Why is jet lag worse coming home?

Always worse coming home for me! I think it's 2 factors. 1. The excitement of beginning the trip really helps on the way out. 2. I usually sleep at least a little on the way there, but rarely sleep during a LOOOOONG daytime flight on the way back, so arrive more sleep deprived. I don't know how anyone can go to work the day after they return from Europe!

All the articles I've seen about jet lag say the opposite, and it's been true in my case as well (I find it much easier to recover flying west every time I see my parents in CA - I hardly even get any jet lag at all). I think it's hard to separate jet lag from plain old fatigue of travel.

The explanation in the article below about flying east vs. west makes sense to me.
"Your body clock has an innate tendency to run slightly longer than 24 hours, Jain says. Each morning, your body compensates for this slight discrepancy by contracting your internal clock to synchronize with the 24-hour sun cycle. When you travel west, you gain several hours, so your day is extended and your body gets the extra time it naturally wants. But when you travel east, your day is shortened; that makes it harder to adjust, Jain says, because your body has to cut its natural cycle even further."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/jet-lag-is-tougher-when-traveling-east-but-precautions-can-ease-its-effects/2012/12/24/e75305f8-3a67-11e2-b01f-5f55b193f58f_story.html?utm_term=.715f1be7eadd

Nothing unusual. It can be that you are making up for a sleep deficit. It is cumulative. Most would say that they get more quality sleep in their own beds versus on the road and do not get quality deep sleep on planes. But I've noticed once I could afford to travel for leisure more (i.e. 3 international trips a year) I do not have as long a recovery as before.

Jet Lag is worse when flying toward the West, in my experience. On the day of travel from ITALY to the U.S.A., if a person awakes at an early time in the morning, say 6:00 a.m., in a hotel room in Rome, that person is in a time zone that is nine (9) hours later than the time zone that California is in. So, when the person arrives at his or her home in California, if the person goes to bed at 10:00 p.m., that person's brain thinks the time is 7:00 a.m. the next day. The person is in the habit of being awake at that time. That is the reason some people do not sleep for eight hours at night when they are at their home. When I returned to my home in the state Missouri, from England, I went to bed at 10:00 p.m. But my brain was still in the time zone that England is in. I awoke at 2 a.m., not able to sleep again. That was because my brain thought the time was 8:00 a.m. That is a time for me to be awake, starting my day. Psychologists who study sleep said : when a person returns to the U.S.A. from England or a country in Europe, getting adjusted to the different time zone in the United States of America can take seven nights.
When a person travels in an airplane from the U.S.A., all night, across the Atlantic Ocean to a country in Europe, and that person does not sleep in the airplane, that person will be awake for a very long time. By the time a person arrives at a hotel in Europe, if the time is 10:00 a.m. there, the traveler may have been awake for 23 hours. Naturally, the person will suffer from being awake for 23 hours. I think that is not "Jet lag". In my first trip from the U.S.A. to England, I arrived at an airport in England in the morning. I was asleep in my room in a B & B at 2:00 p.m. I awoke there at 10:00 p.m. I had slept for 8 hours. No place to go to at night, at 10:00 p.m., in a small town. I was awake all night. At 9:00 in the morning, it was time for me to begin a tour of a palace. I felt very tired, I suffered because I had been awake all night. That is sleep deprivation.

Well, Iused to go to work directly from the airport when I could arrive before noon, but that's no longer the norm. So I come back on Sunday, make sure the car will start, get some tide-me-over groceries, go to sleep and go to work the next day. All of this happens with the enthusiasm of a zombie, and I am miserable for at least a week, but I think that's returner's remorse, not jetlag. No jetlag symptoms on the way to Europe.

I guess it depends on what you mean by worse.

I find that when I get to Europe, I have to get on their time, i.e., I have to get up in the morning when my body tells be it's time to be sleeping. For a few days I feel almost sick, like I have the flu.

On the other hand, when I come back, and I am still on Europe time, I fall asleep early, like 7 or 8 o'clock in the evening, and I am up at 3 AM, but no one seems to mind that I am on that schedule, so I'm slow to get off it.

So, when I come back, it's hard to get back on the US time, but I feel fine, but when I go over, I adjust quicker to the new time, but I feel bad in the process. To me, it's worse to feel bad than to stay on the wrong time longer.

I think It's partly excitement going somewhere and...no excitement coming home and returning to normal life.

