Medical Questions > Travel Questions > Question No. 989
Question:How can I work out how long it will take me to recover from jetlag after a trip to America? I don' t want to waste time, but 1 want to enjoy myself and not feel terrible at Yosemite or Disneyland.
Answer:The table below looks complicated, but once you get started it works out quite easily, and will give you a good guide to the length of time it will take to recover from an intercontinental flight. If possible, you should adjust your departure

RESTTIME / Travel Time Time zones

in hours " in hours in excess of 4

V 2

Departure time Arrival time

coefficient coefficient

1 Time Zone = 1 Hour difference in time

TIME PERIOD 0800-1200 1200-1800 1800-2200 2200-0100 0100-0800

Departure time coefficient Arrival time coefficient 0 13 4 3 4 2 0 13

RESTTIME (!§+3 + 1+2)x2 = 28hOUrS

in hours 2 J

and arrival times to give the lowest possible time coefficient. All times are local times.

An example for a trip to the west coast of America, departing at 2 pm and arriving at 1 pm (local time) on a 16 hour flight, and covering 7 time zones, has been worked out above to give a rest time of 28 hours.