Jet Lag: How Acupuncture Helps Reset Your Body’s Internal Clock

For those navigating the demands of modern life, such as careers, travel, family, and hormonal shifts, jet lag can amount to much more than just a bit of sleeplessness. It can throw off your energy, digestion, and mood in a way that lingers far beyond your return flight. Luckily acupuncture is a natural and effective way to recover faster, as an often-overlooked benefit is its ability to help the body re-synchronize with its natural rhythms after crossing time zones.

Why Jet Lag Disrupts More Than Just Sleep

Jet lag happens when your internal clock (or circadian rhythm) is no longer aligned with your external environment. But this isn’t just about feeling tired—your circadian rhythm governs much more than sleep. It affects:

• Hormone levels (such as cortisol, melatonin, and even estrogen)
  
  
• Digestion, metabolism, and appetite
  
  
• Cognitive function and mood
  
  
• Menstrual cycle regulation (timing of ovulation and menstruation)
  
  

Your hormones are not separate from your lifestyle—they respond to it. For anyone already struggling with balancing hormones, it is especially important to support your internal clock because a disrupted circadian rhythm can quickly manifest symptoms and may even be more stubborn to recalibrate.

The TCM Organ Clock

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the body follows a 24-hour rhythm known as the organ clock. Each organ system has a 2-hour window where it is most active and supported:

These 2-hour windows for each organ system allows the body to manage its many processes, such as metabolism, digestion, detoxification, and sleep/wake cycles (just to name a few.)

For example, the body prefers to detoxify blood during the Liver hours in the middle of the night while you are deep asleep, rather than at lunchtime when you are more focused on circulating the blood because it’s a high-energy time of day.

When you travel across time zones, however, these organ rhythms get confused as to what time it really is. Your Liver may be trying to detox while you’re sitting in a meeting, which it simply cannot do effectively. This internal mismatch can lead to symptoms that are hormonal, emotional, and physical all at once.

Acupuncture: A Natural Reset

Acupuncture gently reminds the body what time it is, without relying on medications or struggling through the fog. It nudges our organ clock back into rhythm by stimulating specific points that correspond with the organ systems and energetic pathways most affected by travel. In doing so, it:

• Regulates melatonin and cortisol levels to support healthy sleep/wake cycles
  
  
• Rebalances organ timing, helping your internal systems adjust to the new time zone
  
  
• Restores parasympathetic nervous system dominance (also known as our Relaxation Response), allowing deep rest and recovery
  
  
• Supports hormonal health—especially important for those with reproductive or thyroid concerns
  
  
• Clears mental fog and improves energy so you can be present and productive
  
  

When to Book?

Even a single session can significantly improve how your body adjusts. We recommend scheduling acupuncture within 24–48 hours after arriving back home, to help your body anchor into the new rhythm.

If you are a frequent traveler, have fertility protocols that are time-sensitive, or have a particularly difficult time recovering from jetlag, consider also timing a treatment 1-3 days prior to travel and pairing it with a B-12 shot to further improve energy levels.

And remember, make sure to book your appointment before you travel to secure your spot on the schedule and have one less thing to figure out when you return.

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