And partly your own rhythms. I'm a morning person and if I had no obligations or plans I'd wake up at 6AM and go to bed by 10PM. Going to Europe from the east coast, if I arrive at 10AM, that's 4AM by my internal clock. That's very early but doable to a morning person. I stay up until 10PM, sleep until 9AM the first day and am then ok.
Meanwhile coming home if I arrive at 6PM that's midnight and I'm ready for bed. Cue annoying cycle of waking at 3AM for a week.

I have terrible jet lag going to Hawaii (6 hours off) but less going to Europe (also 5-7 hours off). So...morning people, going east is easier than west?

I would like to go to Japan. I wonder what a 13 hour difference would feel like...

At least flying from Midwest or East coast to Europe, I find much more difficult than the return.
For instance, the 4 pm Lufthansa from Chicago lands in Frankfurt at 7:20 am, so on my clock, it is just after midnight. By the time I travel to my hotel, it is 9 or 10 am, too early to check in. After a bit of touring, I can get in my room around 3 pm. I've now been up 24 hours straight and am in zombie mode. But I will punch it through for another 6 hours to try and get with the new time zone. A 30 hour day.

The return, at 10:40 am, gets me back to O'Hare at 1 pm, and drive home it is 5:30 pm, dinner and ready for bed by 8:30 pm. I've now been up for 21 hours. A long day, but manageable. Sleep 10 hours and I am good to go.

Flying "against" the sun (west to east) is a more difficult adjustment than flying with the sun (east to west).

Lee (at Colorado) asked the question : what is worst ? I do not know the answer. If a person is awake in the airplane flying from North America to Europe, at night across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving at a country in Europe in the morning, and the person is awake all day, that is torture to me. That is very bad. If a person, arriving at Europe in the morning, goes to sleep for 8 hours during the day, and he will be awake all night the next night, that is very bad. Coming back to North America, if a person is awakening at 2 a.m. every morning, he had a short sleep, and he must go to work, that is very bad. For the trip to Europe from the U.S.A., for me the only solution is to be in a daytime flight across the Atlantic Ocean. American Airlines has a flight departing from the O'Hare airport of Chicago at about 9:10 a.m., arriving at London's Heathrow airport at about 10:20 p.m. Shuttle busses go from Heathrow airport to hotels that are located near the airport. British airways had day time flights to London Heathrow from the Dulles airport of Washington D.C. (located in the state Virginia) and from J.F.K. airport of New York City. And, an airline has a daytime flight from JFK to Paris.
After a person returns to his home in North America, if he awakes at 2:00 a.m., after a short sleep, that is not a problem for me, because I am not working. I am retired. Should people wait until they are retired (age 66, or later) to go on their first trip to Europe ? No. I do not have time for explaining that now.

I'm with you, Priscilla, and with Jill and others. Much harder returning than going. Like Jill, I think part of it is arrival excitement keeping me awake, and part is that I get a little (very little) sleep on the short "night-time" flight east and none on the long daytime flight west. I also think it could well be a different experience for those traveling from and to the east coast. A nine-hour shift is a lot harder than a six-hour shift, or the three-hour shift we experience crossing the US.

Science aside-I think it's because adrenaline from excitement of the impending vacation masks the signs of jet lag at the beginning of the trip. Coming home, being tired and weary from all the fun, our bodies finally relax and the tiredness sets in. But, that's just what I tell myself. Makes sense to me!

For me, jet lag used to be somewhat different every trip, but the last 3 or 4 it has shown a pattern. Upon arrival I am tired (don't sleep on planes), but usually get in during the late afternoon or evening. A short walk and some food will take me to bed time, but I seem to get up pretty early anyway. Around the 3rd or 4th day I seem to have a bad day where I actually feel ill, extremely tired, and usually hot (a few times a bit dizzy.) That passes in a couple of hours and I am fine. I think I deal with arriving because after a day or so, I have a schedule to follow. If I am on tour, get up, eat breakfast, leave with the group etc. If not on tour, there are things I want to see or do and have likely arranged some of them in advance (like buying Hypogeum tickets in Malta for 10 am.....gotta get there in time!!) When I come home, there are no constraints on my time. I often go to sleep early, despite my best attempts not to and wake up for a couple of hours each night. That slowly fades but can take me weeks. Ah well, part of the price of traveling for me.

One factor for me is that I don't do much to mitigate jet lag on the way home, though I take elaborate steps to do so on the way there. (I eat the jet lag diet, I control exposure to light, and I take a regime of melatonin starting 3 days before departure. And yes, I find that very effective.)

I'm sure there is more to it than that though.

I recently returned to Missouri after a one-month trip to Europe. I did fine flying to Europe – I arrived in Rome at 9:30 in the morning, stayed up all day, went to bed around 9, slept till around 7:30, and was ready to go and felt good the rest of the trip. Returning home from Vienna, it took about a week before I felt like I was back on schedule. I was tired by early evening, then woke up in the middle of the night ready to go for the day.

