How to Beat Jet Lag: What the NFL’s Australia Trip Can Teach Us About Sleep

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are about to play the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia. But before either team worries about third downs, blitz packages or the crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, they have another opponent to deal with: the human body clock.

The 49ers arrived in Melbourne roughly a week before the September 11 game, giving players time to adjust after crossing the Pacific. Their preparation has included detailed sleep and nutrition planning. The Rams are taking almost the opposite approach, keeping players closer to their normal U.S. routine for longer and arriving much nearer to kickoff.

It is an unusually high-profile experiment in something millions of ordinary travelers know very well.

You land. The clock says bedtime. Your brain says lunch.

At a Glance

• Jet lag is a body-clock problem, not simply sleep deprivation.
• Light exposure and sleep timing are two of the most important tools for adjusting.
• Long daytime naps can make nighttime sleep harder.
• Alcohol may make you sleepy initially while disrupting sleep later.
• Melatonin can help some travelers, but timing matters.
• CBD is not a proven jet-lag treatment.

Why the NFL Is Suddenly Having a Very Expensive Conversation About Sleep

The Rams-49ers matchup is historic before anyone takes a snap. It will be the NFL’s first regular-season game played in Australia.

San Francisco chose the acclimation strategy.

The 49ers arrived in Melbourne about a week ahead of the game, and head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged just how strange the time-zone shift initially felt. The team developed detailed sleep and nutrition guidance for players and even scheduled morning practices partly around the unusual 10:35 a.m. local kickoff.

The Rams chose a dramatically different strategy.

Rather than spending most of the week trying to become temporary Australians, Los Angeles has emphasized maintaining as much of its normal routine as possible before making the trip much closer to the game.

So who has it right?

Possibly both.

The best strategy depends on factors including how many time zones you cross, the direction you travel, how long you will stay and how soon after arrival you need to function at your best. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even notes that during very short trips, maintaining more of your home sleep schedule may sometimes make sense because there simply is not enough time for complete adaptation.

For the rest of us, though, the useful question is simpler:

What can we steal from all this NFL sleep planning before our next long-haul flight?

News source: Reuters reporting from Melbourne on the 49ers’ acclimation strategy and the Rams’ contrasting travel plan.

What Is Jet Lag, Exactly?

Jet lag is not simply being really tired after flying.

Your body operates on an internal approximately 24-hour timing system called the circadian rhythm. It helps coordinate when you feel sleepy or alert and influences biological processes including hormone release, body temperature and digestion.

When you rapidly cross several time zones, the clock on your phone changes immediately.

Your biology does not.

That mismatch can cause trouble falling asleep at the local bedtime, waking earlier than intended, daytime sleepiness, reduced concentration, fatigue and digestive disruption.

In other words, your body may still be trying to run California while the rest of you has arrived in Melbourne.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Yellow Book: Jet Lag Disorder.

How Do You Beat Jet Lag?

There is no switch that instantly resets your internal clock. The goal is to give it increasingly consistent signals telling it when the new day and night occur.

The CDC’s travel-medicine guidance focuses heavily on timing: timing sleep, timing light, timing caffeine and, when appropriate, timing melatonin.

1. Start adjusting before you leave

If you know a significant time change is coming, gradually shifting your bedtime and wake time toward the destination schedule before departure can reduce the amount of adjustment required after you arrive.

The CDC suggests moving sleep toward the destination schedule for several days before travel when practical.

You probably do not need an NFL performance department.

A calendar will do.

2. Treat light like a tool

Light is one of the strongest environmental signals controlling the circadian clock.

That is why the usual advice to simply “get some sunshine” is incomplete. Bright light at different biological times can move your internal clock in different directions.

Appropriately timed light can help your body adapt. Light at the wrong time can potentially push your clock the opposite way.

This matters particularly after crossing many time zones, where your internal “morning” may have little relationship to the sunrise outside your hotel window.

3. Start living on destination time

One of the simplest travel strategies costs absolutely nothing.

Stop mentally living on your home clock.

During a long trip, start orienting meals, sleep and activity around your destination time when practical. Change your phone and watch. Think about when bedtime will occur where you are going rather than repeatedly calculating what everyone back home is doing.

Your brain has enough work to do without you reminding it every 15 minutes that everyone you know is currently eating breakfast.

4. Be careful with the heroic arrival-day nap

You arrive exhausted.

The hotel bed is right there.

Four hours later you wake up at 8 p.m. feeling fantastic.

Congratulations. You may have just made 3 a.m. much more interesting.

The CDC advises travelers trying to adapt to avoid lengthy daytime naps. If exhaustion is overwhelming, a brief nap of around 20 minutes can improve alertness while being less likely to interfere with nighttime sleep.

