The Blueprint Jet Lag Protocol
Bryan Johnson's self-tested protocol for eastbound jet lag: slow-release caffeine in the morning to anchor the new wake time, and a small dose of melatonin before bed to pull your sleep phase earlier. Two ingredients, timed.
After flying Australia to California (10 time zones east), Bryan Johnson tested a deliberately simple two-ingredient protocol and tracked his recovery live via continuous glucose. The logic: when your circadian clock is off, hormones like cortisol drift, and morning caffeine plus evening melatonin help drag the rhythm back into line. Morning slow-release caffeine keeps your body anchored to the new morning; a small melatonin dose before bed pulls your sleep phase earlier. He is explicit that this is eastbound recovery (advancing the clock, the harder direction) and that it is an n=1 experiment, not proof. He also openly questions his own doses, which is worth taking seriously (see below).
Why it works▼
Anchor your body to the new morning
Morning caffeine consolidates wakefulness on the destination schedule and helps resync cortisol.
Pull your sleep phase earlier
Evening melatonin advances the sleep phase toward the new local bedtime.
Apply it when flying east
Direction changes the circadian task; eastbound advances are tougher and benefit most from anchoring.
Live on the destination clock
Light, food and activity are the primary circadian signals; the supplements support them, not replace them.
Watch your own resynchronization
An objective signal tells you when your clock has actually re-entrained.
- Eastbound long-haul travelers
- Blueprint followers who travel
- Anyone crossing many time zones east
- People who track their own recovery data
- Bryan Johnson calls this an n=1 experiment, not proof; he himself flags that later recovery days partly reflect natural jet-lag recovery over time, not only the protocol
- He openly questions his own doses: 300mg caffeine is likely more than needed, and for melatonin a much smaller dose (0.3 to 0.5mg) is probably enough; the 2001 study used 5mg melatonin and 300mg caffeine in fit military reservists
- Melatonin timing matters more than dose, and taken at the wrong hour it can shift your clock the wrong way; caffeine is morning-only, since afternoon or evening caffeine wrecks the night's sleep
- Melatonin and high-dose caffeine can interact with medications and conditions; if pregnant, on blood thinners or sedatives, or managing heart, anxiety or sleep conditions, check with a doctor first
- We may earn a commission on products bought through this page; sunlight, meal timing and a consistent schedule are the free core
- Educational only, not medical advice
- July 3, 2026 Protocol published.
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Not medical advice. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Consult a qualified clinician before changing your health routine.
Independent curation. YourProtocol.ai is an independent platform. This protocol is based on the publicly available work of Bryan Johnson and is not created, reviewed, endorsed by, or affiliated with Bryan Johnson or Blueprint / Don't Die.