I also find it more difficult to return to a normal schedule when returning to the US from Europe. Going there on the overnight flight, even though I rarely sleep that much on the plane, it just feels easier to get into sync with the clock than when I come home.

I had minimal jet lag going from California to Vienna; was able to sleep in the plane, plus had an extraordinarily comfortable bed at my hotel for 5 nights - I'm sure that helped. Coming back to California, I did notice it for 3 or 4 days (or nights) - also as I get older, it just takes longer to recover.

I’m afraid that, unlike some of the opinions above, the general rule is that flying ‘WEST IS BEST’. Flying with the sun, extending your day is easier for your body clock to cope with than flying against the sun, compressing your day.

Flying east or west makes a difference to jet lag.
Your circadian rhythm (body clock) is less confused if you travel westward. This is because travelling west ‘prolongs’ the body clock’s experience of its normal day-night cycle (the normal tendency of the body clock in most of us is slightly longer than 24 hours). Travelling eastwards, however, runs in direct opposition to the body clock. If you suffer badly from jet lag, it may be worthwhile considering a westerly travel route if possible.
Source: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/jet-lag

It’s always worse coming home, no matter which direction you are going. For me, it’s easy to adjust when I visit the US, as I’m on vacation. Coming back to Austria, it’s back to the grind of a very early alarm clock.

I've been flying from California to Europe every few years (or so) for the last 30 years. It has always been more difficult for me coming back than going over. I'd like to say that age has something to do with it, but in my case that is clearly not a factor. I have very little jet lag arriving in Europe, perhaps only "hitting the wall" about 6pm or 7pm on my second day. But coming back is an entirely different story -- it takes me at least a week (approximately one hour each day) to get back to normal west coast time.
I rarely sleep on planes in either direction. The best I can manage is one 20 minute cat nap before something wakes me up ...
I think it's the excitement and anticipation of the adventure that is about to begin.
Don't get me wrong ... I love my home and my life here, but it isn't Europe!
:-)
SharYn

In the past, I had fewer problems on the return flight home. But not on my recent trip, when the morning after my return I came down with a terrible cold that lasted nearly 10 days. Some factors:

--On the flight over, I can get some sleep. Not so on the return flight.

--Coming back, I was physically run down. Active trip, and I didn't sleep well.

--I have noted in another forum that on the return flight home, I found disconcerting how dark the plane was because of closed shades and dimmed lighting.

Thanks everyone for your insightful replies!

I'm feeling a bit better just knowing that others also experience worse jet lag, coming home, despite the direction of travel.

I presume I'm just exhausted from all the days of travel, getting up every morning, walking an average of 5-6 miles/day, not getting restful REM sleep every night for various reasons (street noise, uncomfortable pillow, etc...), traveling across several time zones, eating salty airplane food, and not getting enough hydration.

The combination of all these factors took a toll on my body and now all it needs is some rest.

Adam,
What is a jet lag diet?

Richard,
Sorry you became ill with a bad cold upon your return home, hopefully you're all better now.

I think it's worth reading some science on this issue courtesy of the National Institutes of Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3086113/

It seems all rather personal and different things work best for different people. Since I am one of those who never sleeps on a plane, I just accept it, watch movies the whole way and once I arrive at either end of my trip, I try and slip directly into the normal day schedule, meals, and sleep times. Coming back home to Germany, a short nap works well for me in my own bed. My excitement is going the other direction, going to the US seeing family, etc. but with Dad in California, there is that pesky 9 hour time difference. Personally, I prefer the day that never ends, going West, rather than that dark plane going to Europe. Melatonin gives me nightmares and alcohol is not something I drink. So, it is movies and Candy Crush for me! Too many times have had to go to work on the next day and a couple of times on arrival day! Jet lag for me just means I get sleepy at odd times of the day or wake up at odd times of the night. Not a big deal though. Other than that, am fit to go do stuff.

I plan my arrival on the west coast to be anywhere from 11 am to 4 pm or so, and even if I haven't really slept on the plane I have enough energy to unpack and do some laundry, get outside and talk a walk, have an early dinner and then I pretty much hit the wall and crash by 8 pm. I allow one extra day before returning to work and while I'm fine in the daytime, it takes me a week to work back up to my normal bedtime of 10-11. What I always have without fail are very intense dreams for several nights, where I think I'm still on vacation and wake up in a panic, not knowing where I am--and wondering where the cats came from--or trying to get somewhere, usually on a train.

