How to Handle the time difference?
 

Ok. I'm flying to Berlin in a week or so and I would like to get input on how some you adjust to the time diff without being fatigued when you land.

I've read a couple of different websites like WebMD and Mayo Clinic on how to prepare your body for the time difference between the US and Europe. The recurring theme is to go to bed a couple of hours earlier than you normally would and to also wake up a couple of hours earlier than you normally would and stay in good shape. I've been doing the going to bed early and rising early thing for the past 3 weeks and I've been doing my usual exercise routine of running 4 to 6 miles 3 days a week.

My flight leaves EWR at 6:45pm and is scheduled to land in Berlin at 8:45am. Would you advise sleeping on the plane or staying awake? The Mayo Clinic says to only sleep for a few hours while WebMD mentions sleeping for a little longer.

Sorry for this non-answer, but I really think it depends a lot on how one normally functions. I sleep on any TATL flight as much as I can, while my husband rarely sleeps more than an hour or so. I couldn't survive with as little sleep as he gets while traveling, nor could he force himself (without some heavy doses of medication) to sleep as much as I do. If you can function on a short night's sleep, take the Mayo Clinic's advice, but if you routinely need more rest than most, listen to WebMD.

Well, in Feb I went to Phoenix and I stayed up 24 straight hours without any sleep (from the time I awoke to get ready to fly to PHX to the time I went to bed in Phoenix) at all and I went hiking when I got off the plane and to two bars to drink with my friends until 2am. Basically, I can go with little sleep if I need to.

Sleep as much as you can ... the more better. At a flight from west to east the time difference is much easier to handle than at the return flight. You leave New York in the evening, so the best is to try to get some sleep after dinner ... in the best case you wake up for breakfast.

I have the same problem when I fly to south east asia or when I fly back from the US to germany. During the flight I go to sleep straight after dinner and usually I sleep for about 7 hours (ok, it's with the help of some light medication), but when I arrive I have no jetlag at all.

The flight back to the US will be much worse. You start in the morning, then fly for 8 to 12 hours and you arrive in the US in the early afternoon ... unfortunately for your body it's already time to go to bed, but you have to keep up for at least a couple of hours

I have German friends who insist the flight to the US is much easier for them than the return, exactly the opposite of your experience. As I said before, much depends on the individual. What's harder for you is easier for my friends and vice versa. Since the OP can handle traveling, hiking, and then partying, on no sleep, my guess is that jet lag while in Berlin will be a non-issue. :)

when you arrive in europe, try hard not take a nap in the afternoon, go to bed in the evening and all will be fine :)

Thanks. I will sleep some.

What works for me is to take a nap for just one hour. No more. I unfortunately cannot sleep on the airplane unlike so many others and find myself so weary that first day when the plane lands in the morning. But if I can get that one hour of sleep in the afternoon of my arrival, I feel invigorated and then can enjoy my first evening in Germany (or wherever I am) and then get a full night's sleep.

I should be able to handle it. I just want to make sure that I'm full of energy. :)

Thanks. I def don't plan to sleep in the afternoon. I plan on being out and about.

I have one of those sleep mask to put over my eyes and I'll stick my ipod headphones into my ears to keep out the sound while on the plane.

My issue is more that I can't sleep while sitting up even if I lean on the window. If I can find middle seats to lie down, that will be VERY helpful! But it seems that whenever I fly, 3 seats together is a rarity.

It works better for me to nap upon arrival, too, although I don't necessarily limit mine to one hour. :)

Bingo. This is my approach as well. For me, personally, either a) the whole jet lag thing is wildly over hyped or b) I'm simply not effected by it.

Whenever I land, be it Asia or Europe, I absolutely tell myself, unequivocally, that whatever time it is locally is absolutely what time it is. Period. I spend no time whatsoever while there calculating and telling myself what time it is "at home." The time is the time, where I'm at, period.

Also, when I land on day 1, I do not, understand any circumstances, sleep prior to bedtime in the land I'm currently in. No "power naps" etc. I stay up until it's bed time.

But that is simply me and my method. Different strokes for different folks. I do think there is a mental element of this though. I know friends and colleagues that essentially talk themselves into a state of jet lag weeks before they even leave for the trip. And I've personally traveled with folks who constantly tell themselves what time it is "back home" which I think just makes the transition more difficult.

