|
You may have seen the adverts for Flykitt, an all-in-one travel system that claims to help eliminate jet lag, travel fatigue and even flight-related inflammation. I first came across Flykitt when I was looking for ways to make long-haul travel a little easier, and I used the programme when I travelled to Nepal last year. It seemed to work — I followed the advice around sleep, light, food and supplements and arrived feeling surprisingly good. But I wasn't convinced it was a magic bullet. At well over CAD$100 once I'd paid for shipping, I also wondered whether I really needed all those supplements and special glasses — and whether it was worth the cost. So I decided to take a closer look, not just at Flykitt but at the individual strategies behind it — sleep, light, melatonin, meal timing, caffeine, supplements and more. What does the evidence actually support, and what might be little more than clever marketing? I've spent enough time travelling long-haul to know that jet lag can't be completely eliminated. But before travel became my second act, I was an Emergency Physician/A&E consultant, so I'm also used to asking a simple question: does this actually work? There is plenty of advice about beating jet lag online. Some is well supported, some is plausible, and some is based on very little evidence. So let's separate the science from the hype and work out what is actually worth doing based on science— and what I’d probably ignore What actually is jet lag?Jet lag isn't simply feeling tired after a long flight. It's a temporary mismatch between your body clock and the local time at your destination. Crossing several time zones changes your environment much faster than your circadian clock can adjust, causing symptoms such as poor sleep, daytime tiredness, difficulty concentrating and digestive upset. Jet lag isn't the same as travel fatigue: you can feel exhausted after a long journey without crossing any time zones. Jet lag is specifically about your body clock being out of sync. Your watch vs your body clock Your watch tells you what time it is. Your body clock tells you what time your body thinks it is. For example, fly from Vancouver to London and arrive at 10pm local time. Your watch says it's bedtime, but your body clock may still think it's 2pm — the middle of your afternoon. Changing your watch doesn't change your body clock. It needs time — and the right cues — to catch up. That's jet lag.
Travel fatigue: how to make the journey easier.Travel fatigue is simply the wear and tear of getting from A to B. Long hours sitting, disrupted sleep, airport stress, noise, dehydration, unfamiliar surroundings and multiple connections can all leave you feeling exhausted — even if you haven't crossed a single time zone. The good news is that there's quite a lot you can do to make the journey easier. Before you fly
During the journey
The goal is simple: arrive with enough energy to actually enjoy your holiday. What are all these jet-lag fixes actually trying to do?It all comes down to your body clock. The aim of all these jet-lag strategies is to shift your body's natural sleep–wake cycle so that it gradually lines up with the local time at your destination. Your body has an internal clock — your circadian rhythm — that helps determine when you naturally feel sleepy, when you feel alert and when your body is expecting to be awake or asleep. It doesn't instantly change just because you have crossed a time zone or changed the time on your watch. Let's say you fly from Vancouver to London. London is eight hours ahead, so when it's 10pm in London, your body clock is still working on Vancouver time and thinks it's 2pm. You have only just finished your afternoon, biologically speaking, so you may feel wide awake even though everyone around you is getting ready for bed. You can't simply tell your body, “It's 10pm now — go to sleep.” Your body clock needs time and the right signals to adjust. What you're trying to do is move that whole sleep–wake cycle earlier. Instead of your body naturally becoming sleepy at 11pm Vancouver time, you gradually encourage it to become sleepy earlier in the day. Eventually, you want your internal clock to be closer to London time, so that 10pm in London feels like 10pm to your body too. The opposite happens when you travel west. You need to shift your sleep–wake cycle later — staying alert later and becoming sleepy later than you normally would. This is why eastward travel is generally harder: you're asking your body to adjust to an earlier schedule. Westward travel requires a later schedule, which our body clocks generally find easier. So when you read about light, darkness, sleep timing, melatonin or adjusting your schedule before travel, they're all trying to do essentially the same thing: give your body clock the right signals at the right time so it can adjust to your new time zone. In short: jet lag is your body clock being out of sync with local time. The goal is to gradually bring the two back into sync. What Really Works for Jet Lag?There are plenty of strategies promising to beat jet lag — from carefully timed light and melatonin to blue-light glasses, supplements and even specially formulated drinks. So I looked at the main strategies used by Flykitt and similar programmes, as well as some of the common advice you’ll find online. What does the evidence actually say? Adjust your body clock before you travel If you're crossing several time zones, you can start nudging your sleep–wake cycle towards your destination time 2–3 days before you leave.
