Your In-Flight Movie Choice Is Making Your Jet Lag Worse. These Are the Best and Worst Genres to Watch

We all love watching movies and laugh-out-loud comedies when flying on a long-haul flight, but could this be one of the unspoken culprits leading to jet lag? According to Travel Republic, certain films can heighten your jet lag problems, with the worst films being dramas. Sure, Dead Poets Society, Titanic, and Steel Magnolias are great time fillers when flying, but they can also be detrimental when you land, says psychologist Rod Mitchell. “Heavy emotional dramas hit differently at altitude when you’re already vulnerable. Your emotional defenses are down when tired and confined. Save the tear-jerkers and existential crises for solid ground.”

Oddly enough, the best genre, Mitchell says, that might actually help jet lag is film noir or dark mysteries. “Puzzle-solving mysteries and adventure films are brilliant anxiety hijackers–they redirect worry from ‘what if this plane…’ to ‘who’s the killer?’” says Mitchell. But lighthearted whodunits are much better than hard-core psychological features, says Mitchell, who says the harder, scarier films can cause further anxiety rather than elevating them.

Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer and The Shining are insanely popular as inflight movies because there’s nothing better than an old-school thriller when flying–wrong! According to Travel Republic, while more than 50% percent of travelers choose crime and horror movies, it really is not a good idea if you want to avoid a heavy dose of jet lag when you land. “Horror films on planes are like drinking espresso during a stress test. Disaster movies, especially with planes or confined spaces, trigger your mirror neurons, making you feel the danger yourself,” says Mitchell.  According to the psychologist, all of these high-intensity feelings can stop you from sleeping well and make you feel drowsy upon arrival.

Unless you are flying on a red eye flight, comedies and romance films are probably the best films to watch when flying. Apparently, this high-trigger and highly energetic TV viewing can cause your brain to stay alert, so you don’t fall asleep. This can be beneficial to people who are traveling short distances for work and need to stay alert to finish emails or hit the ground running when you land. “Think of these as gentle slaps to your attention system–use intensity purposefully when you need to stay alert,” says Mitchell.

Remember when peanuts were given on airplanes as a snack to your in-flight G&T? It was definitely a snack of the ’90s and surely missed by many who love to graze on tasty things to avoid boredom (guilty!), but apparently it can also lead to jet lag. According to nutritionists, salty foods can make jet lag worse because they are dehydrating and can cause fluid retention, which can exacerbate jet lag.

Sorry, chocolate lovers, it is true, chocolate may cause more jet lag symptoms. Caffeine is one of the greatest culprits for jet lag because it keeps you wide awake and stops you from sleeping when flying at 33,000 feet, and it is unfortunately found in some chocolates in high amounts. According to experts, bananas are a much better idea, even if they are not as fun to eat, because they are easy to digest and packed with potassium, which can help regulate blood pressure and hydration levels.

High-fiber diets are excellent for nutrition and overall maintaining fitness levels, but they can actually be bad for you when flying. Apparently, under simulated flying conditions, these high-fiber foods caused more stomach and digestive issues than low-fiber foods. Good choices include unsweetened applesauce pouches, unripe bananas, and anything with low sodium.

We all know superfoods are great for us, but when it comes to flying, you might want to avoid them. While fermented foods can help with bloating, other superfoods like matcha and guarana are not great because they have caffeine and give off slow-releasing energy, which can keep you wide awake during a long-haul flight. Better drinking options include water and herbal teas, which can calm you down both mentally and physically.

According to the Sleep Foundation in the U.S., alcohol and coffee are the worst drinks you could consume both before and during a flight. A no-brainer, right? Well, what about carbonated water? Apparently, fizzy drinks (even sodas) are very bad because they are sugary, which requires the body to break down the sugar, which can interfere with sleep. When it comes to sparkling water, it is a no-go too. According to researchers, when you’re flying, changes in air pressure can cause bloating, which may ultimately lead to a reduced chance of falling asleep.

The light emitted from your phone is one of the worst things that contribute to jet lag. According to Harvard Researchers, blue light can suppress melatonin, something that helps alleviate jet lag symptoms. Not only that, but blue light also actually leads to shifting the body’s internal clock even more, which stops you from finding your “new normal” when it comes to sleeping patterns! All of this makes it harder to fall asleep and adjust to a new time zone.

On the other hand, red light is a much better option and can be used both before and after your long-haul flight to limit the effects of jet lag. Apparently, red light has a calming and soothing effect, which can help you sleep properly when you land.