Travel · Anchor Protocol
The Travel Protocol — Cabin Crew & Pilots
Your office is at 8,000 feet. Run it like one.
Target state: Occupational Circadian Disruption
Symptoms addressed: Sleep that never lines up with any clock, roster fatigue, dry eyes and skin, gut chaos, low mood after long trips, cycle changes
Fasting: No fasting — regular meals anchored to your rest periods
Supplement pillars
- I. Clock Shift: Timed light (seek + avoid lists), Melatonin 0.5–1 mg, route-timed, Destination-time meals, Caffeine cut-off 6 h before bed
- II. Transit Floor: Compression socks on journeys ≥4 h, Aisle walk + calf raises every 1–2 h, Drink to thirst, Low-gas pre-flight meal
- III. Nervous System Floor: Protected sleep window, Slow breathing ~6/min, 5 min, Magnesium Glycinate (Thorne), Noise cancelling + mask + earplugs
- IV. Barrier & Defence: Ceramide moisturiser + occlusive lip balm, SPF 50 (Anthelios UVMune 400), Hand hygiene + food/water safety, ORS (Dioralyte) for illness
Daily timing
| Time | Items |
|---|---|
| Before duty | Core sleep block protected · protein meal · light per roster direction |
| On duty | Drink to thirst · eye drops · lip balm · movement during service lulls |
| Layover arrival | Short nap (<30 min) if needed · daylight walk · decide: home or local clock |
| Layover evening | Caffeine cut-off · mask + earplugs · magnesium glycinate |
| Home days | Recovery sleep · social time · one unhurried meal a day |
| Monthly | Skin self-check · mood check · roster review with occupational health if needed |
Devices
- Oura Ring 4 / WHOOP 5.0: Sleep, resting HR and HRV trends across trips — trends, not diagnosis
- Luminette 3 / Re-Timer: Light at the right time when the sun won't cooperate
- Timeshifter: Route-specific light, sleep and caffeine schedule
- Bose QC Ultra / AirPods Pro 2 + Manta mask: Noise and light control for on-board sleep
- CurrentBody LED / NuFACE / PowerDot: Optional skin and muscle tools — comfort and cosmetics, not jet-lag treatment
Rules
- Pick your clock before you pack: home time or destination time — half-adjusting to both is how jet lag gets a second week
- Light is the strongest lever and the easiest to get wrong — follow the seek/avoid plan, not the sunrise
- Sleep is protected, not optional; caffeine never replaces it
- Journeys ≥4 h: socks on, move every 1–2 h; clot history, pregnancy, hormones or recent surgery = doctor first
- Fatigue rules exist for a reason: report fatigue through your airline's fatigue risk management system — wellness habits support it, never replace it
- Pregnant or trying: talk to occupational health early — night work, heavy physical demands and cosmic radiation are reviewed exposures (NIOSH)
- Melatonin, sleeping tablets and alertness medicines: pilots must follow their aviation medical examiner's rules before using any of them