With the holiday season comes well-deserved vacations and sometimes, highly anticipated—yet very long—flights. Jet lag is often a side effect of these trips, but with only your phone, you can help your body adjust quickly with a few simple tricks.
Learning from a massive 25-hour journey
A few years ago, I flew across two continents in a 20-hour journey with a layover and a second flight that lasted for about 15 hours straight. This journey included a four-hour delay, bringing my entire travel experience to 25 straight hours. Surprisingly, I landed in time for lunch, not feeling the usual discomfort from jet lag and general air sickness. This was thanks to following some simple tricks that didn’t require too much effort, just some simple planning.
Since then, I’ve taken a few other long flights, ranging from 20 to 24 hours, beating jet lag every single time (so I can deal with more pressing matters like my ridiculous airplane ear) without fail, using just some simple tools on my phone. Here’s what helped me prevent bad jet lag, and how you can prepare before you board your flight.
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Set your phone’s time to your destination’s time
The main reason our bodies experience jet lag is the lack of sync between our bodies’ internal clocks and the rapid changes in time zones (typically crossing three time zones) when traveling long distances. Naturally, you may feel drained and have a messed-up sleep schedule after the journey.
The easiest way to combat this is to set your body’s clock to your destination’s time instead of the time at your starting point. This ensures that you can adjust the time zone change at your destination (and throughout your flight) in time for arrival, and continue your stay without losing a day making up for sleep or staying awake at late hours.
On Android, go to Settings > General Management (or System) > Date & time, disable “Automatic time zone,” and then tap “Time zone” to select your destination.
To do this on iPhone, go to Settings > General > Date & Time and toggle off “Set Automatically.” Then, change the time zone to match.
The option to turn Set Automatically on or off might not be available with all carriers or in all countries and regions. If you face this problem on your iPhone, disable the Screen Time passcode to use the feature.
Usually, half a day before my flight, I reset my phone’s clock to the timezone I’m flying to so I can plan how I sleep. I’ve taken a long nap before boarding a flight at night so I can match my destination’s time, and vice versa, stayed up a little late to board an early morning flight. After I board, I stick to the schedule of my destination, and sleep or stay awake accordingly.
While this can be a little bit of a hassle if you’re busy or feel tired (on top of unavoidable interruptions along your journey), this trick is a very effective way to reduce jet lag and has been a part of my checklist for long flights for years.
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Automate Night Shift
To help your body adjust better to your destination’s schedule, simply abiding by the time displayed on your phone can be a little tricky, especially if the time and light (or lack thereof) outside clash with your clock. A way around this problem is to schedule a Night Shift on your phone and other devices (matching your destination’s schedule) before you board, so you know when to stop using your devices and rest. This also prevents bright light from disturbing you and reduces eye strain.
On your Android device, go to Settings > Display > Night Light (you can also use “Eye Comfort Shield” if you don’t see this), and set it for a custom schedule matching your destination’s time.
For iPhone, go to Settings > Display and Brightness > Night Shift. You can then toggle on “Scheduled” and match it to your destination schedule.
I also make sure to carry a cushy sleep mask with me for long flights so I can block out any disturbances I feel from sunset/sunrise changes outside the airplane.
Download apps that help beat jet lag
Finally, you can try out travel apps that help you beat jet lag by guiding you throughout your journey. My favorite one so far is Timeshifter (iPhone, Android), which lets you create personalized jet lag plans. Based on your internal clock and your flight, the app gives you tips to take small actions (like using bright light or avoiding caffeine) so you can stay on top of timezone changes and arrive without experiencing bad fatigue.
Beyond this, when I’m downloading media offline ahead of a long flight, I make sure I have a playlist of sleep and relaxation songs, as well as my nighttime podcasts, so I can trick myself into sleep even if my body is still adjusting to the changes. I also make sure I have some form of physical media (usually books), so I don’t spend too much time staring at a screen and straining my eyes.
Long flights can be taxing on your body and sleep schedule beyond the jet lag, but preparing ahead of time can help you minimize fatigue as much as possible.
