Jetlag Advice Needed
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Traveling the World
Posts: 6,072
Jetlag Advice Needed
I would like some advice if you could help me with regards to jet lag from California to Thailand and back.
The plan is as follows leave home a week from this Wednesday with a 8:05 AM Flight to LAX and we will be at the airport at 6 :00 AM. then connect to the 2:20 PM Air China Flight that arrives Beijing at 6:30 PM. Connecting flight to BKK leaves at 7:45 PM arriving at 11:45 PM
So on the outbound westbound its best to stay awake as much as possible and treat it like a Paris-San Francisco Flight and take a nap. Have some Espresso or coffee to help rewind the body clock. Then stay up to BKK getting to bed around 1:00 AM and sleep until our Tour Orientation Breakfast.
On the return I believe we depart BKK around 3:00 PM and we connect in BKK for a 1:05 AM Flight that arrives Beijing at 6:30 AM we then connect to a 3:00 PM Flight arriving LAX at 11:00 AM and connecting to a 4:15 PM flight arriving home at 5:30 PM.
On the Eastbound is it best to sleep on the BKK-PEK flight or stay awake and then sleep from PEK-LAX and stay awake all day at PEK with a short 45 minute nap in the lounge and a shower? Then stay up until 11:00 PM or Midnight local time?
My theory is to treat the eastbound flight like a SFO-Paris flight and sleep some.
Thanks for your advice and other tips.
I have melatonin so its best to take it 2 hours before going to sleep on the plane and on the first night at each destination 2 hours before going to sleep?
The plan is as follows leave home a week from this Wednesday with a 8:05 AM Flight to LAX and we will be at the airport at 6 :00 AM. then connect to the 2:20 PM Air China Flight that arrives Beijing at 6:30 PM. Connecting flight to BKK leaves at 7:45 PM arriving at 11:45 PM
So on the outbound westbound its best to stay awake as much as possible and treat it like a Paris-San Francisco Flight and take a nap. Have some Espresso or coffee to help rewind the body clock. Then stay up to BKK getting to bed around 1:00 AM and sleep until our Tour Orientation Breakfast.
On the return I believe we depart BKK around 3:00 PM and we connect in BKK for a 1:05 AM Flight that arrives Beijing at 6:30 AM we then connect to a 3:00 PM Flight arriving LAX at 11:00 AM and connecting to a 4:15 PM flight arriving home at 5:30 PM.
On the Eastbound is it best to sleep on the BKK-PEK flight or stay awake and then sleep from PEK-LAX and stay awake all day at PEK with a short 45 minute nap in the lounge and a shower? Then stay up until 11:00 PM or Midnight local time?
My theory is to treat the eastbound flight like a SFO-Paris flight and sleep some.
Thanks for your advice and other tips.
I have melatonin so its best to take it 2 hours before going to sleep on the plane and on the first night at each destination 2 hours before going to sleep?
#2
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: The Indo Jungle
Programs: AA EXP, IHG Spire
Posts: 1,319
My usual strategy for late night arrivals to the west coast of USA is to try to awake at least 8hrs before arrival and then try to get to bed by latest 2am west coast time. Good luck!
edit: ooops, got that backwards. Sorry.
I never worry much on the westbound trans-pacific. Not nearly as hard as the eastbound.
edit: ooops, got that backwards. Sorry.
I never worry much on the westbound trans-pacific. Not nearly as hard as the eastbound.
#3
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,307
It all depends on how you personally are affected. Sleep when you're tired and eat when you're hungry suits me, but others describe being like zombies for days.
Your outbound plan seem sensible with regards to getting on your destination's time, but not sure about your return as if you sleep on the flight to LAX you may not want to sleep again a few hours after getting home.
Your outbound plan seem sensible with regards to getting on your destination's time, but not sure about your return as if you sleep on the flight to LAX you may not want to sleep again a few hours after getting home.
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Programs: DL PM, MR Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,130
Your outbound sounds solid. Though from my experience, it doesn't matter too much when you sleep on LAX - PEK as you'll be exhausted from all the travel when you get off in BKK (PEK - BKK is only 200nm shorter than as IAD - LAX for comparison sake). Just don't sleep on the BKK flight.
Eastbound I would aim to eat the lunch / dinner meal on PEK - LAX and then try your best to sleep for as long as possible and then eat the breakfast before landing. That way the 11am arrival into LAX will seem accurate to your body. After that it's key you stay up and try and go to bed at a normal hour that night.
Eastbound I would aim to eat the lunch / dinner meal on PEK - LAX and then try your best to sleep for as long as possible and then eat the breakfast before landing. That way the 11am arrival into LAX will seem accurate to your body. After that it's key you stay up and try and go to bed at a normal hour that night.
