That being said, the constant traveling across multiple continents means I also go through multiple time zones\u2014and I\u2019m not the best at managing jet lag<\/a> at all<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It takes me several days to get used to the new time zone I\u2019m in, and in the case of a very quick work trip, I only truly adjust by the time I\u2019m ready to leave. That means I then have to readjust all over again when I get home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I know I\u2019m not alone in this. According to Shantha Gowda, PsyD, sleep expert and founder of ThinkSleep<\/a>, jet lag is a perfectly normal thing\u2014and most people experience it no matter how often they travel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile some people are more resilient than others, if you\u2019re traveling long distances across multiple time zones, you\u2019ll likely experience some sort of jet lag,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gowda explains that jet lag is a circadian rhythm<\/a> sleep-wake disorder that commonly occurs when people quickly travel across multiple time zones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “It happens because of the misalignment of an individual\u2019s internal biological clock with the local time at their destination,\u201d she says. So, you’re in one time zone, but your internal clock thinks you’re somewhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While on my most recent trips, I tried my best to stay awake until the right time and drink coffee to wake up when I needed to\u2014but\u00a0I found that the constant traveling was really messing with me and I was tired more often than not.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, on a recent trip to LA with my sister\u2014who flew for 23 hours to get there from India\u2014I discovered an app that promised to change it all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She had just used the Timeshifter<\/a> app, available on both Apple and Android, to help her fight her jet lag. She was wide awake and ready to take on the day\u2026even when it was 2 am her time! I knew I just had to try it. Below is my honest review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Invented by Mickey Beyer-Clausen, the Timeshifter app is designed for frequent travelers to minimize jet lag symptoms. It uses light exposure and avoidance to essentially \u201cfool\u201d your biological clock, allowing you to adjust more easily to new time zones.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The science used in the app is based on research from Harvard Medical School<\/a>, which found that exposure to sunlight is the best way to help your clock adjust. Astronauts who systematically sought out bright light and then avoided it during specific intervals could effectively \u201creset\u201d their circadian clocks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, this adjustment isn\u2019t just as simple as stepping into bright sunlight whenever you feel tired\u2014there\u2019s a method to the madness. If you step into bright sunlight when it\u2019s midnight for you in New York, but it\u2019s 6 am in London where you\u2019ve just landed, your body might be fooled into thinking the time has shifted in the other direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf a person experiences light much earlier than their 5 am internal time, then the body interprets this as a late sunset rather than an early sunrise,\u201d the study authors explain. \u201cThis will result in shifting the internal biological clock in the wrong (or later) direction.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The app therefore does all the math for you, telling you exactly when to expose yourself to light and when not to, based on where you\u2019re traveling to, your own internal clock, and sleep\u00a0chronotype<\/a>, to help you arrive at your destination more acclimated to the time zone change than you would otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Timeshifter works by giving you personalized jet lag plans, which it creates based on where you\u2019re going, your internal circadian rhythm, your chronotype, and other general sleep habits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To begin, you answer a few simple questions involving your full flight details (including multi-leg flights or any stopovers), your sleep chronotype\u00a0(are you a wolf, lion, bear, or dolphin), your age and sex, and also some of your own individual sleep patterns.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n These questions ask things like your preferred bedtime and wake-up times, as well as any other aids you take to fall or stay asleep, like melatonin<\/a> or coffee<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you enter all those details, the app pulls up a personalized jet lag plan that provides instructions for each hour you\u2019re traveling so that you don\u2019t land completely exhausted and maladjusted to the new time zone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The instructions vary and include the time zones for both the place you\u2019re going to and coming from, as well as the date. Overall, you could be asked to do everything from avoiding to exposing yourself to sunlight,\u00a0caffeine, and\u00a0melatonin, as well as get told when and when not to sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sample instructions include \u201cavoid caffeine for six hours,\u201d \u201cexpose yourself to light in 45 minutes,\u201d and \u201ctake melatonin.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can even sign up for push notifications so you never miss a beat and adjust your view so you can see either the entire day\u2019s worth of instructions or only a few hours at a time\u2014whatever works best for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short-term view also lets you see instructions using graphics and emojis, which brings about a sense of fun to the app. You can start the app up to three days in advance of your flight if you really want to get ahead of your jet lag, but if you wait until the minute before take-off, that\u2019s an option too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously, the plan changes depending on how much lead time you give the app\u2014and you’re more likely to adjust to the new time zone the further in advance you start preparing. However, either way, the app promises a much easier adjustment to your new time zone than if you weren\u2019t to use it at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Gowda, apps that help you sync your circadian rhythm can absolutely work because they use your own personal data to create a highly specific plan to follow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to strategically shift someone’s circadian system by what we call phase advancing or phase delaying,\u201d she explains. \u201cThese strategies take some understanding of the science and some planning, but apps such as Timeshifter are great resources to help with this process.