How to handle jet lag after the flight: a practical calendar

Natural light in the first two days

Immediately after landing, exposing yourself to natural light during hours corresponding to your destination's morning, and avoiding it in the evening, helps your biological clock recalibrate faster. If you want to reduce evening light exposure, you can wear sunglasses or stay in dimly lit indoor spaces: the goal is to give your brain consistent signals aligned with the new day-night cycle.

Meal times, sleep, and naps

Aligning meals and activities immediately with the local time zone, even when your body asks for something else, helps more than any supplement. Brief naps during the day, if absolutely necessary in the first few days, should be limited to around twenty minutes: longer ones risk shifting your rhythm further instead of supporting it. From the third day onward, as your body realigns, targeted light exposure can become less rigid.

How long adjustment takes

For time zone differences up to three or four hours, realignment is often a matter of a couple of days; for time zone changes greater than eight hours it can take up to a week, especially when flying east, a direction your body adapts to more slowly than west. If you'd like to tackle jet lag even before leaving, you can also read our guide on preparation in the days before your flight.

The most effective step remains the simplest: in the first two days, actively seek out local morning light and avoid it in the evening, before relying on any other adjustment.