A bad case of jet lag can eat away at a trip, wasting days by being painfully tired or downright miserable.
And while it may seem like there’s not much you can do but wait it out, with careful planning, you just might side-step a case of “flight flu” and be fully present. As long as you can learn how to control your body’s cycles.
As a travel writer who splits time between Cape Town and New York, I’ve tried every trick in the book on long-haul flights. From old wives’ tales (fasting after landing) to over-the-counter (shout-out Zzzquil) medicine, you name it and I’ve done it to outwit my body’s circadian rhythms.
But with an upcoming flight stretching over 15 hours and a time differential of six, I decided to try something else entirely: an astronaut-endorsed app that promises to hack your sleep and help eliminate or greatly reduce jet lag.
Here’s what I found.
In this article
What Is Timeshifter?
Timeshifter is a mobile app that seeks to debunk the inevitability of sleep deprivation, helping users biohack their sleep routine.
Co-founded by a neuroscientist and NASA astronauts, the app has over a million downloads from sleep hopefuls. Backed by biology, Timeshifter takes a science-based approach to jet lag, or as they prefer to say more broadly, "interruptions to circadian rhythms."
The app generates a program that accounts for travel plans and body clocks to help users factory reset their sleep.
While overcoming jet lag is a primary use case, the app's philosophy is simple and widely applicable. Timeshifter's circadian-conquering methodology is available to shift workers and athletes alike to tinker with their body clock to reach peak performance.
How Does Timeshifter Work?
Upon download, the Timeshifter app prompts you to input flight details for upcoming travel. Using a flight tracker and arrival/departure time zones, Timeshifter then tailors a schedule based on your specific travel plans to orient your circadian rhythm.
After a few taps through an intake form, the app will then map a custom schedule for a personalized jet lag plan, blocking out time periods in which to take critical action to regulate the body over the next few days.
Through push notifications and an in-app calendar, Timeshifter cues things like “avoid sunlight” and “nap if able.”
It also predicts periods when your body will be most susceptible to the time differential. It only works if you work it; the onus is on users following the Timeshifter regimen.
How Do Circadian Rhythms Work?
You can think of circadian rhythms as your body’s internal clock.
To adjust the body clock, one must pull the levers that make us tick. When the body clock is pointing to bedtime in the circadian cycle, the brain releases a dose of naturally produced melatonin, a sleep hormone.
By taking over-the-counter melatonin supplements, you can try to tell our brains it’s “lights out.”
Lighting also has a huge impact, but circadian rhythms can also be influenced by factors like temperature, meds, diet, stress, and physical activity. Aggressive disruptions to the circadian rhythm caused by extensive travel are commonly known as “jet lag.”
How Much Does Timeshifter Cost?
Trying out Timeshifter for the first time is on the house. From there, the app offers a per-trip cost or annual model, $9.99 and $24.99 respectively.
I tested Timeshifter while traveling with my mom, who naturally followed my Timeshifter prescribed itinerary. If there are multiple people in your group flying from the same origin, consider sharing a plan to save costs.
Timeshifter offers travel partnerships with many major airlines and hotels, extending reward incentives for subscriptions to the app. It’s worth investigating if your travel plans qualify for perks with Timeshifter before you hit download. You’ll get the most up-to-date information about their partners' incentives on their website.
Is Timeshifter Worth the Money?
With a friendly user interface, Timeshifter promises to simplify jet lag once and for all. If it makes good on its promise, it's useful for frequent and occasional international travelers.
I recommend trialing Timeshifter's program with the introductory complimentary travel plan before committing to an annual subscription. Timeshifter isn't magic and while it can be helpful for some, it’s still subject to the user. So if you’re not the type to adhere to reminders, the app might not be for you. Some prompts proved more difficult to follow than others.
Timeshifter was not an unequivocal win for me personally. Sleeping on a plane is a feat in itself for me, so timing my sleep schedule in-air was ambitious to say the least. Nonetheless, I tried my hardest to adhere to the app's schedule.
When I landed from my 15-hour flight, the app pinged me to immediately take a nap. I didn’t make it to bed until at least 90 minutes later, after I made it to my accommodations. I also found it challenging to avoid light, especially when doing work necessitated screens.
At my final destination, the first night was easy enough to adhere to the Timeshifter plan, being absolutely knackered from the flight. Over the next few days, while my jet lag was felt, it was not a profound hindrance. My sleep shifted 2 hours later for sleep and waking, only a slight differential from my usual routine.
For those who want to customize their flight and sleep down to the minute, and who can generally fall asleep with ease, the tips are useful and the principles of circadian regulation are simple. And for frequent flyers or nervous travelers who need reminders and can honor the schedule, Timeshifter can offer a real solution to jet lag.
The Shortcut
The free trial covers one trip. Use it before you spend $24.99 on the annual plan, because the app's usefulness depends entirely on you, not on it.
Check whether your airline or hotel loyalty program bundles a subscription before you pay for one.
Timeshifter tells you when to seek light, avoid it, drink caffeine, and sleep, down to the minute. (That last one can be a problem for anyone who can't sleep on planes.)