Evidence: 🟢 Good — there is good evidence that gradual schedule changes can shift your body clock before travel, although it's less clear how much this reduces jet-lag symptoms on its own. Switch to Destination Time As soon as I board, I change my watch to destination time. It won't magically reset my body clock, but it is a useful cue to start thinking — and behaving — according to the new schedule. Think about:
An eye mask, earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones can make sleeping on board much easier. And perhaps don't watch four films simply because they're included in the ticket price! The CDC recommends timing sleep, meals and light exposure around your destination time while travelling. But don't become obsessive about it. If you've been awake for 14 hours and you're exhausted, sleep. Arriving severely sleep-deprived is counter-productive. Evidence: 🟢 Good — the principle is well supported, particularly for timing sleep and light around your destination. The evidence for meal timing is less certain, and changing your watch is mainly a useful behavioural cue. Strategic Light Exposure Light is probably your most powerful tool for shifting your body clock — but timing matters. Your circadian clock is extremely sensitive to light. Light is one of the main signals telling your brain when it is day and night, helping to regulate your sleep–wake cycle. But the effect depends on when you receive that light. Bright light in the morning generally shifts the body clock earlier, while evening light generally shifts it later. But “morning” and “evening” need to be considered in relation to your internal body clock, not simply the local time on the clock. This is why the advice to “get lots of sunshine when you arrive” isn't always right. If you're crossing several time zones, the timing of light needs to be matched to the direction you're travelling and the shift you're trying to make. Darkness matters too. Avoiding bright light when you're trying to sleep helps reinforce the shift you're trying to make. It's complicated! So, for a major trip across several time zones, a reputable jet-lag calculator or personalised light schedule can help work out when to seek bright light and when to avoid it. Evidence: 🟢 Strong — light is one of the most powerful ways to shift your circadian clock, but getting the timing right is crucial. Sleep Strategy Sleep is one of the main ways you can start aligning your body clock with your destination. If it’s nighttime at your destination, try to sleep on the plane; if it’s daytime, try to stay awake. An eye mask, earplugs and a comfortable seat can make this much easier. Once you arrive, try to stay awake until a reasonable local bedtime, but don't force yourself to suffer through the day if you're completely exhausted. If you need to, a short 20–30 minute nap can give you a useful boost without making it too difficult to sleep that night. Avoid long daytime naps, which can reduce your sleep drive and make it harder to adjust to the new time zone. The next morning, get up at a reasonable local time, even if you've had a poor night's sleep. Don't sleep until noon to make up for it — set an alarm if necessary. Then get appropriately timed daylight. Repeated exposure to light at the right time is one of the most powerful ways to progressively shift your circadian clock towards the new time zone. And don't deliberately deprive yourself of sleep before or during the journey in an attempt to “reset” your body clock. Arriving exhausted can make jet lag feel worse. Evidence: 🟢 Good -- timing sleep around the destination day/night cycle and avoiding long daytime naps are well-supported strategies, although exactly when you should sleep depends on your direction of travel and itinerary. Melatonin: timing matters Melatonin is not simply a sleeping tablet. It is a hormone your body naturally produces in the evening, helping signal to your brain that it is biological night. When you cross several time zones, your internal clock is still running on your old schedule. Taking melatonin at the right time can provide an additional “it’s night-time now” signal, helping to shift your body clock towards the new time zone. But timing matters. Melatonin has different effects on the body clock depending on when it is taken, and taking it at the wrong biological time could potentially shift your body clock in the wrong direction. So simply taking a large dose at bedtime isn't necessarily the best strategy. Evidence suggests that melatonin can reduce jet-lag symptoms, particularly after crossing