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gowda says the app takes away some of the detailed work you would have to do to map out all of the different activities and clocks (internal body clock, time at each destination and layovers, sunrise\/sunset, etc.). The advice is helpful and personalized to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Gowda cautions that it may not work for everyone.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you struggle with sleep problems at baseline, there may be more nuanced approaches to consider, and a\u00a0sleep specialist<\/a>\u00a0would be your best resource,\u201d she explains. \u201cFor example, if you typically have a very irregular sleep schedule or struggle with insomnia<\/a> or other circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders such as delayed sleep phase, this app may not provide enough detail to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n From firsthand experience, I can say the app absolutely works for me. I often fly from New York to Mumbai, India, and it involves a few hours in London as my layover. This is a 23-hour door-to-door journey, and the time difference is between 9.5 to 10.5 hours, depending on\u00a0Daylight Saving Time<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it\u2019s 9 pm in New York, it\u2019s either 6:30 am or 7:30 am in Mumbai, which means that when I get there, I usually want to fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon. Even if I\u00a0do\u00a0<\/em>manage to stay up and go to bed at say, 10 pm, I\u00a0wake up multiple times in the middle of the night<\/a>\u00a0and am traipsing around a dark room at 4 am. This lasts\u00a0days<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When my sister introduced the Timeshifter app to me, I knew I needed to try it. And it turns out, my weird strategy of trying to sleep on the first flight and stay awake on the second was the wrong approach. This actually made my body think it was morning when I landed at night in India and explains why I kept waking up at all hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n From firsthand experience, I can say the app absolutely works for me. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Instead, the app directed me to expose myself to sunlight during the first flight itself and only sleep for a few hours on it. After this, I should immediately take some melatonin, avoid bright light all through my layover, and sleep for a maximum of an hour or two at the beginning of my second flight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This helped my body adjust to the timezone a lot easier, and I landed pretty tired because I hadn\u2019t slept the entire flight like I had in the past. I didn\u2019t toss or turn that night at all and comfortably woke up well-rested at 6 am in the morning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I wouldn\u2019t have known to tailor my sleep schedule like this at all if it hadn\u2019t been for the Timeshifter app, and I\u2019ve used it multiple times since then.\u00a0While I\u2019m not always 100% adjusted when I land, I\u2019m definitely more in sync with the new time zone than I would’ve been otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While your first plan is free, Timeshifter does involve a fee after that. Each jet lag plan costs $9.99 (this includes a one-way or roundtrip with up to two short stopovers)\u2014or you can buy an unlimited plan, one-year subscription for $24.99 if you travel often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two popular apps that promise to help with jet lag. The first is\u00a0Timeshifter<\/a>, which uses light exposure and avoidance to trick your circadian rhythm and readjust your biological clock so that you adjust to your destination\u2019s time zone faster. The second is\u00a0Uplift<\/a>, which utilizes biorhythmic acupressure to adjust to time zones: Once you input your flight details and land in your new time zone, it gives you a video demonstrating a five-minute acupressure exercise to help you adjust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Timeshifter is absolutely legit. The app has a 4.7-star rating<\/a> on the app store, with multiple positive reviews from athletes, astronauts, and high-powered CEOs on its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to avoid jet lag is to take precautions\u00a0before<\/em>\u00a0you get to the new time zone, not after, according to Gowda. \u201cWith the help of a sleep specialist, it is possible to create a plan tailored to your sleep schedule, specific chronotype, core body temperature, travel schedule, light exposure, and meal timing,\u201d she says. \u201cStrategies to manage jet lag typically include gradually advancing or delaying bedtime and other routine activities (sunlight exposure, meal timing, workouts, etc.) in the few days leading up to travel depending on which way you\u2019re traveling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt really depends on person to person\u2014some people are simply more resilient to jet lag than others,\u201d says Gowda. \u201cOn average, it takes about one day for the body to adjust for each time zone crossed, but this can vary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is the Timeshifter app? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"timeshifter](\"https:\/\/blog.saatva.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/timeshifter-app.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow does the Timeshifter app work? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Does the Timeshifter app really work? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Is the Timeshifter app free? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
FAQs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Is there an app to help with jet lag? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Is the Timeshifter app legit? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How can I get rid of my jet lag? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How long does jet lag usually last? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n