Why is eastward travel harder to recover from?

Most people's internal body clock runs slightly longer than 24 hours, making it naturally easier to stay up later (westward travel) than to fall asleep earlier (eastward travel).

Is the recovery estimate exact?

No — it's a common rule-of-thumb estimate (roughly a day per time zone crossed eastward, less for westward). Individual recovery varies with sleep habits, age and how many zones you cross.

Does a short flight with a big time difference still cause jet lag?

Yes — jet lag is caused by the time zone difference itself, not flight duration, so even a short flight across many zones can cause significant jet lag.

Jet Lag Calculator

Pick your departure and arrival time zones to see how many hours you are crossing and an estimated number of days to recover.

Departure Time Zone

Arrival Time Zone

Time Zones Crossed11

DirectionEastward

Estimated Recovery~11 days

Flying east is typically harder to adjust to — get morning sunlight at your destination and avoid long naps.