“It is important to figure out what you will be doing on the flight,” Dengler explained. “Is it a red-eye flight where the goal will be to sleep? Or is it during the day when you will need to stay occupied?”
Try to sleep when it’s nighttime at your destination, rather than your origin. And if you’re planning to sleep during the flight, avoid caffeine and try to walk around the airport to tire yourself out before boarding.
“Watching movies can make you sleepy, so instead log on to Wi-Fi and work or shop when you need to be awake,” Jacobs suggested.
Jet lag is very real, but there are different tactics for making the time change easier to manage, even after a sleepless red-eye.
“Do not take a nap once you land at your destination,” Roth said. “Power through so that you sync up your body with the local clock. You will adapt much better to the new time zone.”
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, however. It’s not the end of the world if you can’t quickly adjust.
“Don’t force yourself to sleep just because you feel like you should,” said Laura Ratliff, senior editorial director at TripSavvy. “I’m a big fan of an arrival ‘espresso nap’ ― I down a quick espresso, draw the curtains, and force myself to sleep for 25-30 minutes. It helps me get through the day without being bleary-eyed, and I am just tired enough to sleep at night.”
