The return journey

They say that travelling back east is when jet lag tends to hit hardest. “Going west we extend our day – adding more time to it, whereas going east means shortening the day by taking away hours,” says sleep therapist Dr Kat Lederle. “In the latter case, the body clock has to speed up, which it finds harder to do. That’s why we feel the symptoms of jet lag more strongly when travelling to Australia, for example.”

Think about it: if you travel west and need to stay up for a few more hours than usual, it tends to be lighter outside, you’re still looking at your phone or TV (blue light emitters), dinner will keep your digestive system busy, there are people around, etc. Trying to get to sleep much earlier, however, means disconnecting from technology before you might be ready, eating at a different time and trying to quieten the brain when you might otherwise be engaged in activity.

It just so happened that the biggest, most brutal workout of my trip was scheduled for the morning of my return journey – and that meant that by the time I reached the airport lounge hours later, I was physically exhausted. I decided to stay awake for dinner, and then the moment it was cleared away, I’d brush my teeth and go to sleep. I barely managed that; minutes after brushing, the eye mask went on and I was dead to the world.

How to beat jet lag: “I followed 5 simple rules when travelling to LA and avoided any jet lag symptoms when I got home”