five or more time zones, with benefits appearing greater for eastward travel. The CDC considers appropriately timed melatonin an effective option, while the UK NHS takes a more cautious approach and does not routinely recommend it for jet lag. Australian guidance also recognises that melatonin may help. There are also differences in recommended dosage. UK NHS guidance for adults is 3 mg at your normal bedtime at the destination, once daily for up to 5 days. It can be increased to 6 mg if necessary. The CDC takes a different approach, suggesting that 0.5–1 mg may be enough to shift the circadian clock and advising against routinely using doses above 5 mg. So there is reasonable evidence that melatonin can be useful, but it isn't simply a sleeping tablet. You're using it as a signal to help reset your body clock, which makes when you take it at least as important as how much you take. If you're considering melatonin — particularly if you're taking other medications or have relevant medical conditions — you should discuss it with a pharmacist or doctor. Evidence: 🟢 Good -- melatonin can reduce jet-lag symptoms and help shift the body clock, particularly after eastward travel across several time zones. Timing appears to be more important than taking a large dose. Caffeine & Exercise. Use both strategically rather than trying to power through jet lag. Caffeine can be useful for staying alert when you're sleepy during the local daytime. But timing matters — having coffee late in the afternoon or evening can make it harder to sleep when you actually want to, potentially making the next night's sleep worse. Exercise can also help you stay awake and feel more alert during the day, and getting outside has the added benefit of providing daylight. You don't need a hard workout: a walk, some gentle exercise or simply getting out and moving is often enough. Think of caffeine and exercise as tools to help you manage the transition, rather than ways of overriding your body clock. Evidence: 🟢 Good -- caffeine can improve daytime alertness, while activity can help combat fatigue and support a normal sleep–wake pattern. Their main benefit is helping you function while your body clock catches up, rather than directly resetting it. Blue-Light Blocking Glasses. This is where Flykitt's glasses can make sense — but only when you're trying to avoid light. Light is one of the most powerful signals for your circadian clock, and blue wavelengths are particularly effective at signalling “daytime” to the brain. So, if you're trying to shift your body clock, there are times when you want bright light — and times when you want to block it. This is the thinking behind Flykitt's Unwind glasses. They are designed to block blue and green wavelengths and are intended for use in the evening, particularly during the 2–3 hours before your planned bedtime, to reduce the light signal that could keep your brain alert. Flykitt says its glasses block 99% of the relevant wavelengths. So when might they actually be useful? If you're arriving somewhere where you need to go to bed earlier than your body wants to — for example, travelling east across several time zones — wearing them during the appropriate evening period could help reinforce the “it's night-time” signal, particularly if you're exposed to lots of artificial light or screens. But they shouldn't be worn all the time. You don't want to block light when your circadian plan calls for light exposure, because that is one of the main tools for shifting your body clock. The aim is not to avoid blue light; it's to control when you receive it. The CDC notes that there is some research suggesting blue-light-blocking glasses may improve sleep and one study has found a benefit for jet lag, but it also points out that special glasses aren't essential — ordinary measures to reduce evening light can achieve some of the same goal. Evidence: 🟡 Mixed -- reducing bright evening light makes good circadian sense, and there is some evidence for blue-light-blocking glasses, but the evidence that the glasses themselves significantly reduce jet lag is still limited. Their potential value is really as a convenient way of controlling light at the right time, rather than as a magic jet-lag treatment. Supplements & FlyKitts "flight inflammation" theory And this is where Flykitt becomes much more ambitious — and where I think it's worth looking at the evidence more critically. Flykitt's supplement programme includes Protect, Sustain, Mellow, Advance and Circadian Reset, each designed to play a different role in the programme.
