Jet lag from Chicago to London: what to expect

How long does jet lag last from Chicago to London?

Unaided, eastward shifts settle at around a day per time zone: about 6 days for this one. S6 S7

This plan targets 4 days.

That's what the plan aims at, not a promise — bodies vary.

For this trip that's 2 days sooner than the unaided estimate, on the effort level that fits around a working day.

On night one the plan's bedtime is 01:00, late by London's clock. It holds there for 3 nights, then moves to 23:00 by night 5.

Sleep length tends to recover within about two days. The timing of your sleep takes longer to come right S2.

What does the plan say for a typical Chicago to London flight?

Departs

17:15 Chicago time

Lands

07:30 London time +1 day

In the air

about 8h 15m (estimate)

Light, landing day

11:25–12:25 Get outside into bright light

Keep it dim, landing day

22:00–00:00 Avoid bright light before bed

Last caffeine, landing day

17:00

Nap after landing

09:00 Nap when you can lie down, up to 90 min

First night's sleep

01:00–09:00

Eastbound long-hauls tend to land in the morning, so this example lands in London at 07:30, leaving Chicago at 17:15 the day before, after about 8h 15m in the air.

The flight time is our estimate for a nonstop from the distance, and the trip is set in January. It's the default traveler from the calculator: usually asleep 23:00 to 07:00, no melatonin, Real Life effort.

The plan puts about 4 hours of sleep on board, from 03:25 to 07:00 London time, ending half an hour before you land. What's left of that night becomes a nap on the ground at 09:00: "Nap when you can lie down, up to 90 min".

The day before you fly, the plan starts with light at 07:00–08:00 Chicago time. Chicago's sunrise, about 07:15 in January, comes partway through, so finish it outside.

January days are short in London: about 9 hours of daylight. In January the sun is up in London from about 07:55 to 16:29, so the 11:25 light step on landing day is daylight. Outside is the easy way to get it.

What helps after flying east to London?

Going east, you want light after your body's low point and darkness before it S1. In the first days after a big shift that often means sunglasses in the morning and the early afternoon outside. Why flying east is harder goes through the mechanism.

Caffeine belongs in the morning to early afternoon at your destination S3. On this trip the plan's cutoff is 17:00, even if it feels like breakfast to your body.

Melatonin has its best trial results on eastward flights across five or more time zones S5. It's a timing signal, not a sleeping pill: melatonin for jet lag covers when to take it. Check with your doctor first.

And the flight home from London?

London to Chicago is the same 6 hours the other way, westward. It's the easier direction: about 4 days unaided, and the plan targets 3. Jet lag from London to Chicago has the details.

More routes from Chicago

• Chicago to Zurich
• Chicago to Hong Kong
• Chicago to Tokyo