The Science of Jet Lag

Remember how I've said that I am a science nerd? I say that because I love studies and research. I love to understand how and why things work. Mechanism is important. If I can understand why to add salt to boiling water, or how neurons communicate, I can relate it to other functions of cooking or the body. I understand that as human beings, we are not statistics and we each have our own individual needs, routines, physiology and psychology. So, I like to consider the studies while also recognizing we may not always fit perfectly into the outcomes of those data. But -how can we use the data to our advantage? How can science help us with some very dreaded jet-lag?

 I teach neurobiology classes as a side project, and one class is on the neurobiology of sleep and why it is so important, especially in early addiction recovery. I know all the tips and tricks to getting good sleep, something I have always struggled with, and how our brains and bodies use circadian rhythms and external stimuli, especially light, to regulate those rhythms. So, for someone very interested in sleep and the mechanism of sleep, I wanted to do a deep dive into Jet Lag before our big trip. I imagine that it will be a significant issue for all of us.

What is Jet Lag?

Jet lag isn't just "feeling tired," it's your body's internal clock, or circadian rhythm, getting thrown off by rapid time zone changes. According to a massive 2025 study from the National University of Singapore analyzing over 1.5 million nights of sleep data from wearable night monitors, symptoms like insomnia, daytime fatigue, brain fog, mood swings, and tummy troubles kick in because your master clock in the brain doesn't align with local time. 

Morrocco is 6 hours ahead of Austin time, and every eastward leg of our trip means advancing our clocks, which is tougher than going west because it shortens our day. By the time we arrive to our Riad in Marrakesh around 7pm, it will only feel like 1pm to our brains and bodies.

The research shows that recovery time takes about one day per time zone crossed. For our 6-9 hour shifts, that's up to a week or more before we are "over" the jet lag! I have read that sleep duration bounces back in 2 days, while full rhythm alignment might linger 15+ days.

Kids and young adults lose more sleep post-travel. If you're a night owl, westward shifts hit harder. If you are an early bird like our entire family, eastern travel is more difficult.

PRE-TRIP PREP

The jet lag battle will start before takeoff. Research shows pre-adjusting your schedule cuts recovery time. A week before leaving Austin, we should have nudged our bedtimes earlier by 1 hour, which we didn't do. I have read that using apps like Timeshifter for personalized plans based on our flight (input Austin to Marrakesh), will give us light exposure and nap tips. Although we did know the tricks, as I write this we are in the Miami airport waiting for our flight to London, and we haven't followed any jet-lag advice!

Meal Timing Trick: Food is also a powerful "zeitgeber" (time cue). Northwestern studies say aligning meals with destination time speeds reset by a third. So, we should start eating at Morocco meal times instead of Austin times prior to departure.  

IN-FLIGHT SURVIVAL

Long flights dehydrate and disrupt our circadian rhythm. What I have read is that you should

• Sleep Strategically: It would be best not to sleep on the plane since it aligns with Marrakesh daytime.
• Hydrate Like Pros: I have read over and over that drinking 8 oz water/hour has a significant imact on jet lag. 

Getting out early on the first morning with that bright sun advances our clock much faster. We are going to try and not sleep in and follow the Morrocco clock. Keeping with Marrakesh time as much as possible will reduce jet-lag time.