few days, depending on the individual and how many different time zones have been crossed. However, if jet lag symptoms persist for over a week, consider talking to a healthcare provider.
On the other hand, people who have had bad experiences with jet lag should consider seeing a doctor before traveling. Not only can a professional provide good medical advice to prevent or minimize jet lag, but a doctor may also be able to prescribe some sleep aids or a few pills that can help you sleep or stay awake in the days following your air travel.
As a general rule, people don’t need a jet lag diagnosis. The combination of jet lag symptoms and recent air travel is sufficient for a diagnosis. However, a doctor may take a medical history, conduct a physical exam, or administer tests if there’s any suspicion that another medical condition is causing the problems.
Complications of jet lag
Jet lag has no physical or psychological complications outside of feeling lousy for a few days. The most serious risk is accidents or falls, especially car accidents. Anyone fatigued, tired, or not fully alert should avoid driving or engaging in risky activities or sports until they feel more alert and able to focus.
RELATED: The effects of sleep deprivation on your body
How to treat jet lag symptoms
Jet lag can be treated both before and after travel. Most people, however, do nothing about jet lag except wait it out. Believe it or not, that is a successful way to treat jet lag!
Minimizing jet lag can start well in advance of travel:
Plan the trip so that you arrive a few days before any important tasks need to be performed
Book a direct flight to avoid travel fatigue
Eat regular meals that always follow the same timing in relation to your sleep schedule
Start adjusting your sleep pattern to the new time zone by going to sleep one hour earlier or later each day for three days before traveling
Avoid alcohol and caffeine on the day of the flight
Drink plenty of water during the flight
Eat smaller meals before and during the flight to help reduce or prevent gastrointestinal problems
Use a lightbox on the flight to expose yourself to bright light during the daylight hours at your destination
Take melatonin supplements in the days preceding the flight
After the plane is landed, treatments for jet lag include:
Light exposure during the day
Planned sleep schedules
Melatonin supplements taken right before bedtime
Prescription sedatives such as zolpidem or temazepam to induce sleep at night
Melatonin-receptor agonists such as ramelteon or Hetlioz (tasimelteon) are more potent than melatonin at improving sleep in people with sleep-wake cycle problems
Caffeine is the recommended stimulant for staying alert during the day
Wakefulness agents such as modafinil may be prescribed off-label to improve daytime wakefulness due to jet lag
Using a sleep mask and earplugs to aid in uninterrupted sleep
RELATED: A melatonin dosage guide: How much do I need to sleep?
Signs jet lag is getting better
Jet lag does get better. The body knows what to do and readjusts to the new time zone in response to external triggers such as daylight, darkness, eating schedules, and physical activity. The average adjustment rate is one day per each hour of time zone crossed, but that varies by person and direction. So it will take four or five days to feel completely normal after traveling from New York to London, a difference of five time zones. However, long before then, most people will feel well enough to enjoy their travel destination.
Most importantly, take it easy
Jet lag and travel fatigue are inevitable consequences of long-distance travel. The first and best step is to not pursue an aggressive agenda on the day you arrive or the next day. Just take it easy. Relax. Drink a lot of fluids. Do some easy walking. Resting, relaxing, and sleeping will significantly improve symptoms by reducing fatigue. Over the next couple of days, you’ll start feeling normal again.
FAQs about jet lag symptoms
How do you get travel fatigue from sitting in a plane?
Although it seems counter-intuitive, sitting in a plane for hours is harder than sitting in your living room. Because of the plane's movement, the brain and muscles must constantly keep the body positioned correctly. The low cabin pressure at high altitudes means your body has to work harder to keep blood flowing properly. Changes in cabin pressure put enormous stress on the body. This is before factoring in all the physical stress of handling the psychological stress of travel. When all this is added up, it’s no wonder people feel out of sorts when they finally disembark the plane.
How long does it take for jet lag to get better?
How long the effects of jet lag last will depend on the direction of air travel and how many different time zones are crossed. Generally, readjustment to a new time zone takes about one day for each time zone crossed.
What’s the worst jet lag possible?
Jet lag symptoms are caused when people go rapidly from one time zone to another. The severity and duration of the symptoms are due to the difference in the time zones. The greater the difference, the more severe and persistent the symptoms will be. When traveling, the farthest time zone one can reach is exactly halfway around the world—12 time zones. If your flight crosses 15 time zones, the difference between where you started and where you ended up is only nine. So the worst possible jet lag situation is traveling halfway around the world.
What’s next? Additional resources for people with jet lag symptoms
Test and diagnostics
Jet lag disorder, Mayo Clinic
Sleeplessness and circadian disorders, StatPearls
Treatments
Jet Lag, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Jet lag and sleep, Sleep Foundation
Jet lag: treatment options and advice for travelers, American Family Physician
Sleep problems: dealing with jet lag, Kaiser Permanente
Scientific studies and clinical trials
Jet lag in athletes, Sports Health
Meal timing regulates the human circadian system, Current Biology
Perception and predictability of travel fatigue after long-haul flights: a retrospective study, Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
More information on related health conditions
Insomnia treatments and medications, SingleCare