Jet Lag Planner: Your Personal Sleep-Shift Schedule

Quick answer

Reviewed Oct 19, 2026 · 2 min read

This jet lag planner builds a personal pre-trip sleep schedule from the time-zone difference and your direction of travel. Enter your trip details and usual sleep times, and it suggests shifting your sleep by about an hour a day before departure, earlier for eastbound trips and later for westbound ones, so you arrive partly adjusted.

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How do you use the jet lag planner?

Enter where you’re traveling from and to, when you leave and your normal sleep times. The planner works out the time difference and direction, then lays out a day-by-day schedule of bedtimes and wake times for the days before you fly.

Start three or four days out for big time differences. Even a partial shift makes the first days of a trip noticeably easier.

Tips that make the schedule work

Light is the strongest signal to your body clock, so time it deliberately. Our guide on how to beat jet lag goes deeper, including flight-day strategy.

Flying east (Los Angeles to Europe or Africa): go to bed and wake up earlier, and get bright light in the morning.
Flying west (Los Angeles to Asia or Australia): go to bed later, and seek light in the evening.
Shift sleep by about one hour per day before travel; bigger jumps are hard to sustain.
On arrival, eat meals and get outside on local time, and keep naps short.
Ask your doctor before using melatonin or sleep medication.

Frequently asked questions

Is jet lag worse flying east or west?

For most people, flying east is harder, because it means falling asleep earlier than your body wants to. Flying west asks you to stay up later, which most people find easier. That’s why a trip from Los Angeles to Johannesburg or London usually needs more preparation than a westbound flight across the Pacific, even when the time difference is similar.

How long does it take to recover from jet lag?

A common rule of thumb is about one day per time zone crossed, and recovery is often faster after westbound flights than eastbound ones. Shifting your sleep before departure, timing light exposure and adopting local meal times on arrival can shorten that noticeably. Short trips across many zones may not be worth fully adjusting for, so plan key meetings for your alert hours.

Will I get jet lag flying to Tahiti?

Very little, if you’re coming from the West Coast. Tahiti is only two or three hours behind Los Angeles, depending on the time of year, so the overnight flight to Papeete causes far less disruption than a trip to Europe or Africa. Tiredness after an overnight flight is common, but your body clock barely needs to shift.

Official sources

Rules, fees and schedules change — confirm the latest details at the source before you travel.

CDC Yellow Book: Jet Lag Disorder