Jet lag (and the creatine angle)

Light shifts your clock, and the direction of travel decides when to seek and avoid it. Going east (the harder direction, because your natural clock runs slightly long) you want bright morning light at your destination and to avoid late-evening light; going west, the opposite — seek evening light, avoid early morning. Getting the timing wrong pushes the clock the wrong way, which is why apps like Timeshifter that compute a personalised light/melatonin schedule are genuinely useful. Evidence ●●●●○

For flights crossing 5+ time zones, a small dose of melatonin (0.5–3 mg) at destination bedtime meaningfully reduces jet lag — a Cochrane review put the number-needed-to-treat at 2, one of the best in sleep medicine. Meal timing helps too: fast on the plane and eat your first proper meal at the destination's normal breakfast time to anchor your body's food clock. Evidence ●●●●○

A 2024 study found a single large dose of creatine (~0.35 g/kg) improved cognition and reduced fatigue during a night of sleep deprivation — a promising buffer for the wrecked days of travel. Be honest about the limits: it was tiny (15 people), a one-off megadose (which can upset the stomach), and never tested for jet lag specifically. Worth watching, not established — and ordinary daily creatine (3–5 g) is safe and useful for other reasons but won't reproduce that acute rescue. Evidence ●●○○○