5. Use caffeine strategically

Caffeine can be useful for maintaining alertness at the appropriate local time.

The problem occurs when a morning coffee becomes an airport coffee, followed by a plane coffee, followed by an arrival coffee, followed by an “I desperately need to stay awake” coffee at 5 p.m.

Caffeine lasts for hours. Using it too close to your intended local bedtime can work directly against the adjustment you are trying to make.

6. Hydrate — and do not confuse alcohol with good sleep

Dehydration does not cause the circadian mismatch behind jet lag, but the CDC notes that volume depletion can worsen its physical symptoms.

Alcohol is another travel trap.

It may make you feel sleepy initially, but alcohol can disrupt sleep later. Add an already-confused body clock and the airport-bar nightcap may not be doing you the favor you think it is.

If CBD, THC, prescription medications or another sleep product are also involved, mixing substances deserves even more caution.

Before combining anything, read our Can You Mix CBD or THC With Alcohol or Medications? guide.

Does Melatonin Help With Jet Lag?

Melatonin is particularly interesting for jet lag because it is directly connected to circadian timing.

Your body naturally produces melatonin as part of the biological signaling associated with darkness and nighttime.

Research and CDC guidance indicate that properly timed supplemental melatonin can help some travelers move their circadian rhythm toward the destination schedule.

But there is an important catch:

Timing matters.

The CDC specifically warns that taking melatonin at the wrong biological time can increase circadian misalignment rather than correct it.

And more is not automatically better.

The CDC notes that relatively small amounts may be sufficient to create a circadian shift and cautions against assuming that a very high dose is preferable.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, also notes that melatonin may be helpful for sleep problems associated with jet lag while pointing out that supplement safety and individual circumstances still matter.

If you take medications, have a medical condition or are unsure about timing, talk with a physician or pharmacist instead of guessing.

Sources: CDC Yellow Book: Jet Lag Disorder and NIH/NCCIH: Sleep Disorders and Complementary Health Approaches.

Can CBD Help With Jet Lag?

This is the point where a CBD retailer can either be useful — or start making promises the evidence cannot support.

So here is the useful version:

CBD has not been proven to treat jet lag, and there is not good evidence that CBD resets the circadian clock.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports that available research has not provided sufficient evidence to support cannabinoid therapies, including CBD, as treatments for sleep disorders.

CBD can also cause side effects and interact with medications.

That does not mean someone who already uses CBD as part of a normal evening wind-down routine has to abandon the routine because a passport came out.

It means we need to describe its role accurately.

Someone may choose CBD because it is part of a relaxation routine that works for them. That is different from saying CBD is correcting the biological timing problem responsible for jet lag.

The actual circadian heavy lifting is being done by light timing, sleep timing and adaptation to the destination clock.

Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health.

What About THC When You Are Traveling?

CBD and THC should not be treated as interchangeable simply because both come from cannabis.

THC is intoxicating and can impair attention, coordination, reaction time and judgment. That matters even more while navigating airports, rental cars, unfamiliar cities, public transportation or early-morning connections.

Edibles introduce another complication: delayed onset.

The classic mistake is familiar:

“I don’t feel anything yet.”

Then comes another serving.

Eventually the first one arrives.

Then the second one does too.

If you accidentally take more than intended, bookmark Took Too Much THC? What to Do.

A Practical Jet Lag Sleep Plan for Normal Humans

You probably do not have an NFL sleep consultant, nutrition staff and chartered aircraft.

You can still borrow the fundamentals.

Before the trip

• Try not to begin the trip already sleep deprived.
• When practical, gradually shift sleep toward the destination schedule.
• Think ahead about when daylight will occur after arrival.
• Know approximately when you want to sleep at your destination.

During the flight

• Set your devices to destination time.
• Drink water regularly.
• Keep alcohol modest or skip it.
• Use caffeine strategically rather than continuously.
• Try to sleep when sleeping makes sense according to the destination clock.

After you land

• Use appropriately timed daylight to help your body adjust.
• Stay awake through the local daytime when practical.
• If you absolutely need a nap, keep it short.
• Eat according to the local schedule.
• Keep bedtime and wake time consistent while adapting.

Nighttime Options for Travelers Who Already Use Cannabinoids

Important: The products below are not treatments for jet lag. They are portable nighttime formats for adults who already choose cannabinoids as part of their normal evening wellness routine.

Product reminder: These products are shown as examples of portable nighttime cannabinoid formats for adults who already use them. They are not treatments for jet lag. Do not drive or operate machinery after using THC. Check laws before traveling with cannabinoid products, especially internationally.

Prefer to compare options? Explore the complete Cbdeeme Sleep Collection.

