Avoiding jet lag: The 3-phase plan
It’s 3 p.m. in Bali, the sun is shining, the sea is turquoise—and you could fall asleep standing up. Then, at 3 a.m., you’re lying in bed wide awake. Welcome to jet lag. The good news: You can’t prevent it entirely, but you can significantly shorten it.
If you want to avoid jet lag, you don’t need a magic trick, but a plan for three phases: before the flight, on board, and after landing.
Here it is—with figures from travel medicine, a table for the most popular destinations from Vienna, and a checklist to tick off.
The most important points:
- Jet lag occurs when crossing about two time zones or more. According to the CDC, your body adjusts by about 1 hour per day when flying east and about 1.5 hours per day when flying west.
- Flying east is tougher because the internal clock finds it easier to lengthen a day than to shorten it.
- Light is the most powerful tool: morning light helps when heading east, evening light when heading west.
- Adjust beforehand: 2–3 days before departure, go to bed an hour earlier each day (for east) or later (for west).
- After landing: stay awake until the evening, soak up daylight, and limit naps to a maximum of 20 minutes.
What exactly is jet lag?
Our body has an internal clock that regulates sleep, hunger, body temperature, and hormones throughout the day. It is primarily guided by light. If you fly quickly across several time zones, the watch on your wrist suddenly shows a different time than the clock inside your body.
The result: fatigue at the wrong time, insomnia at night, concentration problems, and sometimes digestive issues and irritability.
The CDC Yellow Book 2026, the standard reference work for travel medicine from the US health authority, defines jet lag as occurring when at least two time zones are crossed. A long flight to Cape Town, therefore, makes you tired but doesn't cause jet lag—whereas a shorter flight to Dubai does so to a small extent.
Why jet lag is worse when traveling east
Our internal clock runs slightly slower than 24 hours. Therefore, it finds it easier to lengthen a day than to shorten it. That is exactly what happens when you fly east, for example to Asia: The day becomes shorter, and you have to sleep earlier than your body wants to. Researchers at the University of Maryland have mapped this in a model of the nerve cells in our internal clock.
In practice, this means: On the flight to Bali or Bangkok, you need more patience than on the return trip. For trips to New York or Mexico, it is the exact opposite.
How long does jet lag last? The table for popular destinations from Vienna
Using the rule of thumb from the CDC Yellow Book (approx. 1 hour of adjustment per day when heading east, approx. 1.5 hours when heading west), you can estimate how long your body will need:
| Destination from Vienna | Time difference (Winter) | Direction | Adjustment outbound (approx.) | Adjustment inbound (approx.) |
| Canaries, Madeira | −1 h | West | no jet lag | no jet lag |
| Cape Town | +1 h | East | no jet lag | no jet lag |
| Dubai | +3 h | East | 2–3 days | 2 days |
| Maldives | +4 h | East | 3–4 days | 3 days |
| Thailand | +6 h | East | 5–6 days | 4 days |
| Bali, Singapore | +7 h | East | 6–7 days | 4–5 days |
| Japan | +8 h | East | 7–8 days | 5 days |
| New York | −6 h | West | 4 days | 5–6 days |
| Mexico (Cancún) | −6 h | West | 4 days | 5–6 days |
| Los Angeles | −9 h | West | 6 days | 8–9 days |
Guidelines for full adjustment. With the tips below, you will usually feel jet lag significantly less after just 1–2 days. In summer, the time difference to many destinations is one hour less.
Insider tip: For trips under four days, such as a long weekend in Dubai, it is often worth not fully adjusting your rhythm. Roughly stick to your routine, go to sleep a bit later and wake up a bit later—then the return trip will also be easier.
Avoiding jet lag: the 3-phase plan
Phase 1: Before the flight
- Shift your rhythm gradually: 2–3 days before departure, go to bed and wake up an hour earlier each day if you are flying east—or an hour later if you are heading west. This is also recommended by the CDC Yellow Book.
- Start well-rested: Pulling an all-nighter before the flight does not help; it actually intensifies jet lag.
- Choose your flight wisely: For eastbound travel, a night flight that lands in the morning is ideal. For westbound travel, a daytime flight that arrives in the evening works best.
- Keep arrival day free: No appointments and no excursions on the first day. After long-haul flights, a buffer day upon your return is also often worth it.
Phase 2: On board
- Set your watch to the destination time immediately and adjust your meals and sleep accordingly.
- Sleep when it is nighttime at your destination: use a neck pillow, eye mask, and earplugs. Find all the tricks for this in our 12 tips for sleeping on a plane.
- Stay awake when it is daytime at your destination: keep the reading light on, watch a movie, take a few steps in the aisle.
