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Jet-lag pre-flight plan

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Jet-lag pre-flight plan.

Two templates: eastward (the hard direction — start 7 days out) and westward (easier — start 3 days out). Shift bedtime 30-60 min/day toward your destination's clock. Light timing matters more than melatonin.

Eastward shift · 7 days · for trips like NYC → London

Day	Bedtime	Light protocol	Melatonin	Caffeine
T-7	11:00 PM	Bright AM 7-8am, dim PM 8pm+	—	Cut by 2pm
T-6	10:30 PM	Bright AM 6:30-7:30am, dim PM 7:30pm+	0.5mg @ 9pm	Cut by 1:30pm
T-5	10:00 PM	Bright AM 6-7am, dim PM 7pm+	0.5mg @ 8:30pm	Cut by 1pm
T-4	9:30 PM	Bright AM 5:30-6:30am, dim PM 6:30pm+	0.5mg @ 8pm	Cut by 12:30pm
T-3	9:00 PM	Bright AM 5-6am, dim PM 6pm+	0.5mg @ 7:30pm	Cut by 12pm
T-2	8:30 PM	Bright AM 4:30-5:30am, dim PM 5:30pm+	0.5mg @ 7pm	Cut by 11:30am
T-1	8:00 PM	Bright AM 4-5am, dim PM 5pm+	0.5mg @ 6:30pm	Cut by 11am

Westward shift · 3 days · for trips like London → NYC or LA

Day	Bedtime	Light protocol	Melatonin	Caffeine
T-3	12:00 AM	Bright PM 8-10pm, dim AM until 9am	—	Normal
T-2	1:00 AM	Bright PM 9-11pm, dim AM until 10am	—	Normal
T-1	2:00 AM	Bright PM 10-midnight, dim AM until 11am	—	Normal

The 3 levers, ranked by effect size:(1) Bright light at the destination’s morning hour — the master clock. (2) Melatonin 0.3–0.5 mg, taken 5–7h before destination bedtime — shifts the clock without sedation. (3) Meal timing aligned to destination — eat breakfast on destination time the day you board the plane.

Don’t:Take more than 0.5mg melatonin for shift purposes (sedation ≠ phase shift). Don’t use sleep aids on the plane unless you’ve tested at home — a bad reaction at 35,000 ft is awful. Don’t drink alcohol on flight — it disrupts deep sleep regardless of timezone.