One More Travel Warning: CBD and THC Laws Do Not Follow You Everywhere

There is another reason not to throw your normal cannabinoid routine into a suitcase without thinking.

Travel rules change when you cross jurisdictions.

Products that may be lawful where you live can be treated differently at your destination, and international travel introduces an entirely different set of laws.

That is especially important for THC products.

Do not assume that because something was legally purchased in the United States it can legally enter another country.

Before packing cannabinoids, check current rules for your destination.

What the 49ers and Rams Are Really Testing

It will be fascinating to see whether San Francisco’s arrive-early strategy produces an advantage or whether Los Angeles benefits from preserving its normal routine for longer.

But one football game will not settle the science.

A final score reflects injuries, coaching, preparation, execution, conditioning, luck and dozens of variables that have nothing to do with circadian rhythms.

What this matchup does demonstrate beautifully is that even elite athletes cannot simply ignore their biological clocks.

Neither can the rest of us.

Your boarding pass can move you across the Pacific in a day.

Your body clock is under no obligation to be equally impressed.

So, What Is the Best Jet Lag Sleep Aid?

There is no single product that fixes jet lag.

The strongest evidence points instead toward a coordinated strategy:

• Appropriately timed light
• An adjusted sleep schedule
• Living on destination time
• Short rather than marathon naps
• Sensible caffeine use
• Hydration and limited alcohol
• Appropriately timed melatonin for some travelers

CBD may have a place in an existing relaxation routine for some adults.

It should not be confused with a proven treatment for the circadian disruption that causes jet lag.

That distinction may sound less exciting than a bottle promising to make 17 time zones disappear.

It is considerably more useful.

Become a Fountain of Knowledge

Before you experiment with cannabinoids, gummies or sleep products, these Cbdeeme guides can help you make better-informed decisions:

• CBD & THC Gummies Side Effects — understand potential side effects before adding cannabinoids to a travel routine.
• Can You Mix CBD or THC With Alcohol or Medications? — especially important when sleep products and airport cocktails intersect.
• CBD Gummies Dosage Chart for Beginners — practical guidance for starting conservatively.
• Took Too Much THC? What to Do — safety steps worth knowing before using intoxicating edibles.
• Delta-8 vs. Delta-9 vs. THCA vs. HHC vs. THCP — understand what is actually in the cannabinoid product you are considering.

Frequently Asked Questions About Jet Lag and Sleep

Why can’t I sleep when I have jet lag?

Your internal circadian clock is still partly operating according to your previous time zone. The local clock may say it is bedtime while your brain is still receiving biological signals associated with daytime.

How long does jet lag last?

There is no single timetable. Adjustment depends on the number and direction of time zones crossed, sleep loss during travel, light exposure, individual physiology and how quickly you begin following the destination schedule.

Does sunlight help jet lag?

Yes, but timing matters. Light is one of the strongest signals for shifting the circadian clock. Appropriately timed light can help adaptation, while bright light at the wrong biological time may move the body clock in the wrong direction.

Should I stay awake after landing?

If it is daytime at your destination, staying awake until a reasonable local bedtime can help establish the new schedule. If exhaustion makes a nap necessary, a short nap is generally less disruptive than sleeping for several hours during the local day.

Does melatonin help jet lag?

It can help some travelers when taken at an appropriate biological time. Because melatonin can shift circadian timing, when it is taken matters. More is not necessarily better.

Does CBD help jet lag?

CBD has not been proven to treat jet lag or reset the circadian clock. Some adults use CBD as part of a relaxation routine, but that should not be confused with treating the biological cause of jet lag.

Can CBD help me sleep on a plane?

CBD may cause drowsiness and can interact with medications. Research has not established CBD as a reliable treatment for travel-related sleep problems. Avoid trying an unfamiliar cannabinoid product for the first time when you need to remain alert and functional during travel.

Is arriving several days early always the best way to prevent jet lag?

No. The ideal approach depends on the duration of the trip, the direction of travel, the number of time zones crossed and how much adaptation is realistic. For very short trips, maintaining part of the home-time schedule may sometimes make more sense than attempting a complete circadian shift.

Sources & Further Reading

• Reuters — September 7, 2026: 49ers preparation and the contrasting Rams travel strategy.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: CDC Yellow Book — Jet Lag Disorder.
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, NIH: Sleep Disorders and Complementary Health Approaches.

This article is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. CBD, THC, melatonin, supplements and medications may cause side effects or interactions. Consult a qualified healthcare professional if you take prescription medications, have a medical condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have questions about your individual sleep or travel needs. THC products are for adults 21+ and may cause impairment. Do not drive or operate machinery after using THC. Laws governing cannabinoids vary by destination, particularly during international travel.