Jet lag: how to restore sleep and recover after a long flight

Jet lag is a deeper process than it might seem — it goes well beyond simple travel fatigue. It is a disruption to the system that governs your entire body.

What happens during jet lag

Inside our bodies there is an internal clock — circadian rhythms — responsible for:

• sleep and waking
• hormones (including melatonin)
• body temperature
• energy levels and even mood

This "clock" is synchronized by light.

When we shift time zones abruptly, the body simply loses track of when it's day and when it's night. The result: sleepiness during the day, an inability to fall asleep at night, a body that's exhausted but a mind that won't switch off — along with irritability, disorientation, and mental fog.

The core principle of recovery: the goal of the first day is not to "catch up on sleep" — it's to send the body the right signals. That's what triggers the reset.

1. Temperature: the fastest way to "switch" the body

Heat relaxes; cold sends a signal to the system.

What works best:

• a hot shower or bath for 10–15 minutes (or even better — a banya or sauna)
• followed by a brief cold finish — a contrast shower

Here's how it works: the sudden shift in temperature acts on the nervous system and helps the body transition into recovery mode more quickly.

As an added benefit, this relieves the tension built up during the flight, improves circulation, and helps you feel present in your body — here and now.

Water — the foundation of recovery

From both a physiological standpoint and according to traditions like Ayurveda, the body loses a significant amount of moisture during flights. Dry cabin air, pressure fluctuations, climate change — all of it contributes to dehydration.

Moisture is essential for the healthy functioning of the nervous system, for regulating body temperature, for hormone production, and for sleep quality.

This is why, after a flight, we so often feel dry skin, fatigue, and a heaviness in the body.

A warm bath or shower helps the body replenish moisture, relaxes the muscles, eases nervous system tension, and creates a sense of being grounded. This is why a banya or a hot bath after a long flight is, at its core, about restoring balance.

2. Light: the primary regulator

Light is the most powerful signal the brain receives. It is through the eyes that the brain "knows" what time it is.

What to do: in the morning, go outside into natural daylight for 20–30 minutes — even if you desperately want to sleep. Ideally before 9 or 10 in the morning. This quite literally resets the internal clock. And that is not a metaphor — it is neuroscience.

3. Darkness: the underestimated factor

If light "switches on" the day, darkness triggers the night.

What matters in the evening:

• as little light as possible
• no bright lamps
• no phone before bed
• as dark a room as possible

Even a small amount of light can suppress melatonin production. This is why a silk sleep mask is not just a travel accessory — it is a genuinely useful tool.

4. Food: how not to undermine your recovery

After a flight, the instinct is to reach for coffee and something sweet. But both make things worse.

Better: a light dinner — protein-focused and low in heavy carbohydrates. Carbs can disrupt the rhythm and cause a sudden energy spike that makes it harder to fall asleep on time.

5. Sleep: the most counterintuitive rule

Do not nap during the day — not even if you've had only a few hours of sleep. It's better to push through the day, go to bed at a normal hour, and let the body recalibrate. Daytime sleep only prolongs jet lag.

6. Movement and fresh air

Simple, but very effective:

• a gentle walk
• fresh air
• movement without overexertion

This helps get the circadian rhythms moving, clears the mental fog, and restores a sense of energy.

The complete formula that actually works

Bringing it all together into a simple note:

• heat (hot shower / hot bath / banya / sauna / hammam)
• a brief cold finish — contrast shower
• a light dinner with protein, no carbohydrates
• complete darkness
• morning light without fail / a walk / movement
• no daytime napping / no extra coffee

This is the foundation that genuinely shortens jet lag.

Home me — supporting recovery, even when you travel

At Home me, we have products that help the body move into recovery mode more quickly after jet lag:

• silk sleep masks for deeper sleep
• protective pillow covers
• silk pillowcases
• quality bedding, for when you've returned home and are still feeling the effects of jet lag.

Home me x Have a Rest travel sets

If you love to travel, we'd especially like to draw your attention to our travel sets, created in collaboration with Have a Rest. When you create something entirely new — something that hasn't yet become the new normal — it can be difficult to introduce it to people at first. Because it's new.

These are travel sets designed specifically for overnight train journeys, transforming that experience into something pleasant, considered, and hygienic — and therefore genuinely restorative. They come in two formats: maxi and mini.

The Maxi set

The maxi set includes a complete bamboo fabric set as an alternative to the bedding provided on Ukrainian trains, a silk sleep mask, and earplugs.

With this format, you fully line your sleeping space with hypoallergenic fabric that has bactericidal properties, protecting your entire body and skin from microorganisms and dust mites that are very likely to be present. Because it's a train. Many different people travel on it constantly — and ideal hygiene is not something you can count on. The maxi set gives you complete protection from any such risk.

The mask and earplugs help create "darkness" and "silence" — since you're not alone in the compartment.

The Mini set

If you'd rather not bring a full set, the mini gives you everything essential to care for your facial skin and hair. A protective cover shields you from whatever may be living inside the pillow, while a silk pillowcase gives the skin a truly special feeling. This set is remarkably compact — it fits in the palm of your hand.

Why this matters

We created these sets because we believe they are essential for Ukrainians traveling in these years — a time when so many of us are spending long hours on trains. To avoid skin irritation and breakouts, this is simply the foundation. And beyond that — it's about the experience itself.

Turning a journey from something to be endured into a genuine experience — one that offers real comfort and pleasure, not just at the destination, but throughout the journey itself.

Learn more about the travel sets and make your journeys more comfortable.