Eat Like A Local — eating breakfast, lunch and dinner more or less at the same times on the local schedule, even if you’re not hungry — will help you shift to the new time zone.
Before You Travel East
Eastward travel is typically more challenging for the body to adapt to. Why? Most people find it easier to stay awake later than to fall asleep earlier. In the former, there’s more time to get the necessary light signals at the right times compared to the latter.
If you can, prepare for your trip and partially adjust your circadian rhythm before your eastward travel by using light, exercise and caffeine:
- Get Early Light Exposure: When traveling east (say you’re flying from California to New York) you need to shift to waking up earlier than you normally would.Starting two days before you leave, try waking up 30–45 minutes prior to your usual wake-up time and view bright sunlight or bright artificial light as soon as you wake up.
- Getting Moving: Within 60 minutes of your new, earlier wake-up time, get some physical movement — even just some light jogging if you can’t do a full workout.
- Drink Caffeine Early: This will help promote alertness early in the day and make it much easier to shift to your new time zone when you fly east.
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Jet Lag, Phase Shifts, and Light Exposure
| Travel Direction | Circadian Adjustment Needed | Relation to Temp. Minimum | Light Exposure Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastward | Phase advance (shift earlier → go to sleep and wake earlier) | within four hours after temperature minimum | Seek morning light (after local wake) |
| Westward | Phase delay (shift later → go to sleep and wake later) | within four hours before temperature minimum | Seek evening light (before local bedtime) |