- Drink plenty of water, minimize alcohol: Cabin air is very dry, and alcohol additionally impairs sleep.
Phase 3: After landing
- Hold out until the evening: Go to sleep at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. local time at the earliest, even if it is difficult.
- Keep naps short: If it is absolutely necessary, limit it to a maximum of 20 minutes and not after 3 p.m.
- Get out into the daylight: Light is the strongest signal for your internal clock—the light schedule below shows exactly when.
- Eat at local times: Meals also help the internal clock reset itself.
- Exercise instead of sun loungers: A walk on the beach or through the city will wake you up more than any coffee.
The light schedule: East vs. West
Light at the right time is the most effective trick against jet lag. According to the CDC, morning light shifts the internal clock forward, while evening light shifts it backward.
| You are flying... | Seek light | Avoid light | Example |
| east, up to approx. 6 hours | in the morning | late in the evening (dim screens) | Vienna → Dubai, Maldives, Thailand |
| eastward, 7 hours or more | in the first 1–2 days, only from late morning and noon onwards | very early in the morning (sunglasses) | Vienna → Bali, Singapore, Japan |
| westward | in the afternoon and early evening | very early in the morning | Vienna → New York, Mexico |
Insider tip: With very large jumps to the east, morning light that is too early can shift the internal clock in the wrong direction. Therefore, for the first few days in Bali or Singapore: it is better to schedule sunrise tours for the end of the trip.
What about melatonin, coffee, and sleeping pills?
- Melatonin can help shift the internal clock, according to the CDC—they often suggest 0.5 to 1 mg taken about 90 minutes before bedtime is sufficient when traveling east. Do not try it for the first time while traveling and speak to your doctor or pharmacist beforehand.
- Coffee helps during the day against the afternoon slump, but not within 6 hours of bedtime.
- Sleeping pills treat the ability to fall asleep, not the shifted internal clock. Again: only take them after consulting a doctor.
Our experience:
Especially after flights to Asia, we notice jet lag the most during the first two days. What helps us most is staying awake as long as possible after arrival, spending a lot of time outdoors, and not planning a full schedule right away. A short walk and daylight usually get us into the new rhythm faster than a long nap.
Checklist: Avoiding jet lag
3 days prior
- Shift bedtime by 1 hour per day toward your destination time
- Plan the arrival day without appointments, schedule a buffer day after returning
On the day of departure
- Pack your carry-on with a neck pillow, eye mask, earplugs, and water bottle
- Eat lightly, cut out coffee in good time
On board
- Set watch to destination time
- Sleep or stay awake according to destination time
- Drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol
At your destination
- Stay awake until the evening
- Seek out and avoid light according to the schedule above
- Eat at local times, limit naps to a maximum of 20 minutes
Your overnight flight companion
Those who sleep on a night flight arrive with less jet lag. The NeckDream supports your head from several sides and fits compactly into your carry-on. With your purchase, you receive a free travel guide worth €14.95.
Conclusion: Avoiding jet lag is all about timing
Jet lag cannot be completely prevented, but it can be significantly shortened. The most important levers are light at the right time, a previously shifted sleep rhythm, and the discipline to push through until the evening on the day of arrival.
Heading east requires more patience than heading west—so plan your first few days in Bali or Thailand to be deliberately relaxed.
By the way, we explain why we sometimes deliberately leave our watches set to the wrong time in our essay "The clock we intentionally leave wrong".
Frequently asked questions about jet lag
How long does jet lag last?
As a rule of thumb, the body adapts to eastward travel by about 1 hour per day, and westward by about 1.5 hours. With a 7-hour time difference, such as to Bali, full adaptation can take about a week. The most severe symptoms usually subside after just 1–2 days.
Is jet lag worse when traveling east or west?
To the east. The internal clock can lengthen a day more easily than it can shorten it. Therefore, those flying to Asia usually have a harder time than on the return flight or when traveling to America.
What helps immediately against jet lag?
Daylight at the right time, exercise in the fresh air, eating at local meal times, and staying awake until the evening. Limit naps to a maximum of 20 minutes.
From how many hours of time difference do you get jet lag?
According to the CDC, from about two time zones. With a one-hour difference, such as to the Canary Islands or Cape Town, you will at most feel the tiredness from traveling.
Does melatonin help with jet lag?
Melatonin can help shift the internal clock, especially when traveling east. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before taking it, especially if you are taking other medications.
How do I avoid jet lag on the return flight?
With the same rules in reverse: go to bed slightly later or earlier in the last days of your vacation, sleep according to Vienna time while on board, and plan a buffer day after arrival. You can find tips for your first days back home in our article on the post-vacation blues.