Does flying during the day reduce jet lag? I tested the theory

Experts say flying during the day reduces the misalignment between your body clock and sun time. We gave it a go to see if it works.

It is 3am and you are wide awake, pacing from one corner of the hotel room to the other.

You are far too old to get dressed and head out to a nightclub to boogie off the effects of a long flight, and it is not at all wise to walk the streets of London, or any city, at that hour of the night.

So, you climb back into bed, toss and turn for another 30 minutes, before realising that sleep will evade you tonight, and probably the next few nights as well.

The older I get, the harder it is to shake off jet lag. It used to last a day or two. Now it seems to linger for a week. Medical experts say jet lag affects a traveller more if they are travelling in an easterly direction, and that every time zone you pass through adds a day to the recovery process.

According to Dr Vishesh Kapur, founder of the Sleep Medicine Center at the University of Washington in Seattle, jet lag is “caused by circadian desynchrony, which is a misalignment of the biological clock with sun time’’. He says that by changing your biological clock to match the destination’s daytime you can make the transition smoother.

Medical experts say jet lag affects a traveller more if they are travelling in an easterly direction.

When flying in economy at 35,000 feet, with a 10-hour time change between departure and arrival, you will always battle with dry cabin air and too little space to move – especially if you are a large individual like me and the person sitting in front drops the seat back as soon as the plane takes off.

On our last trip to the UK, my wife, Alison, announced we would try a new travel plan designed to fight the effects of jet lag. Taking day flights.

From Brisbane we normally would fly Emirates to Europe on either the 9pm flight, or the 2am flight. By the time you board the flight you are emotionally overexcited, but physically exhausted from the long day preparing to get to the airport.

We rested for two nights in Singapore.

This time we booked our entire journey so we could fly during the day. We flew from Brisbane to Singapore, leaving at 8.55am. We rested for two nights in Singapore before heading to London on a 10am flight. On our return we flew from Amsterdam to Singapore, taking off at 11am; and again stayed another night in Singapore to help adjust our body clocks. The final leg was a 10am flight from Singapore home to Brisbane, landing at 7pm.

We paid extra to fly with Singapore Airlines during the day. About $750 extra each more than the equivalent Emirates flights.

Did it make any difference? Before sharing the results of our day flight trial, here are some things the experts say you can try – before, during and after your flight – to make it that little bit less terrible.

If you are travelling west, exercise in the afternoon sun to kickstart your recovery.

1. As soon as you board, set your watch to the time at your destination and start functioning in that time zone.
2. Do not drink any tea or coffee on the plane if you want to sleep because the caffeine will keep you awake. Avoid drinking alcohol because it also plays havoc with sleep patterns. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after the flight.
3. If you have been travelling in an easterly direction, when you arrive at your destination, exercise in the morning sunshine to kickstart your recovery. If you are travelling west, then exercise in the afternoon sun.

I think the adrenaline and excitement of going on holiday meant we were able to hit the ground running in London without being too tired.

So, the verdict. It is hard to say if the day flights helped us fight jet lag. I think the adrenaline and excitement of going on holiday meant we were able to hit the ground running in London without being too tired. Coming home, I was still napping midafternoon, seven days after landing. What I will say, though, is that I found flying during the day a much more pleasant experience.

On an overnight flight in economy, I can never get comfortable enough to doze off. Because it was a daytime flight, I did not feel obliged to try. I just sat back, read a few books, and enjoyed the flight. It’s enough to keep me booking day flights where possible.

Originally published as Does flying during the day reduce jet lag? I tested the theory