KDS777

I don't get jet lag going east, because the flights always depart at night, and I go to sleep immediately upon takeoff. I don't stay up acting like a rock star eating and drinking everything that comes by my seat and then watch a movie or two. That is what kills you.......and it's not that great anyways.

Coming back home flying west while chasing the sun will be when you feel it over the following 2-3 days.

True 'dat !!

ajGoes

But don't even consider taking Ambien on the plane without first trying it at home.

Eastbay1K

travellingwineO

Badenoch

Don't over think it. When it comes to jet lag people really are snowflakes. No two of us are alike. Do health things like eating lightly, drinking moderately and exercise. Sleep when you are tired, wake up when you are not. Eventually your body will adjust to local time.

chiefkays

This. If you already have a system that works, then that's awesome. But trying to figure out what works best in advance is kind of a crapshoot. I've done an LAX-Europe trip each of the last 4 years for vacation. I'm very OCD about travel, so I usually don't sleep much the night before and spend the day before the flight stressing about every detail. I know I can't really sleep on planes, even in the best of lie-flat business class seats, so once I'm on board I just try to relax. I know I'm going to be MISERABLE when I arrive after being awake for 36 hours. I'm usually edgy, cranky, sweaty and confused as I'm making my way through immigration and finding the right train to get on. So I know better than to plan anything on the day of arrival. I force myself to stay awake until after dinnertime, have some food and rehydrate a bit, then crash hard. As others have said, I just get up the next morning at the normal time, get moving, see the sights, eat on a normal schedule, and by nightfall, I feel like a local. (My one cheat for sleeping is Olly sleep gummy vitamins. They get me super relaxed and sleepy within 15 minutes.)

Basically, expect a little misery in the beginning, but just work through it at your own pace and don't let it hamper your trip. Have a wonderful time!

Madone59

This and drinking lots of water. Stay hydrated!

lhrsfo

Going Eastbound is a nightmare for me but what helps, in no particular order, is:

- Get fresh air and sunlight on arrival;
- Having some, but not too much, sleep on the flight over
- Herbal Nytol or Sominex when I wake up at 2am
- Having an office to go to and things to do, so that I can take my mind off feeling tired
- Fresh, light healthy food on arrival and avoiding too many carbs or sugars

Conversely going Westbound is easy for me. I do struggle to sleep through but that's about it.

mike_la_jolla

Hi Rudy. Interesting question. I do this *alot*. I'm going to assume you are young -- 20's. Here is my list of suggestions:

- Don't drink alcohol until you have arrived at your destination. It is tempting to drink, as much of it is free. But it just adds to the punishment (headache) that is jet lag at the end of the initial journey. It is hard to stay hydrated during a trip this long. Alcohol will get absorbed much quicker resulting in a massive hangover. Hydration is an interesting tradeoff. If you drink enough to be hydrated, you'll be going to the bathroom rather than sleeping. Also, I like window seats and it is very awkward to force people out of their seats several times in a long flight to gain access to the aisle. I suffer and try to recover my hydration when I have arrived.
- Don't drive after a long international trip. There is compelling evidence that you are worse than DUI after an 11-hour flight + layover + 1.5 hours. Public transportation is very good in Germany.
- Sleep on the plane. If you have access to Ambien/Zolpidem, it is much, much better than Benadryl-based sleep aids (such as TylenolPM). Benadryl is an older first-generation antihistamine. A side effect of the antihistamine is drowsiness. That is why it is used as a sleep aid. It makes me very groggy and takes a while to wear off. I take 10mg of Ambien just as the FAs start serving dinner. This is typically about 1.5 hours into the flight. It knocks me cold until the FAs wake me up for BK. But I wake up clear headed. If you don't have it, ask your primary care physician for a small amount during your next appointment. Admit to the physician that it is for travel. I would test it once before using it during travel.
- It appears you are connecting in CDG. 90 minutes is VERY tight for this s-hole of an airport, one of the world's worst. You might be SOL if you are connecting to a different terminal. The terminals are in different zip codes, requiring buses to navigate. Nothing is marked in English. Study the airport and your connection ahead of time. You'll be groggy and confused and stressed.
- I have no trouble sleeping on that first night. The second night .... can be troublesome.

