Japan - LAX-NRT sleeping strategies for the flight

I am not sure if this is the best forum for this post, but figured i would give it a shot.

I will be flying LAX-NRT next week. My flight leaves at 1pm local time and arrives around 4:30 local time. What do people normally do to try and get rid of jet lag? I will be flying in F so hopefully I will be able to sleep when I want. When I did this route a few years ago I slept for a few hours and then was able to fall asleep around 11:00 tokyo time only to wake up at 4:00am the next morning and not be able to go to sleep. I also flew HNL-NRT once, but I was connecting to HKG so it was somewhat different. Any advice on how people adjust quickly would be appreciated.

When flying west to Tokyo, I do not like to sleep at all. You will arrive at 1630 and probably be at your hotel by 1830. Get dinner and relax and will be able to get a full night sleep. You can always tell the ones that sleep too much on the westbound flight by seeing email from them at 0400.

Marc

Don't sleep, but slow your body down so you can have max residual energy when you get in. Fight the urge to sleep immediately upon arriving at the hotel. After check in hit the gym for a half hour or better and then a very good long shower. Go out of the room to eat and have a light meal. Sleep around 9.

Next day you will awaken early. 'Tis the nature of the beast. Use that time to see Tokyo. Get stuff done that can be done at that time. Work, Ironing for the week, etc. Tsukiji maybe?

At about 2:30-3pm that day and probably the next day too you will feel like you must sleep. Grab a coffeee and deal with it. Stay the course until 9 or so. It will take 2-3 days to acclimate, but you will be at full finctioning speed during that time though.

Mike

Thanks for the quick replies! I would love to go to Tsukiji the next morning (which is what we did last time), but unfortunately the next morning will be a wednesday and so the market is closed. I agree with getting a light meal, I remember we got shabu-shabu last time and it was a great relaxing meal (and my first kobe beef!) before going to sleep. Ok, I shall try not to sleep, I just hope that JAL has good movies

I agree with the above but might add a couple of things. I try to stay awake most of the flight, permitting myself a few catnaps along the way but mostly reading, watching the movies or working on my laptop. Avoid alcohol as it will tend to encourage sleep. After arrival, get to the hotel and settled, then have a very light meal and get some exercise - perhaps a walk around the neighborhood. Again, avoid alcohol. Instead, around 10:30 or 11:00, I take a couple of Tylenol PM (or straight Benedryl) and go to sleep. If I'm lucky I will sleep until a reasonable time in the morning but if I wake early, I use the time to organize for the rest of the trip, maybe watch TV or something. Maybe another walk before breakfast. As Mike mentioned, you will have the urge to sleep in mid-afternoon. Fight that for the first few days. I stay away from the hotel until the urge passes. After a few days, you will be on a "normal" internal clock.

I find that the trip back to the east, homeward bound, is far harder to recover from.

I agree with what everyone has said, but in addition, I've found that a product called no jetlag works for me. I don't know exactly how it works, but it's homeopathic based and I've personally had great results east and west bound. Some people say it doesn nothing for them, perhaps it's a placbo and it's effects are all in my head, regardless, for me, it cuts down on the lasting effects of jet lag and typically I'm pretty much on local time and feeling normal the morning after my arrival.

hi!
I am on this same flight in September... But I think you are on JAL vs me on AA in First.... Thanks everyone for your hints and tips..

just staying awake you will be awake till almost midnight LA time when you arrive.. Normally i am in bed for at least 3 hours normally by that time so was thinking of a 2-3 hour cat nap and I should be good to go

is AA Admirals club accessible for a shower when I arrive?

I just want to thank everyone again for their quick replies. Luckily, in this case at least, I never nap anyways so sleeping in the middle of the day won't be an issue. Avoiding free champagne and sake though might be tougher!

I just want to thank everyone again for their quick replies. Luckily, in this case at least, I never nap anyways so sleeping in the middle of the day won't be an issue. Avoiding free champagne and sake though might be tougher!

