“Would you risk a million-dollar business deal running on half a brain because of jet lag? One CEO didn’t, and here’s what happened.”
An aviation CEO recently tested our HumanCharger transcranial bright light device on back-to-back trips: Vancouver → Singapore, then Vancouver → Munich/London, and home. His verdict? “No jet lag – very impressed!”
Jet lag calculators (of which there are many online) sound great. However, they are only theoretically effective if people follow them. They promise to guide you through a schedule of light exposure, sleep adjustments, and strategic caffeine use to help your body gradually adapt to a new time zone. But here’s the catch: Almost no one has the time to follow them.
The effectiveness of Jet Lag calculators (in practice) is around 30% - IF…
1. The traveler starts shifting sleep 3–5 days before departure (almost impossible).
2. Avoids caffeine/alcohol at the right times (again, challenging).
3. Gets sunlight or bright light exposure at specific hours (we cannot control the sun).
4. Manages meal timing and exercise windows (tough if you’re on a fast-paced schedule).
5. Sleeps on the plane when they should (try that in the cattle car).
Jet lag calculators assume an ideal world. But the truth is, real life doesn’t follow an app. Meetings, kids, pets to the kennel, packing, flights, work done at the office, babysitters arranged, stress, and life in general all sabotage a well-intended, advanced schedule to beat jet lag before it starts. Even if you do manage to follow the schedule, there’s still no guarantee you’ll arrive feeling refreshed. Why? It has to do with the sun.
It isn’t the plan, it’s the destination.
You can try to “train” your body in advance, but once you land, your circadian rhythm still has to realign to a new sun cycle, sleep pattern, and cultural tempo. That’s not just about sleep, it’s hormonal, neurological, and deeply biological. I chuckle when the Jet Lag Calculators recommend getting outside in the sunlight after landing. When was the last time you arrived at your overseas destination, went through Customs, waited for your luggage, and got outside in less than an hour? Worse yet, what if it’s cloudy and raining for the first few days?
So what does work?
An affordable tool that travels with you - on the plane, in the terminal, or on the ground, and helps reset your internal clock without needing a 5-day boot camp. Meet the HumanCharger: A light therapy device that’s compact, portable, fast, and scientifically proven to reset your body clock.
This is where practicality meets simplicity. The HumanCharger provides bright light exposure via earbuds in just 12 minutes per session. No stress, no brain damage, no trying to figure out what time to do what. Put it around your neck, put in the earbuds, push the button, and it automatically shuts off 12 minutes later. Use it every 2 hours upon landing to gently reset your circadian rhythm.
No sun? No problem. The HumanCharger gives you 10,000 lux of full-spectrum, UV-free bright light to reset your circadian rhythm in 12 minutes per session.
No time to prep? Just throw it in your purse, briefcase, or backpack, get on the plane, set your watch or phone to the destination time zone, and follow the protocol.
Sitting in a windowless terminal at 2 a.m.? Travel plans gone awry, and it’s necessary to stay awake? Put on the HumanCharger 20-30 minutes later, the drowsiness gently fades.
A message to all C-Suite execs and professional athletes: Don’t risk an important business meeting, or your next big game or event, due to a lack of light. Science has proven that the most critical part of any jet lag plan is light exposure, and that’s the hardest to control when traveling. That’s where the HumanCharger outperforms everything, including the sun.
Gary Miller | The Coach
Olympic Coach & Global Executive
Owner of Humancharger.us
