Sleep with jet lag and shift work: helping your body clock keep up
Jet lag and shift work throw the internal clock out of rhythm – with sleep problems, poor concentration and reduced performance as consequences. The most effective remedies are a deliberate use of daylight, adjusted sleep and meal times, and consistent sleep hygiene. The key recommendations from Michael Adler, DMD, MSc.
Jet lag: why flying east is harder
On westbound flights (for example to the USA) the day is stretched – the internal clock copes with that more easily than with the shortened day of an eastbound flight. Typical jet lag effects are appetite and digestive problems, poor concentration, muscle aches and, above all, sleep disturbances.
Before the flight: shift your sleep times
Before westbound flights it helps to go to bed somewhat later for two to three days beforehand; before eastbound flights, one to two hours earlier. That way your biorhythm already adapts towards the destination time. Set your watch to destination time during the flight and align meals and sleep on board with it – sleep on the plane only when it is night at your destination, and drink plenty of water instead of alcohol.
At the destination: daylight is the strongest pacemaker
Step into the local time of day immediately on arrival and do not retreat into a darkened hotel room. Spend as much of the day outdoors as possible – bright daylight and exercise in fresh air reset the internal clock fastest. Skip daytime naps during the adjustment period (a short rest while sitting is fine). On the first night you may sleep as long as you need; after that the normal rhythm applies.
Sleeping pills and melatonin: use with restraint
Avoid sleeping pills for jet lag where possible. Gentle aids for falling asleep are a warm footbath, bed socks, relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation or autogenic training – and a book instead of a TV thriller. Melatonin, the body’s own “darkness hormone”, can reduce jet lag symptoms when taken at bedtime at the destination; only short-term use makes sense, ideally after consulting a doctor. Frequent long-haul travellers who give their body clock no time to adapt must expect lasting effects on concentration and performance – severe problems should be medically assessed.
Shift work: steering your rhythm actively
How well someone tolerates shift work varies – “evening types” usually adapt to night shifts more easily than “morning types”, and shift work generally becomes harder with age. Favourable are shift schedules that rotate clockwise (“forward rotation”: day, then evening, then night shift) – schedules rotating the other way tend to aggravate sleep problems.
Practical recommendations for shift workers
Keep fixed sleep times as far as possible on days off too – shifting sleep back to night-time completely on free days makes re-adjustment unnecessarily hard. Before a shift change, it helps to move your sleep and wake times step by step, by one to two hours, during the last days of the old shift.
Protect your daytime sleep rigorously: a darkened, quiet bedroom, phone off, a “do not disturb” sign; steady background noise (“white noise”, for example a fan) can mask outside sounds. After a night shift, sunglasses on the way home can dampen the wake-up effect of daylight. Short, planned naps outside working hours can partly compensate for too little daytime sleep.
Caffeine helps selectively during the night shift – but not in the last hours before your planned sleep. Go for light meals rich in protein and carbohydrates instead of heavy, fatty food, and go to bed neither hungry nor overfull. Avoid alcohol and tablets as sleep aids here as well – personal sleep rituals such as reading or a walk work better. If sleeping pills seem unavoidable in an individual case, their choice and duration belong in medical hands. And: shift workers benefit particularly from the general rules of sleep hygiene.
Tired despite enough sleep? Consider sleep apnea too
Anyone who is persistently tired, irritable or unfocused despite sufficient opportunity to sleep should not blame only jet lag or the shift schedule: snoring with nocturnal breathing pauses (obstructive sleep apnea) causes exactly these symptoms – and often goes unnoticed for a long time when sleep times are irregular. Our online sleep test provides a first assessment in a few minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Why is jet lag worse flying east than west?
Eastbound flights shorten the day – the internal clock would have to “jump forward”, which is much harder for it than stretching out a lengthened day (westbound). That is why adaptation usually takes longer after flying east.
Does melatonin help against jet lag?
Melatonin can reduce jet lag symptoms when taken at bedtime at the destination. Only short-term use makes sense, ideally after consulting a doctor.
Which shift schedules are easiest on sleep?
Forward-rotating schedules, where changes run clockwise: from day to evening to night shift. Backward-rotating schedules tend to aggravate sleep problems.
Author: Michael Adler, DMD, MSc – dentist focused on dental sleep medicine · Based on the guidelines of the SSSSC and DGSM · Last updated: August 2026