#5
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: PEK
Programs: A3*G, UA Gold EY Silver
Posts: 8,956
The main rule of avoiding jetlag - stay awake until bedtime in the local time zone. Work backwards and figure out what that will take, based on flight timings and when you're likely to fall asleep.
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Bangkok or San Francisco
Programs: United 1k, Marriott Lifetime PE, Former DL Gold, Former SQ Solitaire, HH Gold
Posts: 11,886
I would like some advice if you could help me with regards to jet lag from California to Thailand and back.
The plan is as follows leave home a week from this Wednesday with a 8:05 AM Flight to LAX and we will be at the airport at 6 :00 AM. then connect to the 2:20 PM Air China Flight that arrives Beijing at 6:30 PM. Connecting flight to BKK leaves at 7:45 PM arriving at 11:45 PM
So on the outbound westbound its best to stay awake as much as possible and treat it like a Paris-San Francisco Flight and take a nap. Have some Espresso or coffee to help rewind the body clock. Then stay up to BKK getting to bed around 1:00 AM and sleep until our Tour Orientation Breakfast.
On the return I believe we depart BKK around 3:00 PM and we connect in BKK for a 1:05 AM Flight that arrives Beijing at 6:30 AM we then connect to a 3:00 PM Flight arriving LAX at 11:00 AM and connecting to a 4:15 PM flight arriving home at 5:30 PM.
On the Eastbound is it best to sleep on the BKK-PEK flight or stay awake and then sleep from PEK-LAX and stay awake all day at PEK with a short 45 minute nap in the lounge and a shower? Then stay up until 11:00 PM or Midnight local time?
My theory is to treat the eastbound flight like a SFO-Paris flight and sleep some.
Thanks for your advice and other tips.
I have melatonin so its best to take it 2 hours before going to sleep on the plane and on the first night at each destination 2 hours before going to sleep?
The plan is as follows leave home a week from this Wednesday with a 8:05 AM Flight to LAX and we will be at the airport at 6 :00 AM. then connect to the 2:20 PM Air China Flight that arrives Beijing at 6:30 PM. Connecting flight to BKK leaves at 7:45 PM arriving at 11:45 PM
So on the outbound westbound its best to stay awake as much as possible and treat it like a Paris-San Francisco Flight and take a nap. Have some Espresso or coffee to help rewind the body clock. Then stay up to BKK getting to bed around 1:00 AM and sleep until our Tour Orientation Breakfast.
On the return I believe we depart BKK around 3:00 PM and we connect in BKK for a 1:05 AM Flight that arrives Beijing at 6:30 AM we then connect to a 3:00 PM Flight arriving LAX at 11:00 AM and connecting to a 4:15 PM flight arriving home at 5:30 PM.
On the Eastbound is it best to sleep on the BKK-PEK flight or stay awake and then sleep from PEK-LAX and stay awake all day at PEK with a short 45 minute nap in the lounge and a shower? Then stay up until 11:00 PM or Midnight local time?
My theory is to treat the eastbound flight like a SFO-Paris flight and sleep some.
Thanks for your advice and other tips.
I have melatonin so its best to take it 2 hours before going to sleep on the plane and on the first night at each destination 2 hours before going to sleep?
I do the same on the return but my schedule is better as I usually arrive at SFO in the morning and I'm home before noon. Works OK after sleeping most of the TPAC flight.
#7
Moderator: Travel Buzz
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 3,099
Hi Danielonn,
Moderator note: You've started a few threads on jetlag. You've had some nice suggestions in each of your prior threads. I'll reference a few of them here, and archive them as well. There's no need to start new threads every time you have a long haul flight.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ifference.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-question.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...er-jetlag.html
Moderator note: You've started a few threads on jetlag. You've had some nice suggestions in each of your prior threads. I'll reference a few of them here, and archive them as well. There's no need to start new threads every time you have a long haul flight.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ifference.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-question.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...er-jetlag.html
#10
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,307
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Programs: DL PM, MR Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,130
Hmm I don't change the day before but I do change as soon as I get on the plane. Sometimes it results in an extra meal and sometimes it results in one less meal but for me personally, eating to the destination time zone goes a long way towards preventing jetlag, especially on TCONs (which I'm on fairly often). It's important on TATL too but less so on TPAC where the change in time zone is more dramatic and shifting eating times alone isn't enough to quickly adjust.
#13
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 2,231
#15
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: At the moment? ...
Programs: DL DM, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 377
Personally, without overthinking it, I would sleep only enough to safely get myself home. For me that means trying to stay awake for the full 24 hour period prior to walking in my front door. It forces my body and mind to have no choice but be ready for bed in that time zone.