I guess stated more succinctly, I simply will myself through it. :)

Regards

Sounds like the right approach. That is the same approach I take whenever I travel to the US west coast.

I always try to do a combination or everything out of the following: (some has been mentioned)

Flying US - Europe:

Wake up earlier, go to bed earlier for at least 1,5-2 weeks, so you basically end up getting up at 9am (europe team which is usually 3am NYC time)

Have a full meal (preferable lots of meat and carbs that make me tired) at the airport right before the flight, brush my teeth, clean myself for the night at the airport bathroom / lounge right before I board, buy myself some water so I am independent from drink service in the night

have a window seat (left side to lean against which is my usual sleeping position)

while everybody boards, get myself as comfortable as possible, change my clock to destination time, read with just a little bit of light while taxing and take-off (would be too excited to miss take-off) to get tired

try and fall asleep as soon as possible, of course skip dinner on board (terminal or whatever food is better anyway unless in C/F)

Sleep as much on board as possible but take their light breakfast and have a full breakfast at the destination terminal, stay in light places

Find a good shower

don't under any circumstances take a nap or anything on your first day in Europe, stay active

Have a great day and be happy about being in Europe ;)

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The other way round I don't do anything special for time difference, it's usually no problem whatsoever to stay up a little longer. If you have a late arrival (in the US day), I'd try and get a nap on the plane but an hour to two is more than enough.

If you can nap upon arrival, so much the better! I find that hotels won't allow check in until the afternoon as the rooms might not be ready although they often will store one's bags.

What works for me is to get as much sunshine upon arrival as possible. I try to be outside (even if it's cloudy). I then try to stay up as late as possible. Again, next morning, get outside. I've read that sunlight helps to reset your internal clock.

I sleep on the plane as much as possible. You might even want to try to skip dinner on the plane (but bring something to eat if you wake up in the middle of the night hungry). And speaking of hungry, I often wake up the first few days in the middle of the night, wide awake and starving. I try to have something healthy to eat when that happens. Taking alleve (a muscle relaxant) or benedryl might help you sleep on the plane without getting too groggy. I meditate and even if I don't sleep, I am relaxed enough to be rested.

Generally, for me, going west is easier because it is easier to stay up later than to get up earlier. That's why Europe from the US is harder for me than Japan from the US.

Yeah, that is the same thing that the Webmd and Mayo sites said.

I use that funny card wheel device (can't remember who it's by) that lets you reset your body clock by telling you which acupressure points to press for a couple of minutes two or three times during the flight. I never really believed in any of that stuff but this one seems to work...

More often than not, I have been allowed to check in upon arrival, even if it's only mid-morning. I assumed it was a difference between European and US hotels, but maybe prior arrangements were made by my clients.

I agree with much of the above. I think the whole jet lag thing is over-hyped and I never spend time worrying about the time at home.

Sadly, though, I've had to learn to pace myself as I age. I ssed to be able to function on 6 or so hours of sleep a week, when necessary. Nowadays, 6 hours a night isn't enough. No matter how much I can sleep on the plane, I'm tired when I arrive. It's not jet-lag, I'm just not as tough as I used to be. Staying up the entire first day leaves me too tired to recover with one night's sleep, so I nap a bit after I arrive and then I am good to go.

Fwiw the main reason I've heard that one should avoid napping is that napping prevents one from sleeping later that night. Since falling asleep later has never been a problem for me, I disregard that little bit of convnetional wisdom. :)

I fly YYZ-HKG-SIN/KUL often. What I do is to put myself on a "meal clock". Since i usually eat around 7pm at home (in YYZ) and i don't snack, I'll try to time my meals on the stop over and on the plane to match my destination. I find that my sleeping pattern coincides with how long after i finish eating (usually sleep around midnight).

So my flight into SIN usually arrives at about 1am, thus 6 hours before, i'll try to eat my "dinner". That usually means once i get into HKG. So i'll eat a big meal in HKG, then won't eat again (no snacks). When i get into SIN, time for bed!

You can take that a step further (behind) and clock back when you would have lunch (i.e. on the YYZ-HKG flight, 7 hours before landing, or 6 hours in, you eat your "lunch"). Or further back if necessary.

my 2 cents...