Circadian Rhythms: 8 Ways To Keep Them Aligned While on the Move

Differing from person to person, circadian rhythms play a vital role in our individual sleep-and-wake cycles – think of them as your personal, natural body clock. Deeply embedded into our subconscious, they are natural cycles of physical and mental changes that go on in our bodies over 24 hours. Controlled by a small area in the brain’s hypothalamus, they affect sleep patterns, hormones, body temperature and appetite if knocked out of alignment. Taken to extremes, disruption to your circadian clock may cause insomnia, obesity, diabetes, depression or seasonal affective disorder. Here's how they work and how to keep them in sync when travelling, be it on business, with family or friends.

You don’t have to be zooming across the world for your circadian rhythm to be affected by travel; a simple hop from one time zone to another in Europe is often enough to knock sleep patterns for six. Here’s how circadian patterns work, plus a few tips to keep their disruption to a minimum.

Guided by darkness and light, your body’s 24-hour clock regulates sleeping and waking cycles. A healthy circadian rhythm involves regular and consistent sleep (between seven to nine hours per night for adults) to ensure that our bodies are operating to their best ability. Travel disrupts these cycles as familiar light-dark cycles change, which can lead to short-term sleep issues, fatigue, poor concentration and irritability – never a good thing, especially if you’re travelling with fractious children who are themselves disorientated and still on “home time”.

Plane travel and a resulting sudden shift in the light-dark cycle is a primary cause of disruption to our body clocks. As well as helping to reduce your impact on the planet, slow travel – cycling or taking the train to your destination – allows you to cross time zones gradually, which in turn helps retrain your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.

For trips longer than 72 hours, start gradually shifting your sleep behaviour a few days before you leave. If travelling east, go to bed and wake up earlier each day; if travelling west, go to bed and wake up later. This helps ease the transition to your new time zone and can reduce the impact of travel sleep disruption. But don’t stay up late to wear yourself out before short-haul flights – they're not long enough for you to catch up on meaningful sleep or relaxation.

If you’re flying, change your watch to destination time as soon as you board the plane to help you get accustomed to the new time zone. Otherwise, switch your routine to the local time as soon as you arrive. If it is daytime at your accommodation, try and stay awake. Conversely, if you arrive at night, cut down on your exposure to bright light (especially from screens and other devices) a few hours before your new bedtime so your body realises it’s time to wind down.

Daylight is the best remedy for a messed-up body clock. If your schedule allows, get outside into natural light within 20 minutes of waking up on your first morning. If that’s not possible, try to spend time outdoors during the day – this will help your body to realise it’s time to be awake. It generally takes one day per time zone crossed to fully adjust to a new schedule. This is not set in stone, as eastward travel causes more disruption (you lose time) than westward journeys. When heading west you gain time, lengthening the day of travel and making it easier for your body clock to adjust to the new “norm”.

Try a little light physical activity – walking or stretching are ideal – during any flight or rail trip and also upon arrival at your hotel. Keeping on the move (ideally outdoors, of course) will boost your energy levels and promote better sleep at night time. Many Novotel hotels have fitness rooms and/or pools so you can exercise easily and at a time to suit you.

Drink plenty of water during your flight, on a train journey and at your destination, as dehydration can worsen the symptoms of circadian rhythm disorder. Avoid caffeine and alcohol (skip the minibar on the plane or in your hotel room), especially near bedtime as they are both known to play havoc with sleep patterns. Choose light and healthy meals according to the schedule of your destination, which both aids digestion and helps your body acclimatise to your new eating times; breakfast is especially important as it kickstarts your metabolism and resets your body clock for the day.

Although power napping for up to half an hour may help during the day, avoid the temptation of long sleeps during daylight hours. It will only cause further confusion to your sleep regime. Ensure any naps are several hours before your target bedtime. The natural hormone melatonin helps your internal body clock stay aligned. Its levels in your body rise around two hours before bedtime, telling your body it’s time to rest. When you’re on the move from country to country, your body might need a little reminder of this, so consider buying melatonin tables over the counter to use as a sleep aid.

Perhaps you have a short business trip to make in Europe? If you’ll be away for less than three days, the easiest way of dealing with internal clock issues is to stay firmly on your normal daily schedule. Keep meal and sleep times as close to home as possible, otherwise you may find yourself seriously out of step with life on your return. This is especially useful for you're travelling on business and have to get back to work as soon as you return home.

Here are more wellness tips to offset travel disruption. If you’re still concerned about the effects of travel on your circadian rhythm, why not plan your trip around sleep tourism in hotels dedicated to your well-being?