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Jet lag is a cruel thief. Just as you’ve spent thousands of dollars (not to mention all those precious vacation days) to land in a place you’ve been dreaming about, you’re suddenly zapped of all energy and robbed of the will to do anything other than check into your hotel and sleep the rest of your life away.
Despite my attempts to do everything right—adjust my sleep schedule in advance, get as many hours of sleep on the plane as possible, pry my eyes open upon landing to avoid napping—jet lag typically hits me hard. Depending on the length of the trip, I can usually count on a day or two of absolute misery due to jet lag, and a few more of losing at least a couple hours to mid-morning naps or sleeping through the afternoon.
On my flight to Greece for my recent, belated honeymoon, I had my usual struggles attempting to sleep on the plane. (My Oura gave me a sleep score of 40, which may be my lowest ever.) But after my first night in my hotel in Athens, I rebounded big-time, with nearly nine hours of sleep (all during normal nighttime hours!) and a sleep score of 95. This near-miraculous turnaround wasn’t a lucky fluke: It was the result of an anti-jet lag regimen called FlyKitt.
Developed with Navy SEALs and used by Olympians, FlyKitt consists of a highly specific and personalized travel plan (including instructions on when to sleep, eat, and more), a days-long course of supplements, and the use of blue light-filtering glasses. At $99 for one round-trip, it doesn’t come cheap, but for the amount of vacation time it reclaimed from jet lag, I doubt I’ll ever travel internationally without it again.
What It Is
Lauren Wingenroth
The idea behind FlyKitt is that being physiologically stuck in a different time zone and the negative effects of long plane rides (like inflammation and poor fueling) together add up to what we experience as jet lag. To combat both, FlyKitt’s system is a combination of supplements designed to help reset your circadian rhythm and reduce inflammation, and an algorithm-driven personalized travel plan via the brand’s app.
Prior to traveling, I entered my flight details, my typical bedtime and wake time (plus whether they tend to change while traveling), and details about how I sleep on planes, my diet, my caffeine and alcohol use, my physical activity, and more. The app then used that information to create a three day plan (beginning the morning of my travel day) that told me when to sleep and wake up, when to eat, when to take supplements, when to seek bright light, and when to avoid bright light (using the glasses, which filter out the blue light that can disrupt sleep).
Lauren Wingenroth
Supplements include “sustain” pills (omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil) to prevent inflammation and boost energy, “protect” pills (vitamin C and pomegranate extract) to mitigate oxidative stress and inflammation, “mellow” pills (magnesium and melatonin) to help when it’s time to sleep, and “advance” pills (B6 and B12) to increase alertness and boost the effect of light on circadian adaptation. The kit also contains two packets of instant coffee, and a “circadian reset” drink mix that contains B6, B12, and sugar.
Overall Impressions
I’ve always tried to hack my own sleep schedule to optimize it for time zone changes, but have never been successful. When I saw the plan that FlyKitt had designed for me, I was surprised to see that it wanted me to sleep totally normally the night before my flight.
Lauren Wingenroth
The app started notifying me—to eat a nutritious meal or snack, or take a certain supplement—as my travel day began, and though I was late a few times, the push notifications helped keep me on track with my plan. Despite taking the magnesium and melatonin pill and using the blue light glasses (I also had a neck pillow, a KN95 mask, and an eye mask for when I was actually sleeping—my seatmate called my setup “intense”), I still had trouble falling and staying asleep on the plane. But knowing that my plan only suggested a few hours, rather than a whole night of sleep, helped me feel less anxious about it. The blue light glasses are a bit much (they give everything a severe orange tint), and I felt a bit silly wearing them indoors, which I did quite a few times throughout the plan.
Close to landing, it was time for the “circadian reset,” which involves mixing the powder (containing B6, B12, and sugar) into a cup of coffee. (The methylated vitamin B is supposed to suppress your melatonin to help you get through the rest of the day without needing to sleep.) This was the only unpleasant part of the regimen for me—the drink was truly nasty, and the plan didn’t really offer an alternative for travelers like me who don’t like coffee. I also started having some stomach troubles towards the end of the flight and for about an hour after landing, which I’m not sure whether to attribute to FlyKitt.
Lauren Wingenroth
Upon landing, I felt like a zombie. I wasn’t supposed to nap, per the plan, but I felt like I had to. That unauthorized 45-minute afternoon nap was enough to get me through the rest of the day, and I went to sleep around 10 p.m. local time with no issues. From then on, I was pretty set—I got solid sleep for the rest of my trip, without ever feeling like my body was still back in North Carolina. One feature that I was surprised to find especially helpful: The many daily cues to eat, which had me fueling much more than I normally would on a travel day (and therefore feeling more energized and less likely to wake up in the middle of the night with my body wanting dinner on East Coast time).
Pros
- Effective at resetting sleep schedule
- Prevented insomnia and too-early wakeups
- Encouraged better fueling on travel days
- App has clear and specific directions for sleeping, eating, taking supplements, etc.
- Options for children and vegans
Cons
- Pricey ($99 for one round-trip kit)
- Doesn’t change the fact that sleeping on planes is near-impossible
- Can’t totally eliminate post-travel exhaustion
- May have contributed to GI issues
- Wearing blue light glasses feels a bit silly
Final Verdict
Sure, there are more affordable apps that can help you optimize your sleep schedule for international travel, and all of the supplements included in FlyKitt are readily available to buy individually. But it was the thoroughness of the FlyKitt plan, and the fact that everything I needed was organized in one travel-friendly pouch, that made the regimen easy enough to actually follow, and therefore effective.
Courtesy Image
I wouldn’t hesitate to spend $99 to buy a FlyKitt for my next big trip. Considering how much money and time I invest into an international trip, I want to do everything I can to ensure I enjoy as much of it as possible. I’m planning to try FlyKitt’s domestic version for my next cross-country flight, and there are also options for children and vegans, as well as a build-your-own custom version.
My European adventure may not have been the true test of FlyKitt’s effectiveness. But between all the Redditors claiming the product is magic and the brand’s 100 percent money-back guarantee, I don’t have any doubts about its ability to work on longer trips (and I plan on finding out for myself, as soon as possible).
Why You Should Trust Me
I’m a health, fitness, and lifestyle journalist with over a decade of experience reporting on whether trendy wellness hacks live up to the hype, and putting gear—from running shoes to workout apparel to fitness gadgets to sleep tech—through its paces. I’ve struggled with jet lag for years (and while I’m not a professional athlete or a Navy SEAL, I’ve often traveled abroad to, say, run a marathon, or cover the Olympics), and I’ve tested sleep and travel products of all kinds. I’m based in my home state of North Carolina, where I can live out my dreams of living in the woods but am forced to take far more connecting flights than I would like.
