Symptoms
- Difficulty sleeping at destination night
- Daytime fatigue and brain fog
- Irritability or low mood
- Digestive upset after arrival
- Worse symptoms after eastward travel
Jet lag: symptoms, causes & treatment
Jet lag happens when your body clock is out of sync after crossing time zones, causing poor sleep, fatigue and poor concentration after long-haul flights.
Editorial information by Kaiser Khan. Not clinically reviewed.
Why it happens
Rapid travel across time zones disrupts circadian rhythm faster than the body can adapt — usually one day of recovery per zone crossed.
Treatment
Timed light exposure, sleep at local night, hydration, and short-course circadian sleep-support tablets at local bedtime for up to five nights where suitable after pharmacy assessment.
Self-care that helps
Shift sleep before travel if possible; avoid alcohol on the flight; get morning daylight at destination; limit long naps.
When to get help
Persistent sleep problems weeks after return, or snoring with daytime sleepiness — may indicate sleep apnoea, not jet lag.
Go deeper
Related guides
Jet lag treatment UK: tablets, sleep tips and east-west travel
How to treat jet lag when flying from the UK — sleep-timing tablet use, light exposure, sleep hygiene and assessed options for long-haul travel.
Travel health UK: malaria tablets and when to start before travel
Anti-malaria tablets for UK travellers — destination matching, start dates, side effects and Fit for Travel guidance.
Available without prescription