A chrono coach. That is the name Schoutens has associated with his work. What exactly does that entail? "I provide guidance and advice on everything that has to do with time, performance and our sleep-wake rhythm." For example, the Vught native is called upon by athletes who have to perform in faraway countries. "In recent months, I have been coaching athletes from the Athletics Union in the run-up to the World Championships in Eugene, USA. And now I am working on the World Cycling Championships in Australia." Coaching is done in all kinds of ways. "A well-known example is the administration of blue light at certain times of the day using special light glasses." This allows the brain to get used to that different time zone. "It is not so much that you are fooling your head, because we are not disrupting anything. We are only trying to slowly shift the rhythm.

And that is exactly what we can do at the end of our vacation, to come home better rested. These are Schoutens' five golden tips:

1. Go to bed later

It may sound strange at first, but if you want to drive back to the Netherlands at night, it is a good idea to go to bed later a few days before. “And get up a bit later too. That way you slowly shift your rhythm backwards and get used to being awake at night.”

2. 90 minutes of sleep

Still, Schoutens advises against driving all night long. “It is very important that you sleep on the way. And preferably for an hour and a half.” That is not out of the blue. “Our sleep consists of a number of cycles, each lasting about 90 minutes. After one such complete cycle, we see that recovery already occurs in the brain.” Anyone who thinks: I will add another half hour is wrong. “Then you are in the middle of the next cycle again. You may sleep longer, but in the end it is worse for you. Oh by the way, above 50 you should not want to drive at night at all. Our rhythm is much less flexible then.”

3. Wake up your travel companions

When you get back on the road after such a nap, it is important to immediately get as much light as possible, according to Schoutens. “So that you wake up properly right away. And wake up the passenger as well. It is known that you get sleepy much less quickly if you have someone to talk to. By the way, also open a window or turn on the air conditioning, because coolness also keeps you awake.”

4. Take an hour every day

So much for the destinations where you can drive back home yourself. But our system often gets even more disrupted when we look even further from home. Think of a popular destination like America. It is difficult to completely prevent jet lag, but a smoother transition is definitely possible. "Here too, you have to organize the days differently. For the United States, where it is earlier than in the Netherlands, it means that you have to go to bed earlier a few days before your return." But if you have saved up for that long trip, you don't just dive into your bed, do you? "It does indeed require some discipline. But get up nice and early and plan as much as possible in the morning."

5. Move your meals along

All well and good, but simply going to bed earlier won't help. "You'll also have to adjust the times you eat. And also pay attention to what you eat and when. Eat carbohydrates in the morning, for example. Your body can't break them down late in the day and then they are converted into fat." The well-known holiday pounds. "And we usually don't want those."