A New Study by WHOOP and CLEAR Uncovers The Impact of Travel on Sleep and Stress

In 2023, Americans took an average of 2.1 trips – this year, 92% of those travelers said they plan to travel at least that many times – with 40% planning to travel even more*. With travel on the rise and the summer season upon us, WHOOP partnered with CLEAR to study the true effect of travel on the body, which revealed that travel has a days-long impact on your body, including changes to sleep, stress and overall well-being. 

This was a retrospective observational study analyzing existing data from WHOOP members who voluntarily journaled their jet lag and travel experiences. The WHOOP Journal allows members to track daily behaviors. Members complete the previous day's journal entry by checking off behaviors they participated in. These members received surveys to indicate their enrollment status in traveler programs such as CLEAR Plus, TSA Pre-Check, and Global Entry. Members consented to the use of their anonymized data for research purposes upon creating their WHOOP accounts.

*Forbes Survey Travel Plans 2024

The impact of travel

Traveling can be stressful. With long security lines, traffic, and busy schedules, finding ways to mitigate stress on travel days can make a world of a difference. What’s more is that the body experiences the impact of travel even after you’ve returned. A 2024 study conducted by WHOOP in collaboration with CLEAR found that it takes about 5 days to fully regain lost sleep and 7 days to return to “normal” levels of stress after a trip. Getting your body back to baseline, even after what felt like a vacation, can impact your overall health.

Managing stress during travel 

Study results showed that more than half of participants reported experiencing higher stress the night before and the day of air travel compared to when they’re not traveling. With WHOOP, Stress Monitor is able to give you a real-time stress score between 0 and 3 by measuring your heart rate and heart rate variability and comparing that to your baseline. In addition to measuring stress in real-time, you can see how your stress ebbs and flows throughout the day and over time, helping you spot patterns. Stress Monitor also provides science-backed breathwork sessions developed to increase relaxation. Breathwork is a proven and effective tool for stress management that can help support your overall well-being, and improve mood and reduce respiratory rate. You can also track specific behaviors in the WHOOP Journal while you travel to see how they affect your overall health. Track things like hydration, specific foods, alcohol, exercise, and vacation activities like massage, sauna, or ice bath to see their impact.

The impact of jet lag

Despite the name "jet lag”, the experience actually has nothing to do with flying, and everything to do with our internal and external clock. Jet lag symptoms can range from sleep disturbances, to difficulty concentrating, irritability, disorientation, distorted estimation of time, space, and distance, lightheadedness, loss of appetite, and gastrointestinal disturbances. Some studies suggest that people need one day per time zone crossed of acclimating in order for sleep-wake cycle to recover  – and as many as 8 to 10 days for other physiological cycles to resynchronize. 

Based on the WHOOP and CLEAR study, the sympathetic system is more activated while experiencing jet lag, as shown by a slightly increased RHR and decreased HRV.

The impact of travel on sleep & stress

On average, people lose about an hour of sleep the night before air travel compared to other nights. CLEAR Plus Members sleep slightly longer and more efficiently both the night before and the night of air travel. According to study results, CLEAR Plus Members lose about 10 minutes less sleep than non CLEAR Plus members, averaging 52 minutes of sleep loss compared to 62 minutes for those without CLEAR Plus. CLEAR Plus Members also experience less time in the high stress zone on the day of travel.

​​CLEAR Plus is an annual membership that gives you expedited entry at 57 airports nationwide without waiting in line to show your I.D. at airport security. With a membership, your biometric data provides a touchless, ID-less airport security screening that bypasses the initial document check by TSA agents.

Tips to mitigate the impact of travel 

For every hour of travel, there’s evidence that both heart rate variability and resting heart rate are negatively impacted, so practicing good habits in flight may help support better post-flight recovery. Recycled air on planes can be dehydrating, and alcohol has been shown to reduce blood oxygen saturation and increase heart rate. 

While in flight, some tips from experts to try to improve how your body responds include:

• Drink lots of water 
• Avoid alcohol 
• Get up and stretch
• Practice breathwork 

Post flight, try the following tips for acclimating to a new environment:

• Adapt to new meal-times based on time zone
• Avoid screen-time an hour before bed
• Take a hot shower before bed
• Keep your room cold and dark 

Curious how CLEAR Plus and WHOOP can improve your travel experience this year? Try both for free. Get 1 free month of WHOOP and 2 free months of CLEAR Plus if you join now. Start prioritizing your sleep, stress levels, and overall health while you travel.