Jet lag from Mumbai to New York: what to expect

How long does jet lag last from Mumbai to New York?

Unaided, westward shifts settle somewhat faster than a day per time zone: about 7 days for this one. S6 S7

Your body can't go faster than ~7 days here. The plan's job is making them livable: protected sleep, no wrong-way light, functional days.

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

On night one the plan's bedtime is 18:30, early by New York's clock, and it moves later night by night, reaching 23:00 by night 8.

Studies of aircrew point the same way: after large shifts, westward adaptation runs roughly 50% faster than eastward S6 S8. This trip is on the quick side of that.

What does the plan say for a typical Mumbai to New York flight?

Departs

11:00 Mumbai time

Lands

16:15 New York time

In the air

about 15h 45m (estimate)

Light, the first full day

17:25–18:25 Seek bright light (delay shift)

Keep it dim, the first full day

02:30–04:30 Avoid bright light (sunglasses / dim room)

Last caffeine, landing day

10:30 on the plane

Last caffeine, first full day

13:00

First night's sleep

18:30–02:30

Westbound flights often go by day, so this example leaves Mumbai at 11:00 and lands in New York at 16:15 in the afternoon, after about 15h 45m 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.

In July the gap is 9½ hours, not 10½, because New York moves its clocks and Mumbai doesn't.

On board, the plan keeps you awake apart from a short nap at 02:30 New York time, saving the real sleep for the night in New York.

The day before you fly, the plan keeps your morning dim, 07:00–09:00 Mumbai time, and the sun is up in Mumbai by about 07:14 in January, so plan on sunglasses for the commute.

On landing day your last coffee comes on the plane, at 10:30 New York time, and the plan has none between landing and your first night's sleep. From 02:30, when you wake from that first sleep, it allows it again, until 13:00.

January days are short in New York: about 10 hours of daylight. In January the sun sets in New York at about 16:57, so the 17:25 light step the day after landing comes after dark. It has to be bright indoor light.

You land too late in the day for a light step on landing day, so the first one is the next day, at 17:25.

Note the order: the plan keeps you out of bright light until 17:25, then sends you outside. Light before your body's low point pushes the clock later S1, which is only welcome once the low point has passed.

What helps after flying west to New York?

Going west, you want light before your body's low point, which usually means bright light in the evening and staying up a little later S1. Bright light first thing in the morning works against you. East vs west explains why this direction is the easier one.

On a shift this size, starting before you fly pays off. The Frontiers review describes moving bedtime 30 to 60 minutes later each day for 3 to 4 days before a westward trip S1. The plan's version is one night: bed at 00:00 the night before you fly, an hour later than usual.

And the flight home from New York?

New York to Mumbai is the same 10½ hours the other way, eastward. It's the harder direction: about 11 days unaided, and the plan targets 9. Plan the flight home from New York with your own times.