We Asked Medical Experts Their No. 1 Jet Lag Tip-and They All Said The Same Thing

"Jet lag isn't just about losing sleep. It happens when your internal body clock falls out of sync with the local light-dark cycle at your destination. Light is the strongest signal to the brain's master clock, which is why jet lag affects more than sleep alone. Energy, mood, digestion, and mental sharpness are often disrupted as well, Dr. Lynette Gogol, a board-certified neurologist and lifestyle medicine physician, told Travel + Leisure."

"As Gogol explained, how intense jet lag feels depends on several factors, including how many time zones you cross and the direction you travel. "Eastward travel tends to be harder on the body than westward travel because it requires the clock to advance (shift earlier), which is biologically more difficult than delaying (shifting later)," Gogol said. "The more time zones crossed and the longer the journey, the more disrupted the circadian system becomes.""

"So, Gogol explained, one of the fastest ways to recover from jet lag is through "well-timed light exposure. Light directly resets the circadian clock, but timing matters. Getting light at the wrong time can prolong jet lag, while getting it at the right time speeds recovery." If you're traveling eastward, Gogol said that morning light helps shift the body clock earlier, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up on local time"

Jet lag results from the internal body clock falling out of sync with the local light-dark cycle, and light is the primary cue that resets the brain's master clock. Disruption extends beyond sleep to energy, mood, digestion, and cognitive sharpness. Severity correlates with the number of time zones crossed and travel direction, with eastward travel posing greater difficulty because advancing the clock is biologically harder than delaying it. Well-timed light exposure directly resets the circadian clock; poorly timed light can prolong symptoms, whereas correctly timed light, for example morning light when traveling eastward, speeds recovery.

Read at Travel + Leisure