TheCanuckian

After a couple of weeks in Australia and South Korea, I am preparing to head home to Toronto on Monday. I will be flying AC 64 to YVR and AC 118 to YYZ. (Unfortunately the direct flight was far more expensive so I had to take the connection.) I will be in business class.

I know there are many people who do this flight often and I am wondering if they have any tips for easing jet lag.

My thought is that I will wait a couple of hours after departure, then try to sleep for about four or five hours. Then I will try to gut out the rest of the day. If all goes well, I should arrive back in Toronto right around bedtime (home around 10 pm) and be tired enough to sleep.

But I would love to hear from those who have learned to have good success with this journey.

taupo

I have zero experience on that particular flight, but lots on AKL-YVR, including two days ago.

I begin to change my sleep pattern 24 hours ahead to match destination. This can include skipping plane meals (I also fast intermittently), staying awake while everyone sleeps on a flight.
Given your arrival time, you will likely need time to wind down before bed.
Pharmaceuticals help too, I take half a Zoplicone

yoonland

Go early, check in and go through security. After you are done, go to a nap room or try sleeping somewhere at the OZ lounge and sleep in till your flight boards. That will at least get you 1-2 hours of rest in Toronto Time. 64 departs around 0500 ET/1800 KT. Then, try to stay awake for your whole trip until you get home. Set a really loud alarm and drink lots of caffeine when you wake up so you are can actually feel yourself after you wake up

But this is really hard, so in my case of flying 64, I just accept jetlag and move things around

SkyExplorerYYZ

I have not done that particular flights combination but I flew ICN-YYZ. The key is to be tired enough to go to bed at 10PM when you get home. If you sleep too much on either flight you won't be able to make it. I'd do what you suggested. Sleep as early as possible (power nap only) on the first flight and then try to stay awake until you get home.

Stranger

64 currently leaves at 18:10. Has been pretty much on time lately.

Agreed with the second point. I just flew 64 and on to YYC. I just try to forget jet lag. Had a light dinner and went to bed at my normal time. Was awake during part of the day but I seem to be functioning OK today. Actually this is pretty similar to flying to Europe from YYC. Usually the second night is the hardest; after that, I start sleeping better.

I avoid drugs and too much caffeine, except for my breakfast espresso.

yoonland

Its basically a day flight if you put it in eastern time, no sleep will result the best, but it�s too hard

Davvidd

I have done the direct ICN to YYZ a few times last year. It is a tiring flight for me due to the long layover in ICN on the return to YYZ. Get on board have my meal and a zolpidem and then I am out for the whole flight.

mtl49

Given the 11 hours time difference between ICN and YYZ, personally, I would wait until arrival before trying to adjust for jet lag. My body clock can adjust about 1 hour a day, and better going from west to east, with a shorter day. I can adjust for the 3 hours time difference flying from the east coast to the west coast, or vice versa, by adjusting 1 or 2 hours before a flight and 1 or 2 hours after the flight. But 11 hours is just too much. I find flying business class made me better rested on arrival, but, maybe even harder to get the jet lag adjustment started. This is because, if I fly econcomy, I am so tired on arrival that I have no trouble falling asleep the first night, according to the local time, even though it would correspond to the start of the day in the departure city. It would be the second and following nights that I find it difficult to fall asleep. When I fly business class, I find it difficult to fall asleep starting from the first night.

songsc

Overcoming jet lag is a YMMV situation of course, but what works best for me is to get busy during the day after landing so I have no time to sleep until evening. I never try to sleep or stay awake during flight, especially in anything above Y.

I usually sleep after dinner on TPAC flight and wake up before breakfast, then stay awake on the TCON, as there is really little to no time to sleep after meal service. What works even better is taking the redeye TCON, as I have time to get some sun light and walk outside for a bit.

dhcustom

You have the right idea. Wake up earlier than usual and do not sleep on your flight. For me the flight to Korea gives me a harder jet lag than the other way around.
Also try not to eat too much if food makes you sleepy

TheViperOne

There�s an app called Timeshifter that helps with this exact thing. It will tell you a couple days leading up to the trip when to expose yourself to light, when to sleep, how long, etc, take melatonin.

It works for me for better shift work sleep (there�s another app for shift workers made by same company).

TheCanuckian

Thanks for all the feedback. It’s super helpful.

canadiancow

My only advice is to make sure you are exhausted when you get home. I find that a long sleep in at the appropriate (destination) time results in very quick recovery.

I'd probably sleep a bit on ICN-YVR, caffeinate in YVR, and stay up on YVR-YYZ. And that would be enough for me.

The problematic flights I have are, for example, BKK-YVR-SFO. It departed BKK around 0830, so having been on "Asia time" for a week, I couldn't sleep. It arrived YVR around 0700. YVR-SFO was rough. Then I needed a nap, in the early afternoon.

Plumber

Interesting comments as most do the complete opposite of what I do. But one comment was spot on in that everybody handles flying and jet lag differently. I use something to force me to sleep- other don�t want to do that.

I agree the direct to YYZ is better , but I have had to go through Vancouver TPAC dozens of times due to the lower cost.

If I am going through YVR, I force myself to sleep a good chunk of the flight. The last thing I want to do is stay awake for any TPAC flight. By �force� I mean taking a drug to sleep- you can choose whatever works for you.

Upon landing in YVR, I stay awake the rest of the day. Then when home, again I take something to sleep the first couple of nights. Falling asleep is not the issue when one gets home- the difficulty is staying asleep.

No jet lag- ever- and I have done more than 120 round trip TPAC trips.

I had a 2MM colleague who would just sleep �when his body told him to sleep�. It was terrible- he was always falling asleep at dinner while in Asia and then was jet lagged for a week upon returning.

Let us know what you do and how it works for you.

TheCanuckian

Yeah, that's a good plan. I take sleeping pills when I fly to force the issue�and then for the first few nights when I return. It usually does me good.