How to Reduce Jet Lag Flying from the UK to Australia or New Zealand

Last reviewed: 5 November 2026. This guide gives general travel information, not medical advice. Speak to a GP or pharmacist before taking any medicine or supplement for sleep or jet lag.

You land in Sydney, Perth or Auckland and the day is already under way. Shops are open, people are on their way to work, the sun is up. Your body, meanwhile, is still on UK time and quite sure it is the middle of the night.

That gap is jet lag. It happens when you cross several time zones quickly and your body clock falls out of step with local time. It can wreck your sleep, dull your concentration, throw off your appetite and leave you tired at all the wrong moments. The trip from the UK to Australia or New Zealand crosses a lot of time zones, usually with at least one long flight, so some disruption is normal.

You cannot reliably prevent jet lag, and no seat, flight or supplement makes it disappear. You can make it a lot easier to live with, though. This guide follows the trip in order: before you leave, on the flight, when you land and over the first few days.

Why this journey is hard on your body clock

Quick answer: You are crossing up to 13 time zones, the journey is long, and you are flying east. Most people adjust more slowly after eastward travel. The CDC puts the average at about one hour of adjustment per day going east, against 1.5 hours going west.

• The time difference is big. Depending on where you land and the time of year, you will be roughly 7 to 13 hours ahead of the UK.
• The journey is long. Most itineraries involve a long stretch in the air and at least one connection, although Qantas flies nonstop from London to Perth.
• You are travelling east. Your body clock finds it easier to shift later than earlier, which is why eastbound trips tend to hit harder.

How much you notice it depends on your itinerary, your destination, your normal sleep pattern and plain individual differences. Two people on the same flight can feel completely different on arrival.

1. Check the real time difference for your dates

There is no single UK-to-Australia or UK-to-New Zealand time difference. It shifts during the year for two reasons.

First, the UK switches between Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time. Clocks go forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October.

Second, Australia and New Zealand run their own rules:

• Australia has several time zones. Perth, on the west coast, is two or three hours behind Sydney and Melbourne.
• Not every Australian state uses daylight saving. Western Australia and Queensland do not. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania do, on different dates from the UK.
• New Zealand uses daylight saving on its own seasonal timetable.

Around the clock-change weeks in March, April, September and October, the gap can briefly be one hour different. Check the local time in your arrival city for the day you land.

Do this early. Knowing whether you land in the morning, afternoon or evening shapes how you plan sleep on the flight and how you handle your first day.

Where you fly into also matters. Western Australia means a smaller time shift than the east coast or New Zealand. If you are weighing up arrival cities, our Australia destination guide explains how each choice changes the journey.

2. Start adjusting before you leave

A few small changes in the days before you fly can give your body a head start.

Shift your sleep earlier, if life allows

Because you are flying east, the useful direction is earlier. The CDC suggests going to bed about an hour earlier each day for two or three days before an eastward trip.

That will not suit everyone. Work, family and your flight time may make it impractical, and even a partial shift helps. Treat it as an option, not a rule.

Do not start the trip exhausted

Some people stay up late before a long flight, hoping to sleep the whole way. It often backfires. Sleep loss makes jet lag worse, and turning up at the airport already shattered makes the journey harder. Protect your sleep in the nights before you go.

Plan around your arrival time

A morning arrival needs a different approach from an evening one. Look at when you land and ask when you can realistically sleep at your destination. That answer tells you what to aim for on the plane.

Keep your first day light

If you can, avoid booking big meetings, complicated onward travel or a packed sightseeing day for the day you arrive. Leave some slack.

3. Use the flight to move towards destination time

Once you board, set your watch or phone to destination time and use it to guide when you eat, sleep and stay awake. The CDC recommends timing meals, sleep and light around the destination time zone while you travel.

It is a guide, not a timetable. Meal services, connections, cabin lighting and your own ability to sleep all get in the way. Aim to move in the right direction rather than hit a perfect schedule.

Sleep when it is night where you are going

If it is night at your destination and you can rest, make the most of it. An eye mask and earplugs help. If sleep will not come, lying still with your eyes closed is still worth doing. Fretting about lost sleep only makes it harder to drop off.

Stay awake when it is daytime there, within reason

If your destination is in daytime, staying awake can help you start adjusting. Do not push it too far. If you are very tired, a short rest beats forcing yourself through.

Move around

Change position regularly and walk in the cabin when it is safe to. Follow crew instructions and any advice you have been given about your own health.

Drink water and go easy on alcohol

The CDC advises staying hydrated and avoiding too much alcohol. Alcohol may make you drowsy at first, but it breaks up your sleep later on, so it is a poor way to try to rest.

Avoid sedating medicines unless advised

The CDC advises avoiding long-acting sedative medicines during flights. If you are thinking about anything to help you sleep on board, speak to a GP or pharmacist first.

Think about your connection

Most itineraries include a stop. A connection can be a chance to walk, shower and eat, or it can land right in the middle of your planned sleep. When you choose flights, look at when the connection falls in destination time, not just how long it is. Our guide to the best stopover cities between the UK and Australia or New Zealand compares the main hubs.

4. What business class can and cannot do

Quick answer: Business class helps you rest, but it does not reset your body clock.

Depending on the airline and aircraft, you may get a lie-flat bed, more space, more privacy and a quieter cabin. For many travellers, that means better rest and arriving less stiff and worn out. What it cannot do is move your internal clock. Even after a good sleep on board, you are still several hours out of step with local time, and some people sleep badly even in a flat bed.

