Jet Lag Hacks You’ve Never Heard Of—But Travel Experts Swear By

Holiday season is officially here, with Brits preparing to travel across the globe for a taste of sun, sand, and sea.   However, for those heading across time zones, jet lag can be a huge problem, leading to a cocktail of unpleasant side-effects that will no doubt dampen the holiday vibes.

A recent study by Well Pharmacy Online Doctor found that 86% of Brits are affected by jet lag when they travel across time zones, with almost one in 10 (8%) saying it can severely affect them for three or more days. Interestingly, women are three times more likely to be severely jet lagged than men.

To find out more, Well Pharmacy Online Doctor partnered with former-British Airways cabin crew member, Saskia Sekhri, and sleep expert Dave Gibson from The Sleep Site, to identify the most disruptive aspects of jet lag and what travellers can do to minimise the side effects. 

Sleep expert, Gibson says: “Long-haul travel can significantly disrupt your sleep due to its impact on your circadian rhythm – the internal body clock that regulates sleep, hormones, and metabolism. The main issue is that your body clock remains set to your original time zone, especially with crossing multiple zones, making adaptation harder, while cabin pressure changes can cause discomfort and dehydration, further impacting energy levels.”

Jet lag symptoms and how to beat them 

Symptoms for jet lag will often appear immediately or within 12 hours of arriving at a new location, and can last for several days. These can vary from person to person, but the most common include: 

• Difficulty sleeping at bedtime and waking up in the morning
• Tiredness and exhaustion
• Difficulty staying awake during the day
• Poor sleep quality
• Concentration and memory problems
• Mild anxiety 
• Indigestion
• Feeling sick
• Constipation

Over half of Brits (54%) admitted they “just wing it” when it comes to preventing jet lag symptoms, and one in 10 (10%) said they weren’t aware they need to adjust their sleep schedule ahead of a flight. Interestingly, Millennials are the most likely to adjust their sleep schedule, with 41% claiming to do it, followed by nearly a third of Gen Z (32%) and 28% of Gen X. 

5 most common jet lag remedies that Brits currently use

When it comes to combating jet lag, it seems over half (53%) of Brits make an effort to drink more water, whilst around a quarter adjust their meal times, sleep schedule, and avoid caffeine or alcohol. Almost a fifth of travellers also carry out an in-flight routine, such as wearing an eye mask or avoiding blue light. 

1. Drinking more water / staying hydrated (53%)
2. Adjusting meal times to match destination (24%)
3. Avoiding caffeine or alcohol (24%)
4. Changing sleep schedule before the trip (22%)
5. In-flight routines (e.g. eye masks, no screens) (18%)

And, whilst these can all help in the fight against jeg lag, former Cabin Crew Sekhri shares her secret tips for tackling tiredness and exhaustion after a long haul flight.

She said: “Staying awake until local bedtime after landing is a good way to beat jet lag as it helps you acclimatise to local conditions. Essentially, it forces your internal body clock to sync with the local time, helping your circadian rhythm, however there are a lot of other things that can really help, too. 

“Ensuring you have natural light either on the plane or when you land, staying hydrated, a cold shower, and taking supplements such as B12 and magnesium glycinate – before you fly and after you land to support energy levels, muscle recovery and better sleep – are all great hacks. 

“Alongside this, another little-known hack is to elevate your legs to help with circulation and lymphatic drainage.”

She adds: “My secret weapon is taking dandelion tablets or drinking dandelion tea post-flight to beat the dreaded post-flight puffiness.”

Pre-flight and post-landing sleep strategies

Whilst only 13% say they take sleep aids like jet lag medication, and just 18% have in-flight routines that include eye masks, our experts reveal whether these can really help.

Gibson says: “If you are trying to sleep on the plane, eye masks and earplugs can help minimize light and sound, which would otherwise prevent you from falling asleep and interrupt your rest. Equally they will work in your new bedroom too.

“Jet lag medication can be helpful for adjusting your internal clock to a new time zone as it reduces jet lag by signalling your body that it’s time to sleep, helping you synchronize with local time faster. However, some individuals may experience grogginess in the morning.”

Sekhri agrees: “Cabin crew often refer to the morning after taking jet lag medication as similar to “a hangover”.

Instead, Gibson recommends lavender to passengers: “Not only is lavender a calming soporific scent and a great sleep aid, but it can also help reduce something called ‘first night effect’, which is essentially our natural alertness when sleeping in a new bed, the stress of which can keep you awake. Having a familiar scent in the room can help.”

Smart nutrition and hydration for jet lag relief

What and when you eat plays a big role in jet lag recovery, and a quarter (24%) of Brits have adjusted their meal times before a flight to match their destination..  

Gibson says: “Meal timing is a crucial regulator of your circadian rhythm alongside light and temperature. Eating in accordance with the new time zone helps your body clock re-align faster. 

“It’s generally better to eat according to the destination’s schedule rather than your original one. In some cases, skipping meals or delaying eating when hungry can support adjustment, but avoid eating at the wrong times to prevent confusion in your internal clock. Equally, try to match meal size to the meals you would eat once at your new destination.”

Unfortunately for those Brits who like a pint when they arrive at their holiday destination, he adds: “Alcohol should also be limited; and avoided within 3 hours of sleep. While alcohol may initially induce sleep, it can cause dehydration and fragment your sleep later in the night. Caffeine should also be avoided at least 10 hours before bedtime, so instead hydrate with water (and added electrolytes) to combat dehydration.”

For in-flight meals, Sekhri reveals the menu items she would avoid to help beat jet lag: “Avoid salty, spicy and food with a lot of garlic. Instead, stick to light meals: fruit and veggies, and protein snacks. I’d sometimes even add celtic salt and lemon to my water bottle, to restore electrolytes lost from cabin dehydration. The lemon also provides that little boost your digestion needs while adding a hint of Vitamin C.”

Gibson adds: “A good tip for breakfast is to try to eat some natural yoghurt which provides probiotics for your gut flora. One problem with long-haul travel is that it affects your gut biome, which is the inner ecosystem of our digestive systems. Having probiotic foods (which include kombucha and kimchi too or even taking a probiotic supplement can get the bacteria reset again and this in turn reduces jet lag’s effects on your digestive system.”

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