Dossier · Jet Lag Protocol v6 Finesser · SEA → DUB → BER → CDG → SEA

Europe,
in motion.

Sixteen days. Four cities. Two ocean crossings. A protocol built on five prior trips and one hard-won truth: sunlight, not sleep, is what actually resets you.

SEA
Seattle
GMT-7
DUB
Dublin
GMT+1
BER
Berlin
GMT+2
CDG
Paris
GMT+2
SEA
Seattle
GMT-7
01

The physics of the thing

Eastbound penalty
SEA→DUB compresses your day by eight hours. The hardest leg. Your body wants to sleep at noon Dublin time.
Intra-Europe
DUB→BER is a one-hour nudge. CDG is on BER time. Ignore these. Your circadian clock won't notice.
Westbound return
CDG→SEA steals nine hours. Easier on paper. The trap is the 8pm Seattle crash that kills you on day two.
Proven baseline
5hr shift = zero lag. 8hr = one day. This is two eight-hour shifts with a week of adapted sleep in between.
02

The stack

Melatonin
2.5–5 MG · CUT FROM 10MG
On plane only, during destination night hours. Not nightly at destination.
Magnesium Glycinate
300 MG · BEDTIME
Every night at destination. Calms the nervous system without grogginess.
Ashwagandha
450 MG · 3 PM LOCAL
Arrival day only. Blunts the afternoon crash when caffeine is off-limits.
Mary Ruth's Gummies
MELATONIN-FREE · BEDTIME
Nightly wind-down. Safe to stack with magnesium.
03

The crossings

Leg 01 · Eastbound EI 52 SAT · 02 MAY

Seattle → Dublin

SEA 19:10 · DUB 12:15+1 · +8hr eastbound · the hard one
Sleep on the plane. Not optional. Everything else is scaffolding around this single directive.
MAY 1
T-minus 1
Morning sunlight before 8am. Wake naturally. No caffeine after 1pm tomorrow.
MAY 2 · AM
Prep
30+ min direct sun before noon. Light workout if possible. Hydrate heavy.
15:00 PT
Board
Set watch to Dublin time (23:00). Mental model shifts now, not later.
19:10 PT
Takeoff
Dublin time: 03:10. Light dinner only. No wine, no whiskey, no beer.
20:30 PT
Sleep window
Dublin time 04:30. Melatonin 2.5mg. Eye mask, noise cancelling, aim for 5–6 hours.
04:00 DUB
Wake
Breakfast if offered. Stay awake for the final 2 hours.
12:15 DUB
Land
Outside within 45 min. Walk Dublin, don't Uber. Sun on face for at least 30 min.
15:00 DUB
Crash zone
Ashwagandha 450mg. Keep moving. Do not sit, do not nap, do not lie down.
18:30 DUB
Dinner
Protein-heavy. Avoid heavy carbs. Push through to 22:00 minimum.
22:00 DUB
Sleep
Mag glycinate 300mg + gummy. First-night target: 6+ hours. Day two handles itself.
Leg 02 · East EI 336 SAT · 09 MAY

Dublin → Berlin

DUB 17:50 · BER 21:05 · +1hr · noise floor
Treat this like a long commute. By May 9 you're already on Berlin time; this changes nothing.
MAY 9
Day of
Normal day in Dublin. Fly out fed, hydrated, rested. No supplements needed.
21:05 BER
Land
Cab to hotel. Light snack if hungry. In bed by midnight.
Leg 03 · Same TZ AF 1235 MON · 11 MAY

Berlin → Paris

BER 15:10 · CDG 17:00 · same TZ · zero impact
Non-event. Eat a proper Parisian dinner. Go to bed on Paris time. This is a rest day disguised as a flight.
Leg 04 · Westbound DL 81 SUN · 17 MAY

Paris → Seattle

CDG 16:00 · SEA 17:39 · -9hr westbound · stay awake
Stay awake on the plane. Land in daylight. The only enemy is the 8pm Seattle crash on day one and day two.
MAY 17 · AM
Prep
Normal Paris morning. Full breakfast. Espresso is fine. Walk before CDG.
13:00 CET
Board
Set watch to Seattle time (04:00). You are now pretending it's the middle of the night — but you're awake.
16:00 CET
Takeoff
Seattle: 07:00. Do not sleep. Eat the first meal, skip the second.
Mid-flight
Stay up
Movies, walk the aisle every 90 min, hydrate aggressively. Coffee OK through hour 8.
Last 2 hrs
Descent
Water only. Skip the second meal. Cabin lights matter less than your willpower here.
17:39 PT
Land
Outside. Walk to the car. Do not go home and lie down. Grocery run, errand, anything vertical.
20:00 PT
Crash zone
Light dinner. Shower. No phone in bed. Mag glycinate + gummy.
21:30 PT
Sleep
First-night target: 7+ hours. If you wake at 3am, read (no screens) for 30 min, return to bed.
MAY 18
Day +1
Sunlight before 8am. This is the whole game. 20 min outside. Normal workday. In bed by 22:30.
MAY 19
Day +2
The sneaky crash day. Don't schedule anything important after 4pm. Early dinner, early bed. Fully adjusted by day 3.
04

Immutable rules

Rule 01
Set your watch to destination time on boarding. The mental shift matters more than the physical one.
Rule 02
Sunlight within 45 minutes of landing. Walk to it. Even through clouds. Circadian reset happens at the eyes, not the bed.
Rule 03
Zero naps on arrival day. None. Not 20 minutes. Not on the couch. Not "just resting."
Rule 04
No alcohol on the plane. Dehydration compounds lag 2x. One beer costs you a day.
Rule 05
Hydrate at 1.5x normal for 48hrs around every flight. Electrolyte tab on the plane, not just water.
Rule 06
If you wake at 3am at destination, do not check work email. Read fiction, no screens, back to bed in 30 min.