Conquering Jet Lag- A Practical Approach

When I think about how disruptive jet lag can be, I picture a patient at Mission Metabolic Health who flies internationally several times a year and came to see me last year because he felt “off” for a full week after every trip—foggy at work, irritable with his family, and unable to get his sleep back on track. We treated his jet lag like a real medical problem, not an inconvenience, and put a structured plan in place so his travel stopped derailing his health and performance.

What Jet Lag Really Is

Jet lag is a temporary circadian rhythm disruption—your internal clock (sleep, hormones, body temperature, digestion) is still set to your home time zone while your behavior is forced into a new one. Eastbound trips (where you need to go to bed earlier) are usually harder than westbound ones (staying up later), which is why many patients tell me “going there” feels worse than “coming home.” The good news is that with a deliberate protocol, you can usually cut your adaptation time down significantly and feel like yourself much sooner.

Before You Fly: Start the Shift Early

With my frequent travelers at Mission Metabolic Health, I encourage them to start adjusting 2–4 days before departure.

• Shift bedtime and wake-up time by about 60–90 minutes toward the destination each day.

• Use light as your strongest tool: bright morning light to help you shift earlier for eastbound trips, and bright late-afternoon/early-evening light to shift later for westbound trips.

• Cut off caffeine 8–10 hours before your planned destination bedtime.

• Hydrate well and keep meals at consistent times to help your internal clocks stay organized.

  
  

On the Trip and First 2–3 Days: A Tip from Peter Attia

One practical tip I share, inspired by Peter Attia’s approach, is to set your watch (and mindset) to the destination time as soon as you board the plane and then behave as if you’re already there. That means aligning when you eat, nap, and try to sleep to the new time zone rather than your old one.

Once you land:

• Get bright outdoor light within about an hour of your local wake time.

• Use the evening to wind down: dim lights, minimize screens, and avoid bright overhead LEDs for 2–3 hours before bed.

• Move your body—an easy walk or light workout in daylight is often enough to boost alertness and help your clock shift without overstressing you.

  
  

Supplements I Sometimes Use with Patients

I treat supplements as short-term tools, tailored to the individual, and I always want them integrated into a broader plan, not used as a standalone fix.

Options I may consider with patients include:

• Melatonin: Low doses (often 0.5–3 mg) taken 30–60 minutes before the target bedtime can help shift the clock and make it easier to fall asleep at the right local time.

• Phosphatidylserine: Taken in the evening, this can help blunt stress-related cortisol elevations that often accompany travel and make it easier to wind down.

• Magnesium (glycinate or threonate): I often use this in the evening for muscle relaxation and support of deeper, more continuous sleep.

• Creatine: At higher doses, creatine can be helpful for supporting mental focus and cognitive performance when you are dealing with circadian disruption and sleep debt, which can be especially valuable for patients who need to stay sharp for important meetings or decisions while traveling.

These are not one-size-fits-all; at Mission Metabolic Health I customize dosing and timing based on medical history, other medications, and how often someone travels.

Staying Safe and Protecting Healthspan

I also remind patients that jet lag is more than an annoyance—it can meaningfully impair reaction time, judgment, and mood, similar to being mildly intoxicated. I ask them to avoid long drives or high-risk tasks when they’ve slept poorly and to prioritize one or two “anchor” nights of solid local sleep as soon as possible.

If frequent travel is a reality in your life and you feel like you never fully recover, we can build a personalized jet lag and sleep strategy together at Mission Metabolic Health. My goal is to help you travel, perform, and still protect your long-term healthspan instead of letting each trip knock you off course.