Feeling tired after flying? You’re not alone. Long-haul flights can leave you feeling exhausted, dehydrated, restless and out of your normal routine — even when you’ve spent most of the journey sitting down.

Travel fatigue can be caused by a combination of long flight times, disrupted sleep, dehydration, dry cabin air, changes in routine and jet lag.

The good news is that a few simple habits can help you feel better before, during and after your journey.

What Causes Travel Fatigue?

1. Disrupted Sleep

Long-haul flights can interfere with your normal sleep schedule. Crossing time zones can make this even more noticeable because your body clock may still be aligned with your departure time.

This can lead to daytime tiredness, difficulty sleeping and reduced concentration.

2. Dehydration

Aircraft cabins have low humidity, and it’s easy to drink less than usual when travelling.

Not drinking enough fluids can contribute to headaches, tiredness, dry mouth and feeling generally sluggish.

Staying hydrated on a flight should therefore be part of every long-haul travel routine.

3. Jet Lag

Travel fatigue and jet lag aren’t exactly the same.

You can feel tired after a long journey without crossing time zones. Jet lag occurs when travelling across time zones disrupts your body’s internal clock.

The more time zones you cross, the more noticeable the disruption can be.

4. A Disrupted Routine

Travel changes almost everything about your normal day.

Meals happen at different times. Sleep may happen during the day. You may drink more coffee, sit for several hours and arrive at your destination when your body thinks it’s the middle of the night.

It’s no surprise that you can feel tired after a long flight.

How to Reduce Travel Fatigue

Before Flying

Start hydrated. Drink normally throughout the day and avoid beginning your journey already dehydrated.

Prioritise sleep. Don’t deliberately start a long-haul flight exhausted.

Prepare for the time zone. If you’re travelling internationally, consider your destination’s local time when planning sleep and meals.

During the Flight

Keep water accessible and drink regularly.

Electrolytes can also be a convenient addition to your travel hydration routine. Sodium, potassium and magnesium are electrolytes involved in normal bodily functions, including fluid balance.

It’s also sensible to limit excessive alcohol and be strategic with caffeine, particularly if you’re trying to sleep.

And don’t forget to move. Getting up and walking around when appropriate can help break up long periods of sitting.

After Landing

Your recovery doesn’t stop when the aircraft lands. Try to transition into the local time zone, get some natural daylight and avoid turning a short rest into a several-hour daytime sleep.

Continue drinking normally, eat according to local time and give yourself time to wind down before bed.

A Simple Long-Haul Flight Recovery Routine

At MACH Nutrition, we designed our products around the realities of flying.

As two active airline pilots, we’ve experienced first-hand how long flights, dry cabin air, disrupted sleep, dehydration and changing time zones can affect how you feel.

That’s why MACH has two formulas designed for different parts of your journey.

MACH ELEVATE — For the Journey

MACH ELEVATE combines electrolytes, taurine, L-theanine and essential vitamins in a convenient travel sachet.

It’s designed to fit into your pre-flight and daytime travel routine, combining hydration with ingredients selected to support normal cognitive function and energy-yielding metabolism.

Simply mix with water and take it with you.

Before boarding. During the flight. On arrival.

MACH RESTORE — For After the Journey

MACH RESTORE is designed for your post-flight evening routine.

It combines magnesium glycinate, glycine, lemon balm extract, electrolytes and essential vitamins in a convenient drink for your wind-down routine.

After a long day of travelling, Restore gives you a simple ritual to help transition from travel mode to rest mode.

Travel Better. Feel Better.

You can’t always control your flight time, time zone or cabin environment.

But you can control your routine.

Hydrate. Move. Adjust to local time. Prioritise sleep.

And make your travel routine work for you.

MACH ELEVATE for the journey.

MACH RESTORE for the night.

Fly Better. Feel Better.

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