Ms. Jo,

It seems all rather personal and different things work best for different people. Since I am one of those who never sleeps on a plane, I just accept it, watch movies the whole way

So true, we're all different and we experience fatigue or sleep deprivation differently.

The main thing is that this is only a temporary condition which usually improves within a few days.

I watched two movies on the flight from FCO to Philadelphia and I can only remember the title of the second movie.
I also tried to solve the sudokus on the flight magazine but could ony solve the "easy" one! My brain was definitely exhausted!

Christa,

What I always have without fail are very intense dreams for several nights, where I think I'm still on vacation and wake up in a panic, not knowing where I am--and wondering where the cats came from--or trying to get somewhere, usually on a train.

Your comment is so interesting to me because I've had similar dreams these past couple of nights.
I've woken up in a panic thinking I forgot to pack and need to get to the train station or to the airport!

This morning I heard my dog barking outside, and in my half sleep phase, I wondered why there was a dog near my hotel room!

Agnes,
Thanks for the links to the scientific articles, they are indeed interesting and helpful!

I definitely had a harder time coming home, but was fortunate enough not to have to go work since it was the summer and just slept in for several days. But I also could not sleep on the plane other than maybe dozing off for maybe 20 minutes or so.

I did have strange dreams after coming back and one incident where I woke up and couldn't find the bathroom "in my hotel room", only to turn on the flashlight function on my phone and realize that I was in my own house.

Its worse because vacation is over.

Great article, Agnes. Thanks

Stan got it in one! Jet lag + depression that vacation is over = time tp stay in bed.

Stan got it in one! Jet lag + depression that vacation is over = time to stay in bed.

@Priscilla, the jet-lag diet was developed by the Argonne National Laboratory in the 1980s as a way to shift your circadian clock.

There's a general account of it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/22/travel/the-jet-lag-diet.html

although the reporter gets some details wrong.

It is not the most important tool in my kit, but everything helps.

Recently I have read anecdotal reports about a different method, fasting for about 14 hours (with 0 being breakfast in Europe), that supposedly has a similar effect. I'd like to try that next time instead.

Flight timings definitely play a part with severity.
Arriving home in Australia in the evening is far worse than an early morning arrival after 24 hours flying from Europe.
Going west, to Europe, I have little trouble adjusting.

I've woken up in a panic thinking I forgot to pack and need to get to the train station or to the airport! That's my pre-trip nightmare!!

Zoe I love the phrase "Returner's remorse!"

I, too, have trouble with the west-bound journey and it takes at least a week for me to get back to normal. Luckily we do not have those pesky jobs so can recover at our own pace. Outdoor time helps, and exercise, much as it does when we arrive in Europe, but the older we get the longer it takes to recover.

I avoid jet lag by sleeping on a 10-11 hour non-stop flight, basically I don't get jet lag. My chances of falling asleep and staying that way longer depends on a non-stop flight. I know I'll sleep anyway but what is important is the duration, the more the better upon landing. There were a few times in my youth when I came back feeling more exhausted than I did going over.

Why is jet lag worse when flying West?

For me, it is far worse flying east. I have more difficulty when I lose hours than when I gain hours.

When I come back to the U.S., I simply go to bed a bit earlier and wake up a bit earlier. I'm not a "morning person", so it is a real luxury to wake up early and have a leisurely breakfast before heading back to work. The only days that I ever do that are the days right after I return from a vacation in Europe.

One benefit of jet lag even after 5 days of being home from London is that I am home from the gym by 6:15am! I'm still waking up at 4:30 so why not be productive and head to the gym early.

Overcoming jet lag when arriving in Europe on the other hand is quick. That first day when arriving in the morning is hell but the next day after a good night's sleep, I'm refreshed and on their local time.

For me it seems worse coming back (even though I believe it's suppose to be worse going). It's probably just fatigue catching up with me. On my trip I'm always moving to the next thing to see/do and walking miles each day.

Nearly all my trans-Atlantic flights have been to visit friends/relatives with a little sightseeing, shopping or taking care of personal business tossed in - some when I was living in the U.S. some while living in Israel. So there was none of the excitement of being a tourist. It was usually easier for me to adjust going west. Either I'd have an overnight flight, then just stay awake all day, or a daytime flight and then meet friends, pick up necessities at Target, have dinner and get a long night's sleep.

Now I get screwed up returning from Europe, since my flights are usually red-eyes, so even though they are only 3-5 hours long with a single hour time difference, it messes me up because I lose a night's sleep, on top of being exhausted after 2-4 weeks of being a tourist.