pdxasflyer

A few months ago I recalled reading someone's post regarding how to beat jet lag, etc when flying from the US to HKG, and have searched the forums but cannot locate it.

I'm traveling to HKG then onward to JNB. The first leg is an all daylight flight and the second one will be all nighttime. My thinking is that it would be best to stay up as long as possible for the first leg, such that once we board the next leg, we'll be really ready to sleep on our overnight flight to JNB. Does that make sense or is there a better logic I'm missing?

Both return legs are overnighters with some daylight, so we'll mix those up a bit, but. Those are also separated by several day layover in HKG. But any insights as to beat the lag on those as well would be welcomed.

Edited to add that class of service will be F.

Unterwegs

I try to sleep when it is night in the arrival timezone. Melantonin helps me to fall asleep. No naps during the day after arrival, staying active also helps.

mkjr

when i have to work...on the 01:30 out of YYZ to HKG, I just take two ativan and then sleep 8-10 or more hours and then stay up the rest of the flight and until 8pm at least local time. this way although your body is tired, arriving at 5am local time having had 10 hours of sleep is pretty good...also, when i have to work, very little food since it causes excess gas in flight and no booze, under any circumstances...i will probably ask for about 3 bottles of H2O or perrier so that when i wake up a little, i can have a drink and then go back to sleep...

on the 14:15 departure, unless i am really tired the night before and can sleep for a few hours on departure, i pretty much wake up as late as I can the day of departure and then stay up the entire flight and try to power through until 10/11pm local time. my theory is that you have to be litterly using toothpicks to keep your eyese open at 8/9pm local time where ever you fly to try to get on local time right away.

QRC3288

Yea it's good logic. Try to stick to the timezone you land in when you take off.

Personally, I think it's far easier heading US-HKG than it is HKG-US.

CX828

I never drink alcohol at all on the night flights such as CX829. Like you, I drink tons of water. When sleeping you can get seriously de-hydrated.

GRALISTAIR

A Continental FA once advised me "Just do what your body tells you to do". If you feel tired and keep your eyes open, just sleep. etc

pdxasflyer

Great tips, and have always tried to stick with limiting alcohol intake as it only adds to dehydration. We arrive in HKG in the evening with our next departure to JNB near midnight local time, so we'll be struggling to stay awake such that we should hit the pillows on the 2nd leg.

mkjr

hmmm...my advice might not be the best..i had incorrectly assumed you were going to be in HKG before JNB...

let me think about your timing more. can you post when you leave NA? sounds like around early afternoon to get into HKG in the early eve +1...

katzenjammy

I have used the Argonne jet lag diet for years with great success. Even a pared-down version of it (fast on the day of travel, wake up and eat a high protein breakfast at destination's breakfast time) works pretty well.

pdxasflyer

We leave NA at Noon local time and arrive around 6pm HK time, then our JNB flight leaves near midnight from HK.

Gerbs

I suggest that to the extent possible you gradually modify your sleeping hours prior to departure. Ideally on the day before departure you might go to sleep by 7 pm and wake up no later than 3 am. This will be not too far from what your hours might be when you finally arrive in JNB. On the flight, eat the main meal then target 5 or 6 hours sleep shortly thereafter, waking up about 3 hours before landing in HKG. Try to enjoy the transit in HKG - you could even consider a quick trip into the city. Then on the second flight try to fully align sleeping hours with JNB time.

Also, I've found that the welcome champagne and one glass of wine with the meal doesn't impede my sleeping, but generally do stick to water after that.

aviationp

Everybody is different on their sleep schedule. I am able to sleep whenever I want on a plane, irrespective if I am coming from a long sleep or not, so I would just do whatever I want to on the US-HKG leg, and then sleep it through to JNB

Guy Betsy

I travel with holistic flower essence remedies. They work. My jet lag lasts an average of 1 day. And I feel less dehydrated, and feel assured that I'm not bombarded with radiation when flying.

I take the Australian Bush Flower's "Travel essence" or Findhorn Flower Essence's "Bon Voyage".

mkjr

I would try to stay up really really late on the day before your flight and sleep in big time. I would them stay up the entire flight to hkg. When in HKG, lounge hop and hopefully you are so tired when you bOard, you can sleep
most of the flight to jnb. That way when you arrive local time, you do not sleep since personally, going to sleep at 7am in JNB is the worst thing you could do. 35 hours travel though. All bets are off. My worst is 37 gate to gate and it is not fun no matter what class you are in.

goingbananas

My philosophy is 30 min of sleep on the plane equals 1 hr in my bed at home.

So, what I do (afternoon flight to HKG):
- is eat, drink, watch a few movies....
- sleep for 8-10 hrs to HKG......
- land...get to the hotel....
- hopefully...the Exec lounge is still open....have a few more drinks...relax....
- go back to the room....relax...11pm....sleep.... and ready for the day.....

If I am going onto say SIN or BKK, then do the above but between HKG-SIN/BKK is eat, drink, watch a movie...then get to the hotel...relax for 30 min...by now it might be pushing 1am....then sleep...ready to go in the am....YMMV....

Late night flight to HKG (see above with caveats):

Just eat and drink watch 1 movie...sleep for 10 hours....breakfast on the plane...get to the hotel, shower, ready to go for the day....stay up until at least 9pm the first night...then sleep.....