If you’ve noticed that a long-haul flight knocks you around considerably more than it used to, you’re not imagining it. There’s genuine science behind why jet lag becomes a tougher opponent as we get older – and, thankfully, genuine science behind how to fight back too.

Why it actually gets worse

Jet lag happens when your body’s internal 24-hour clock, which governs when you feel sleepy and alert, falls out of sync with the day-night cycle of wherever you’ve landed. For younger travellers, that clock resets itself relatively quickly. For those of us over 60, several things conspire to slow the process down.

The most significant factor is melatonin, the hormone responsible for priming your body for sleep. Melatonin production naturally declines with age, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep even without the added disruption of time zone changes. Research has also found that older adults are less “phase tolerant” – meaning our circadian rhythms are simply less able to cope with being thrown out of sync in the first place, compared to when we were younger.

There’s an interesting nuance in the research too: one study found that while the core circadian rhythm (measured via body temperature) actually adjusted to a new schedule at a similar rate in older and younger participants, the resulting sleep disruption and daytime sleepiness lasted considerably longer in older adults. In other words, the internal clock itself may reset at a comparable pace, but the practical fallout – feeling foggy, exhausted and off-kilter – sticks around for longer.

Direction of travel matters too, and matters more as we age. Because the average human circadian rhythm actually runs slightly longer than 24 hours, it’s generally easier to adjust when travelling west (which extends your day) than east (which compresses it). Some research suggests recovery can be 30 to 50 per cent faster after westward travel compared to eastward. Studies specifically looking at older adults have found this eastbound disadvantage is often more pronounced, linked again to that reduced and more irregular melatonin rhythm.

Finally, even the tools we typically use to reset our body clock become somewhat less effective with age. Research has found that light exposure – normally one of the most powerful resets available – shifts the circadian rhythm less effectively in middle-aged participants than in younger ones, meaning the standard advice to “get outside and into the sun” may need a little more patience and persistence to work its magic later in life.

6 ways to beat it

None of this means you should resign yourself to a miserable first few days of every trip. Here’s what actually helps.

1. Start adjusting before you fly. Rather than waiting until you land, begin shifting your sleep and meal times by 30 to 60 minutes a day in the direction of your destination’s time zone for a few days before departure. This gives your body a head start rather than asking it to make the entire adjustment in one go.

2. Be deliberate about light exposure. Since light is the single strongest cue for resetting your body clock, use it strategically. If you’re travelling east, seek out morning light at your destination and avoid bright evening light. If travelling west, do the reverse. It takes a little research before you go, but it’s one of the most effective tools available.

3. Consider your arrival time. Where possible, choose flights that land in the afternoon rather than early morning, particularly on eastbound trips – arriving to morning light when your body still thinks it’s the middle of the night can actually shift your rhythm in the wrong direction.

4. Talk to your doctor about melatonin. Given that melatonin naturally declines with age, some travellers find a low-dose melatonin supplement genuinely helpful for resetting the body clock, particularly on eastbound trips. It’s worth discussing timing and dosage with your GP or pharmacist first, especially if you take other regular medications.

5. Go easy on alcohol and caffeine in transit. Both can worsen dehydration and disrupt the sleep you do manage to get on board, compounding jet lag rather than helping you push through it. Water, and plenty of it, remains the simplest and most effective thing you can drink on a long flight.

6. Build recovery time into your itinerary. Perhaps the most important tip of all: don’t schedule anything demanding for your first day or two at your destination if you can help it. Given that recovery genuinely does take longer after 60, particularly following eastbound travel, planning a gentler start to your trip means you’ll actually be well enough to enjoy the rest of it.

Before you fly

Jet lag hitting harder after 60 isn’t a sign anything’s wrong with you – it’s simply your body’s natural, well-documented response to ageing, and one that responds well to a bit of planning. A little preparation before you fly, some patience with your body clock once you land, and a realistic itinerary that allows a day or two to properly adjust can make an enormous difference to how much of your trip you’re actually well enough to enjoy.

This article is general in nature and isn’t personalised medical advice. If you’re considering melatonin or have concerns about how travel may affect an existing health condition or medication, speak with your GP before you fly.