How bad is jet lag flying to San Francisco?

It depends where you start. From Sydney you cross 17 time zones travelling west, which typically takes about 11 days to shake off. From cities in a similar longitude to San Francisco there is little or no jet lag at all.

Is jet lag worse flying east or west to San Francisco?

Flying east — where you lose hours and have to fall asleep earlier — is generally harder than flying west, for the same number of time zones. The table above marks the direction of each route so you know which kind of adjustment to expect.

How long does it take to get over jet lag in San Francisco?

A common rule of thumb is one day of recovery per time zone crossed when heading east, and a little faster heading west. Bright light at the right time of day and adjusting your sleep before you fly both speed it up.

Jet lag when you fly to San Francisco

San Francisco is on America/Los_Angeles. How much jet lag you get depends entirely on where you start — how many time zones you cross, and in which direction. Travelling west is the easier direction. Stay up later than usual before you go and get evening light once you arrive.

Jet lag to San Francisco by departure city

From	Time zones	Direction	Distance	Flight (approx.)	Recovery
Sydney	17	← west	11,948 km	15 hours	~11 days
Tokyo	16	← west	8,271 km	10½ hours	~11 days
Singapore	15	← west	13,585 km	16½ hours	~10 days
Mumbai	13	← west	13,494 km	16½ hours	~9 days
Dubai	11	← west	13,022 km	16 hours	~7 days
Paris	9	← west	8,953 km	11½ hours	~6 days
Johannesburg	9	← west	16,964 km	20½ hours	~6 days
London	8	← west	8,616 km	11 hours	~5 days
São Paulo	4	← west	10,433 km	13 hours	~3 days
New York City	3	← west	4,129 km	5½ hours	~2 days
Los Angeles	—	same zone	559 km	1½ hours	none

Distances are great-circle; flight times are rough nonstop estimates. Recovery uses ~1 day per zone east, faster west.

Beating jet lag in San Francisco

Jet lag happens because your body clock stays on home time for a while after you land. The bigger the offset between San Francisco and where you flew from, the longer it takes to catch up — roughly a day for each time zone when you travel east, and somewhat faster when you travel west, because it is easier to stay up late than to force yourself to sleep early.

A few days before you fly, nudge your sleep schedule toward San Francisco time — earlier if you are heading east, later if west. On arrival, get outside: daylight is the strongest signal for resetting your clock. Morning light helps after an eastward trip; evening light helps after a westward one. To see the exact current offset, check the current time in San Francisco.

Frequently asked questions

How bad is jet lag flying to San Francisco?: It depends where you start. From Sydney you cross 17 time zones travelling west, which typically takes about 11 days to shake off. From cities in a similar longitude to San Francisco there is little or no jet lag at all.
Is jet lag worse flying east or west to San Francisco?: Flying east — where you lose hours and have to fall asleep earlier — is generally harder than flying west, for the same number of time zones. The table above marks the direction of each route so you know which kind of adjustment to expect.
How long does it take to get over jet lag in San Francisco?: A common rule of thumb is one day of recovery per time zone crossed when heading east, and a little faster heading west. Bright light at the right time of day and adjusting your sleep before you fly both speed it up.