Why Jet Lag Hits Hardest When You Get Home

And How Tova Almost Slipped Into Insomnia Without Realizing It

Tova is 26 and single.

She works hard all year as a high school science teacher — and I mean hard.

She juggles over 90 students, grades endless labs and quizzes, and organizes the annual science fair like a one-woman event-planning committee.

By the time June rolls around, between finals, report cards, and an end-of-year school trip, she’s completely drained.

So when summer break begins, she does what any burned-out teacher might do:

She books a one-way ticket home — not to her apartment, but to her actual home.

Los Angeles. Childhood bedroom. Mom’s cooking. Zero responsibilities.

And for three glorious weeks, Tova soaks it up.

Her mom makes her favorite meals. She spends time with her sisters and their kids. At night, she goes out with friends — late-night dinners, nostalgic laughter, dessert “just because.”

And though LA is three hours behind New Jersey, Tova feels totally fine.

“I didn’t even notice the time difference,” she told me. “I was having the best time.”

Of course she was. Her body was on vacation mode, and her bedtime — let’s just say it adjusted very willingly to California time.

But Then She Came Back to New Jersey

That’s when the jet lag hit.

Not with nausea. Not with dizziness.

With something worse: a foggy 3 a.m. bedtime and a noon wake-up call she couldn’t shake.

“I just don’t feel like myself,” she said. “I’m always in bed, or thinking about being in bed.”

At first, it felt like summer freedom. Why fight it?

She wasn’t working, and her students were busy forgetting everything she taught them.

But day after day, the late nights got later, and mornings… basically became early afternoons.

Tova had experienced something similar in past summers, but this time felt different.

In February, when she goes to LA for mid-winter break, she’s back in school within days — waking up at 7 a.m. whether she wants to or not.

And that, it turns out, was the key difference.

why jet lag feels worse in the summer (When You Have Nothing to Wake Up For)

Most people bounce back from jet lag without thinking about it — not because they’re magical sleepers, but because life forces them to reset.

jobs. Kids. Appointments. Alarm clocks. Coffee that must be earned.

But when you’re on summer break? No one’s waiting for you at 8 a.m.

And the longer you sleep in, the more your body thinks, “Ah, we’re still in LA. Got it.”

Tova didn’t do anything wrong. She was just missing anchors.

She Reached Out at Just the Right Time

Not when she was spiraling.

Not after three weeks of midnight panic attacks and 2 a.m. “Is this insomnia?” Google searches.

She reached out when she noticed something wasn’t right.

She felt disconnected from herself. Like she was stuck in a time zone her body couldn’t shake.

This is how insomnia often begins — not with a chronic condition, but with a few off nights that quietly become a new normal.

And that’s where we stepped in.

How to Recover from Jet Lag — and Prevent It From Becoming a Bigger Issue

If you’re traveling west (like Tova, from New Jersey to LA), your body adjusts to the later time pretty easily.

It’s the return trip that throws everything off.

Here’s what I recommended:

1. Go to Sleep a Little Later — But Not LA-Late

if your regular bedtime is 11 p.m., don’t try to go to bed at 9 just because you're “home now.”

You’ll toss. You’ll turn. You’ll stress.

Instead, aim for 12. Maybe 12:30. Gently nudge your body back into its rhythm — without shocking the system.

2. Melatonin — Two Nights Max

Think of it like a polite bouncer for your brain:

“Hi, just letting you know it’s time to wrap things up in there.”

Tova used a low dose for two nights. Not to knock herself out — just to send the right signal.

3. Wake Up at Your Regular Time (Even If You Feel Like a Zombie)

This was the biggest piece of the puzzle.

By sleeping until noon, Tova was robbing her body of sleep pressure — that natural build-up that helps you feel tired by night.

If you only wake up at 11 or 12, your body won’t want to go to bed by 11 — because it’s barely been awake!

Waking up early feels brutal at first… but it’s the fastest way to re-align your body clock.

Coming Home Shouldn’t Feel Like Doubting the Trip Itself

Tova didn’t ruin her sleep. She didn’t make a mistake by enjoying her trip.

he just needed a reset — and reached out before things snowballed.

Coming home shouldn’t feel like questioning why you ever went in the first place.

It should feel like returning to yourself.

Maybe your rhythm feels off.

Maybe you’ve been waking up too late, or falling asleep later than you want to admit.

Maybe you’ve told yourself, “It’s just jet lag,” even though it’s been a week… or two.

What if this is the moment to pause and gently ask:

Is this still travel recovery — or is this a pattern forming?

It’s easier to catch these things early.

And if you’re unsure where to begin — I’d love to help.

📩 Let’s talk. Book a free 30-minute call here:

👉 https://calendly.com/chevymermelstein/30min

🧳 Also, if you’re preparing for a trip — or trying to avoid jet lag altogether — check out:

👉 Pearl’s Journey: Flying Without Sleeping Pills and Facing Jet Lag Naturally (Part 1)

Sometimes, the smallest shifts can bring you right back home.