What Causes ‘Jet Lag’ and How Can We Beat It?

Jet lag is when your body feels confused because you travel across time zones quickly. Your body clock, which tells you when to sleep and wake up, gets mixed up. Imagine it’s morning in New York, but it’s night in Sydney, your body doesn’t know what to do! To beat jet lag, try sleeping on the plane or adjusting your bedtime to match the new time zone.

When you fly across many time zones quickly, your body clock is out of sync with the sun, which tells your body when it’s day or night. You feel tired because your brain says it’s sleep time, but your eyes see bright lights outside the plane.

You can help your body adjust by:

• Trying to sleep on the plane if it’s nighttime in your new location.
• Eating meals at the right times (like breakfast when you arrive).
• Getting sunlight when you wake up and avoiding bright lights when it's bedtime.