When comparing business-class options, look at the whole itinerary, not just the seat:

• Departure and arrival times
• The number and length of connections
• When each flight falls in destination time
• The aircraft and seat on each flight
• Whether you land at a time that suits your plans

A well-timed itinerary can matter as much as the cabin. If you are weighing up airlines, you can compare business-class airlines for Australia, including how each one splits the journey.

5. Use light carefully

Light is one of the strongest signals your body clock responds to. That makes it useful, but timing matters.

According to the CDC, bright light in the morning tends to shift the body clock earlier, which helps after flying east. Bright light in the evening tends to shift it later. The right timing depends on how many time zones you cross and your own sleep pattern, and light at the wrong moment can work against you.

That is why blanket advice like "get as much sun as you can the moment you land" does not suit every itinerary. A few broad rules are safer:

• Get daylight during the local day as part of easing into a normal routine.
• Keep your bedroom dark at night, with curtains, blinds or an eye mask.
• Dim the lights and put screens away before bed. The NHS advises against using devices like smartphones right before going to bed.
• Be patient. Your body clock shifts gradually, not overnight.

If you want a more precise plan, the CDC suggests a jet lag calculator can personalise the timing of light and sleep. If you have a sleep disorder or another health condition, talk to a healthcare professional first.

6. Plan your first day after landing

Your goal on day one is to move towards local time without running yourself into the ground.

Eat at local mealtimes

Eating at normal local times gives your day some structure and helps you settle in, even if your appetite is all over the place at first.

Keep naps short

If you are struggling to stay awake, a short nap can help. The CDC says naps of 20 to 30 minutes can help with alertness, while longer daytime naps can make it harder to sleep at night. Set an alarm and avoid a long nap late in the afternoon.

Put safety first

Tiredness slows your reactions and clouds your judgement. If you are collecting a hire car, ask yourself honestly whether you are fit to drive. A taxi or transfer may be the better choice on day one.

Protect your first night

Make your room dark, quiet and comfortable. Skip caffeine in the hours before bed, and do not rely on alcohol to get to sleep. You may still wake in the night. One broken night is normal and does not mean the rest of the trip will go the same way.

Leave important commitments until later

If you are travelling for work, try to keep important meetings until after at least one night's sleep. If an early commitment is unavoidable, plan your flights and rest around it rather than assuming you will be sharp straight off the plane.

7. Caffeine, alcohol, melatonin and sleep aids

These come up in almost every conversation about jet lag, and each needs care.

Caffeine

Caffeine can help you stay alert during the local day, but it lingers. The CDC gives its half-life as about five hours, and the NHS advises no tea or coffee for at least six hours before bed. Use it earlier in the day and do not lean on it to cover serious sleep loss.

Alcohol

Alcohol is not a sleep aid. It may help you nod off, but it tends to disturb your sleep later in the night. The NHS gives the same six-hour guidance for alcohol before bed. On a long-haul trip, keep it modest.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone involved in timing sleep, and some people use it for jet lag. The CDC stresses that timing is critical: taken at the wrong time, it may not help, and it can work against the shift you need. It is not right for everyone.

Do not start taking melatonin without advice. In the UK it is prescription-only, so speak to a GP or pharmacist, especially if you take other medicines, have a health condition, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Sleeping tablets and other sleep aids

The NHS notes that some over-the-counter sleep aids can make you drowsy, which can affect things like driving, and recommends checking with a doctor before taking anything for sleep problems. Prescription sleeping medicines carry their own risks too. This guide does not give dosing advice; get individual advice from a qualified healthcare professional who knows your history and travel plans.

8. A practical first-three-days plan

Use this as a flexible example, not a prescription. Adjust it to your arrival time, destination and how you feel.

The aim is not perfection. It is to avoid making things harder with lost sleep, long naps, late caffeine or an over-packed schedule.

9. Common jet lag mistakes to avoid

• Assuming the time difference is the same all year. Clocks change on different dates in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
• Trying to force a perfect sleep schedule. You cannot always sleep on demand. Set up good conditions, then stop watching the clock.
• Relying on alcohol to sleep. It may knock you out briefly, but you will usually sleep worse.
• Long naps late in the day. A long afternoon sleep pushes your bedtime back and slows your adjustment.
• Packing the first day too full. Meetings, tours and long drives straight off the plane are hard work when you are tired.
• Driving when you are struggling to stay awake. Jet lag affects alertness and judgement. If in doubt, do not drive.
• Expecting business class to fix everything. A flat bed helps you rest, but your body clock still needs time.

The bottom line

Check the real time difference for your destination and dates. Prepare your routine where you can, without turning up at the airport exhausted. Use destination time to guide sleep, meals and activity on board. When you land, eat and sleep on local time, keep naps short, be sensible with light and caffeine, and give yourself a few days to settle.

Your choice of itinerary helps too. If Western Australia is your destination, business class flights to Perth mean a smaller time shift than the east coast or New Zealand, and Qantas flies there nonstop from Heathrow. Our guide to London to Perth nonstop vs one-stop compares the options.

Jet lag rarely clears overnight, but good planning and a bit of patience make the first few days far more comfortable. If you would like help choosing flight times that suit your sleep, ask us for a business class quote.

Sources and verification

Information checked 5 November 2026.

• CDC Yellow Book – Jet Lag Disorder
• CDC – Jet lag (traveller guidance)
• NHS – Insomnia
• GOV.UK – When do the clocks change?
• Tourism Australia – Australian time zones
• New Zealand Government – Daylight saving