Jet Lag on a US-to-Bali Trip: A First-48-Hours Plan

Jet lag on a trip from the United States to Bali is about as strong as jet lag gets, because the time difference is 12 to 16 hours and day and night are nearly reversed. The CDC's advice is to shift your sleep before you go, to stay in daylight after you arrive, and to keep naps short. Plan the first two days of the trip lightly.

Why Bali is hard on the body clock

Jet lag, the CDC explains, is caused by a mismatch between a person's normal daily rhythms and a new time zone. Bali is eight hours ahead of UTC and does not change its clocks. That puts it 12 or 13 hours ahead of New York and 15 or 16 hours ahead of Los Angeles, depending on the time of year.

What that means in practice

When it is noon in Bali, it is around midnight on the US East Coast and mid-evening on the West Coast. A body still on home time wants to sleep through the Balinese afternoon and wake in the small hours. The CDC notes that jet lag can affect mood, concentration and physical and mental performance.

The journey adds to it

There is no nonstop flight from the United States to Bali, so the trip is two flights and a connection, with sleep taken in pieces. Fatigue from the journey and jet lag are different things, and on arrival in Bali a traveler has both. The first passes after a night's sleep; the second takes longer.

Before you leave

The CDC's advice is to start adjusting a few days before departure by moving bedtime an hour or two toward the destination's time: later when traveling west, earlier when traveling east. For a trip across the Pacific, that means staying up later and getting up later for several days before the flight.

Which direction counts

With a difference of close to 12 hours, the body could adjust in either direction, and the routing decides which one applies. A traveler crossing the Pacific is flying west. A traveler going by way of the Gulf or Istanbul is flying east. Use the CDC's rule for the direction you are actually flying.

The day before

The CDC suggests that eating smaller meals just before travel may help with stomach trouble. Our advice is to finish packing a day early so the last night at home is a full one. Starting a journey of this length already short of sleep is the most common mistake.

On the flight

The CDC's advice for the flight is specific. Eat small meals to avoid stomach aches. Avoid alcohol, because it disrupts sleep. Drink plenty of water. Use caffeine strategically and avoid it in the evening. Take any medicine or sleep aid only as directed by your healthcare provider.

Sleeping on Bali time

Our advice is to set your watch to Bali time when you board and to sleep when it is night there, as far as the flight allows. An eye mask and earplugs cost little and help. On a two-flight journey, decide in advance which of the two flights is your night.

Sleep medicine and Indonesia

Anyone who plans to carry sleeping tablets should check them against Indonesia's medicine rules before packing. The State Department says some prescription medications, including those for ADHD, are illegal in Indonesia, and that no list of prohibited drugs is published. Carry any prescription in its original packaging with the prescription.

After you land

The CDC's advice after arrival is to stay in well-lit areas during the day and to follow the destination's sleep schedule. Daylight is the strongest signal the body clock has. In Bali that advice is easy to follow: spend the first mornings outside, on a beach, by a pool or on a walk.

Naps

The CDC says naps should be no longer than 15 to 20 minutes. A long afternoon sleep on the first day feels wonderful and resets nothing, and it usually produces a wide-awake night. Set an alarm, and get up when it sounds.

Food and drink

Eat at Bali's mealtimes from the first day, even when you are not hungry, and keep drinking water in the heat. Go easy on alcohol for the first nights, for the reason the CDC gives: it disrupts sleep. Coffee in the morning helps; coffee after mid-afternoon works against you.

Planning the first days around it

The CDC recommends arriving at least two days before any important event, to give the body time to adjust. On a vacation, the important events are the things you have paid for and cannot move. Keep the first two days free of early starts, long drives and anything booked for a fixed hour.

What to schedule

Our advice is to give the first two days to things that can slide: a swim, a walk, a massage, an early dinner. Save the sunrise hike, the dive and the long day trip for the middle of the trip. Waking early comes easily to a jet-lagged traveler from the United States, so quiet early mornings are a gift worth using.

Driving

Jet lag affects concentration, and Bali's roads ask for a great deal of it. Our advice is not to ride a scooter or drive on the first day or two. Indonesia's traffic law also requires a license matching the type of vehicle driven, which is a separate reason to think before renting.

Coming home

Jet lag applies on the return as well, and it arrives at a worse moment, just before work. The same CDC advice holds in reverse: shift bedtime toward home time for the last few days in Bali, seek daylight after you land, and keep naps short.

Give yourself a buffer

Our advice is to land at least one full day, and better two, before you return to work. The CDC's two-day guideline for important events applies to a Monday morning meeting as much as to anything in Bali. A short trip leaves the least room for this, which is one reason trip length matters.