How Does The Science of Jet Lag (and how to beat it) Work?

Your body has a kind of internal clock that tells you when to be awake and when to sleep, like having a little alarm clock inside your brain.

When you travel across time zones, your internal clock gets confused, just like if you suddenly had to go to bed at 8 AM instead of 8 PM. That’s jet lag, it feels like your body is saying, “Wait… what time is it now?”

Your body uses light to know when it's day or night. When the sun goes down, your brain says, "Time for sleep!" When the sun comes up, it says, "Wake up!" So if you're on a plane and it’s still bright outside at bedtime, your brain is confused.

You can help your body adjust by pretending you’re in the new time zone. If you’re going to a place that's ahead in time, try going to bed earlier, like turning your alarm clock forward. If it's behind, stay up later, like pushing your alarm clock back.

It’s like telling your body, "Hey, let’s catch up!" and soon you’ll be sleeping like a champ again!