This is an important distinction: evidence that an individual nutrient has a biological effect is not the same as evidence that taking it as part of a particular supplement programme improves jet lag. What about “flight inflammation”? Flykitt also proposes that the conditions inside an aircraft — including reduced cabin pressure and oxygen levels — contribute to inflammation and oxidative stress, which can amplify the fatigue we experience after flying. It's an interesting theory, and there is evidence that the aircraft environment places some physiological stress on the body. But I would be cautious about describing this as an established explanation for jet lag. The established mechanism of jet lag is the mismatch between your internal circadian clock and the local time. We also don't yet have good independent evidence that taking Flykitt's combination of antioxidants, omega-3s and B vitamins counteracts this proposed “flight inflammation” in a way that prevents jet lag or significantly reduces travel fatigue. For me, this is where the Flykitt programme moves from well-established circadian science into a much less certain area. The sleep, light and appropriately timed melatonin components have a much stronger evidence base. The supplement combination and flight-inflammation theory are considerably more speculative. And if you're already eating a varied diet and don't have a nutritional deficiency, there's not necessarily a good reason to take a collection of supplements simply because they're marketed as a jet-lag solution. Evidence: 🟡 Limited -- some individual ingredients have plausible biological effects, but there is insufficient independent evidence that Flykitt's supplement combination prevents jet lag or that “flight inflammation” is a major cause of it. Jetlag calculatorsIf you're crossing several time zones, you don't have to work out the complicated light and sleep timings yourself. A jet-lag calculator can create a personalised plan based on your journey, including when to seek bright light, when to avoid it, when to sleep and, in some cases, when to use caffeine or melatonin. A few worth knowing about:
My pick? Start with Jet Lag Rooster if you want a free, simple option. If you're a frequent long-haul traveller and want a more detailed plan, Timeshifter is worth a look. A couple of caveats. What if you're doing a full 12-hour flip? A 12-hour time difference essentially flips day and night. Start adjusting on the flight: change your watch to destination time and, where practical, eat, sleep and stay awake according to the new time zone. Your body clock won't reset overnight, so give yourself a few days. With such a large shift, timing light is particularly important — getting daylight at the wrong time could push your body clock in the wrong direction. A personalised jet-lag calculator can help work out when to seek and avoid bright light. What if you're only away for a couple of days? If you're travelling for just two or three days, you may not want to completely reset your body clock. For a short trip, particularly across several time zones, it can make more sense to stay reasonably close to your home sleep–wake schedule and focus on managing fatigue. The CDC recommends maintaining your home-base schedule for trips of less than two days, and the NHS also suggests that for very short trips, fully adjusting to local time may not be worthwhile. The longer you're staying, the more worthwhile it becomes to adapt to local time. The WomenGoTravel Jet-lag ProgrammeThe basic principles: LIGHT → SLEEP → MELATONIN → ACTIVITY/CAFFEINE You don't need to do everything perfectly. The aim is simply to give your body clock the right signals, at the right time, and then repeat them for a few days. Before you Fly Adjust your sleep if you can For 2–3 days before you leave, move your bedtime and wake-up time about an hour towards your destination time.
On the Plane
When you Arrive
Use a jet-lag app/calculator to work out when you should seek bright light and when you should avoid it, based on your direction of travel and number of time zones crossed. As a general rule: East: morning light usually helps move your clock earlier; avoid bright light later in the evening. West: evening light usually helps move your clock later. Don't simply assume that “more daylight is always better.” The wrong light at the wrong time can work against the shift you're trying to make.
Get outside, walk and move during the day. You don't need a hard workout — you're trying to stay awake and reinforce the daytime signal. Melatonin - optional Consider melatonin if appropriate Melatonin can help some travellers, particularly after crossing several time zones, but timing is more important than taking a large dose. If you're going to use it, follow appropriate medical or pharmacy advice rather than simply taking it whenever you want to sleep. The UK NHS regimen for adults is 3 mg at normal bedtime at the destination, for up to 5 days, while the CDC notes that lower doses of 0.5–1 mg may be sufficient for shifting the circadian clock. Repeat Stick to local time For the next few days, keep waking, eating, sleeping, getting light and using caffeine according to local time. Your body clock won't reset in one night. Consistency is what gradually brings it into sync. My Simple Jet-Lag Checklist Download a jet-lag app and enter your travel details a few days before you’re due to leave. It can help you work out when to sleep, seek daylight and use caffeine around your journey. Before you leave
On the plane
When you arrive
That evening
The next day
And the really short version ....
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
|
WOMEN GO TRAVEL
|