No problem! but they only serve alcohol and food to USC fans! HOOO RAH!! FIGHT ON!:-:

As for me, stay up the night before. Last time I flew that flight, I stayed up and then slept all the way from LAX to NRT ;)

Of course, having slept for so long I stayed up all night in Tokyo, until my flight out the next morning... YMMV!

I was on JL61 (1.20pm LAX-NRT) yesterday and in the upstairs cabin it was treated somewhat like a night flight - The lights were dimmed and then turned off after the meal and most people slept until being woken up for 'Dinner'.

To me it seemed more logical to stay up for the entire flight and then have an early night on arriving in Tokyo. The arrival time of the flight and then the time taken to transfer to Tokyo on the bus works out well for this. It seemed to work well for me as I've easily adjusted to the new time.

Chrisb.

Oh heck, just go with the flow.

I get up at 0400, do some reading, surfing, e-mail. In two hours things start opening up anyway.

I don't have much issue going west, but going east....

I don't have much issue going west, but going east....
That is always much more difficult. I generally try many of the same things - avoid caffeine, alcohol and too much sleep on the plane. After arriving home, I then stay up until my normal bed time at home then sleep like a rock, at least for the first night. Unfortunately, that doesn't work very well for the long term as I have trouble staying awake at work and sleeping at night for a week or more after returning home. My doctor has prescribed Rozarem, which is marketed for shift-workers who have trouble with shift changes. It doesn't really work all that well for me but others swear by it.

JR

Two words: Am. Bien. :) :) :)

Great thread! Any additional for advice for IAD-NRT-SIN and return in UA F? I've never flown to Asia before. Thanks!

Great thread! Any additional for advice for IAD-NRT-SIN and return in UA F? I've never flown to Asia before. Thanks!

My strategy for a trip like this is to get up early the day I depart the US. Then I hit the lounge for a few drinks before the flight. I enjoy the lunch service with wine and cocktails. I usually watch a movie and once the first movie ends I wash up and take an Ambien and sleep. I usually wake up an hour or 2 before landing. Then stay awake for the flight to SIN (it is 7 hours from NRT). I usually can't sleep right away at the hotel but try to go to bed by 3am SIN time. Again an Ambien helps here. Then when I wake up I am usually fine for the duration of the trip.

Either direction I always eat and drink through the 1st service and then try and sleep as much as possible. 4-5 hours is great. Then arrive in Japan, dinner, drinks and stay up until midnight. Then another 4-5 hours and you're good to go.
This strategy works well. I get tired in the afternoon, but usually catch a second wind in the evenings.

It also helps if you're not used to getting a lot of sleep to begin with;)

-Scho

For me when I fly to NRT from YVR in J on AC, I tend to eat the first meal, sleep for a while then stay awake for the next meal then stay awake all the way through to my bedtime in Tokyo. No sense in going to bed early in Tokyo as the sun rises fairly early anyway! ;)

Schoflyer, no wonder why I never see those dark spots under your eyes!! ;D

Sanosuke!

I don't have much issue going west, but going east....

Try doing LHR-SYD-LHR three times over the northern winterm thats 11 hours time difference it doesnt matter if your flying eat or West you tired as hell for days!

Any additional for advice for IAD-NRT-SIN and return in UA F?

I fly IAD-SIN (or BKK) a couple of times a year for the last few years now and I think I've got my jetlag-prevention steps to work well for me.

I'll second the other reply to your question. You must try to stay awake NRT-SIN to have any chance of sleeping when you get to SIN.

What has never failed for me:
1) in IAD: stay up the whole night before
2) sleep all the way to NRT
3) Good strong shower and coffee/tea in lounge in NRT. Stay up NRT-SIN
4) Use ambien when you get to SIN to reset body clock
5) The next day when you wake up is crucial. Get as much sunlight as possible and resist any sleep until at least 8pm. Exercise a lot (if you're on vacation) or schedule a solid day's of work