Jet Lag Is Stealing Wins from Athletes: How to Fight Back

March 30,2025

The Hidden Opponent:

How Jet Lag Is Sabotaging Athletes. Welcome to the first of a 3-part series on Jet Lag, which is becoming more critical as the volume of athletes, business executives, and tourists traveling is increasing year after year. As a former competitor and National Team coach in the world of ski racing, I’ve been logging international flight miles since I was 15 years old. It was exhilarating to travel down to the southern hemisphere during our summer, which was their winter for ski training. Long flights, and quite a few stops, but these north-to-south trips were an easy and pleasurable experience. 

It wasn’t until I was 18, heading off to Europe on a west-to-east route that I got my first taste of jet lag. Typical jet lag symptoms – sleepy during the first day, getting only a few hours of sleep the next couple of nights, and a digestive system that just didn’t want to adjust. And, when I arrived back in the States after a month of competing, my symptoms were similar. Everyone’s response? “Ah, that’s normal when you cross multiple time zones.” 
A few decades later (after a million+ miles of air travel between America and Europe or Asia), I was still suffering the ill effects of jet lag. Some trips were better than others – mostly dependent on how much I could sleep on the flight. I didn’t like taking Melatonin as it made me feel crappy afterward. I tried over-hydrating and eating meals at different times with no discernable results. I always felt rough for a few days. 
It wasn’t until last year when my wife and I were on a ski trip to Austria, that we met a gentleman who had a product we’d never heard of before. It was called the HumanCharger® and was developed in Finland a little more than a decade ago for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). In case you missed the memo, Finland has very long, cold, dark winters. However, scientific studies also revealed that the HumanCharger® worked great at remediating jet lag – which seemed strange as I’ve only recently found one product to help with jet lag – an app from a company called Uplift. Based on the science of Precision Nerve Stimulation (aka. Acupressure), the Uplift Travel without Jet Lag protocol was simple to implement, holistic, and pretty similar to use as the HumanCharger®.

We first tried the HumanCharger® on the way home from Austria (6 time zones) without the Uplift App. We also gave a HumanCharger® to a doctor friend and his wife from Denver. Amazingly, neither of us had jet lag. My wife and I looked at each other with that WTF expression when something didn’t make sense. We just knew we were on to something. We took US distribution of the HumanCharger and have had dozens of friends and family traveling with the device ever since. Same result – no jet lag! We even partnered with Uplift to give everyone double the power of remediating jet lag. We now have dozens of friends, and family from pilots, flight attendants, doctors, athletes, coaches, corporate execs, etc. using the HumanCharger® and the Uplift Travel without Jet Lag App when they travel – with zero jet lag. 
 

Understanding Jet Lag
Jet lag occurs when there's a misalignment between our internal body clock, (aka our circadian rhythm), and the external environment due to rapid travel across multiple time zones. Essentially, our circadian rhythm cannot adjust that quickly to a new time zone. You can try changing sleep habits 2-3 days before a trip, but anyone who’s traveling internationally knows it’s easier said than done. The bottom line? Disruption of your circadian rhythm can lead to a host of symptoms, including sleep disturbances, daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and the worst - constipation. Anyone who flies internationally understands this pervasive phenomenon. 
 

Effects of Jet Lag on Athletes - A Performance Killer
For athletes, coaches, and their teams whose performance hinges on physical prowess and mental acuity, jet lag symptoms can be the “kiss of death.” The repercussions of jet lag on athletic performance are well-documented. Studies have shown that athletes experiencing jet lag exhibit decreased reaction times, reduced endurance, and impaired cognitive function. These effects not only compromise individual performance but can also influence team dynamics and outcomes. And oftentimes, it’s not either feasible or financially possible to fly into an overseas destination 2-3 days before an event so your body can adjust to the new time zone. Click on the study below on MLB players that recommended sending their star pitchers 2-3 days in advance. 
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2017/01/jet-lag-impairs-performance-major-league-baseball-players/
 

Case Study: Collegiate Athletes and Conference Realignments
The recent wave of conference realignments in collegiate sports has led to increased travel distances and frequency for many teams. Student-athletes are now often required to travel across several time zones for games, exacerbating the challenges posed by jet lag that can lead to decreased academic performance, heightened injury risk, and overall burnout. As a former D1 collegiate athlete, I remember the stress we were under to attend classes, get our homework done, attend training sessions, power through final exams, maintain a solid grade point average, etc. You don’t need jet lag added to the list. See the study below: 
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/07487304231207330?icid=int.sj-abstract.similar-articles.1 
 

Solutions: Mitigating Jet Lag for Athletes 
Once I understood how my Circadian Rhythm worked, and experienced bright light therapy to help reset my body's internal clock, it changed my life. Seriously, folks, it works – damn near like magic. Devices like the HumanCharger® emit 10,000 lux of transcranial, safe UV-free bright light that can stimulate the brain, to release the correct cocktail of hormones that promote circadian realignment. For the layman, that’s using bright light, delivered by earbuds, for 12 minutes per application every couple of hours upon arrival at your destination. This “body clock reset” is safe and effective. Add the “Uplift Travel Without Jet Lag” App, and you have double the power to beat jet lag. By incorporating these simple and affordable tools into their routines, athletes and teams can reduce or eliminate the duration and severity of jet lag symptoms, leading to improved performance. 
 

A Message to Coaches, Trainers, & AD’s – It’s the 21st Century – Use the Technology
As the demands of athletic travel continue to grow, it's imperative for teams and athletic programs to proactively address the challenges of jet lag. Implementing evidence-based strategies, such as bright light therapy, can help athletes maintain peak performance, regardless of their travel schedules. Besides, this is the 21st Century – nobody should be suffering the ills of long-distance travel. If you’re a collegiate or professional coach, trainer, or athletic director – do yourself and your team a favor and utilize these two amazing tools for mitigating jet lag. Visit us at: https://humancharger.us/about/jet-lag/ 
 

This Segment was brought to you by Uplift. Download the Uplift for JetLag App for your next global travels.

https://www.upliftnaturally.com