Exercise: A Cure for Jet Lag

One of the reasons I will exercise as soon as I land after a long trip is to regulate my sleep schedule, especially if I am in a vastly different time zone. Working out as early in the day as possible gives you the best chance at successfully adjusting to the local time. You may not want to do it, but waking up early in the local time zone and performing relatively strenuous exercise spikes cortisol levels, resulting in lower levels in the evening, which is conducive to sleep. You need to give your body a reason to sleep. If you’ve been almost motionless after a long flight, you may be psychologically tired, but your body isn’t, and it won’t let you sleep.