Start prepping for a long flight weeks before you leave, according to science

Are you constantly jetlagged after a holiday? Waking up at 3am? Ruining your life with your own body clock?

Well, science says you should start prepping for your long-haul flight a little earlier. And by earlier, we mean weeks in advance.

Which, tbh, sounds a little extreme. But when you’re falling asleep at 4pm, anything’s worth a try, right?

And given that Singapore Airlines has just launched the world’s longest flight (from Singapore to New York) and Qantas is aiming to launch a 20+ hour flight from Sydney to London by 2020, knowing how to beat – or at least reduce the effects of – jetlag is bound to be pretty useful.

According to the ABC, Qantas enlisted scientists to research ways to make long-haul flights easier for passengers – and Dr Sun Bin, a public health researcher from the study, said that none of the previous strategies to avoid jetlag have worked.

“What we do know is that light is the most important factor in jet lag,” she told RN Breakfast.

“And I think the other important factor that most people don’t talk about is planning.

“A lot of people go on international flights without thinking about how they are going to adjust on the other end. They just put up with it.”

According to the research, travellers need to start changing their body clocks in the days and weeks before take off – and keep doing it onboard, along with remembering to drink enough water and avoiding alcohol.

“Basically, jet lag is a mismatch between your body clock and the time at your destination. So what you want to do is to try and shift your body clock towards what the time should be where you’re going,” Dr Bin said.

In the case of a 2020 Sydney to London flight, Dr Bin added that you need to delay your body clock to slowly match the time zone in London.

“In the days before you fly, you really should be going to bed a bit later, maybe half an hour; an hour later in the three or four days before you even get on your flight,” she said.

Oh, and when it’s bedtime, try and avoid any kind of light – including computers and phones.

“We’re very good at trying to get light at the right times, so trying to go outside in the sun during the day,” Dr Bin said.

“But what we’re not very good about is avoiding light when it is supposed to be night-time — so things like looking at computers, looking at your phones, all those things count as light input to the system.”

But don’t worry – airlines are looking at ways to make long-haul flights more comfortable, and jetlag easier to overcome.

This includes everything from re-designing in-flight menus to promote digestions, onboard meditation classes, cabin pressurisation and windows that automatically lighten or darken with the cabin lighting.

“Obviously if the flights are getting longer, we need to make use of the time on the plane to try and shift the body clock, and that saves you time on the other end trying to adapt,” Dr Bin added.