WiscAZ

Twice a year I fly US-AUS-US. I travel a lot but the one thing I struggle with is jetlag on international flights. When going to Australia, I'm always fine heading there since the flights leave LAX late and land in AUS early. Stay up late, sleep until arrival, no problem. I struggle massively on the way back. Leaving AUS around say 11am and landing the same day at say 7am in the US just messes me up. I usually take something to help me sleep and can sleep well on those flights but the day I arrive I'm dragging and sometimes need a nap. Regardless of the nap, I'm messed up for days finding myself either going to bed at 7pm or 2am. It seriously is so random. I know a lot of you have been through this and it's not fun.

I'm beginning to plan for my next trip to Australia in May. My travel is for the most part business so maximizing my time is important. Typically I leave on a Friday to arrive on a Sunday. I see some sites and Monday I'm ready to work. I usually leave the following Saturday so I can get a full weeks work. This means the dreaded 11am Saturday departure, 7am Saturday arrival. I noticed there is a flight from Melbourne to LAX that leaves Australia in the evening (QF95) that leaves MEL at 9:40pm and arrives in LAX at 7:00pm. I'm considering booking this flight because it still allows me to work a full day Friday but totally changes the arrival time in LAX.

Has anyone done a night flight from Australia and how has it impacted your jet lag?

I'm based in PHX so that Friday evening I can catch a 9pm flight home (global entry and no checked bags) and get home likely before midnight. I'll be exhausted by then and "should" be able to sleep and hopefully wake up on somewhat of a normal schedule. Any feedback is appreciated.

Stampy

I love Neuro sleep. Works better than Melatonin IME. Drank a bottle before entering airside last year traveling YVR-CDG and crashed out at 15:00 (90 min after takeoff) and snoozed until 75 min prior to touchdown). Solid 6.5 hours of sleep which says a lot for a west coast transpacific. Cup of coffee during AF breakfast and another espresso in-town and I was able to enjoy the City of Lights for the full day on day of arrival with almost no fatigue nor any the following days afterwards.

Flyingthe757

After some jet lag advice please!

I am flying from London via Abu Dhabi to Osaka... what is the best way to avoid that horrid thing called jet lag.

Im flying from LHR-AUH in W (1315-0035 +1), I have 20 hours before catching a flight to NRT in J (2210-1305+1), then a connection to ITM in Y (1610-1835)

What at do you guys suggest I can do, when should I sleep etc?

bisonrav

This will probably be moved from the BA forum as not BA related, but:

1) Avoid drinking alcohol on the flight, but drink water (I never follow this, but it's good advice)
2) Think yourself into the timezone, never think "what time is it at home" and try and go to bed as close to the "right time" as you can. Try to avoid conversations about jetlag too.
3) Have a travel routine. Mine is that I set my alarm to 6.30 and have breakfast at 7, rigidly. It seems to help, especially on a working day
4) Sunlight resets the body clock, so avoid shutting the curtains in the hotel room if it's daytime. Go out.
5) Hydrating with tequila seems to help me, particularly with US trips.

PS: I've grown to rely on the 4am waking which you seem to get whatever direction you travel in. I use it to prepare meetings and approach to visits.

corporate-wage-slave

I would go along with 1, 2 and 4 above. I'll add two others: move your wake up time a few hours before you depart, also consider doing some light exercise outdoors. In this case it's tricky due to the AUH layover. I'm assuming you are getting a hotel for that period? Assuming you are, then I would think of waking up a few hours early, try not to sleep on the AUH service but crash out for your usual sleep time as soon as you can in in AUH. Don't let it be a long sleep buy ideally do some exercise in AUH in natural daylight, swimming is perfect. There would be merit in having a hotel you can get to very quickly. Then for the flights to Japan, maybe have a few hours sleep on that service, but try not to overdo it. At NRT you ideally want to get some fresh air there, but I suspect it will be tricky. In ITM I'd have a light meal on arrival, maybe some exercise (I guess it will be dark there however) and try not to sleep before 21:00 hrs.

Probably the best side effect of a heavy amount of flying is that it is possible to control jetlag to the point of eliminating its effects. I never use drugs, other than perhaps a low dose of aspirin if there are also other factors such as high altitude. Jetlag is not something I need to worry about. Alcohol is your enemy here: it makes you sleepy and screws up the matabolism, without necessarily invoking REM. Having said that, there is a limit to what advice is useful - we are all so different in our approaches to sleep and time zone that there isn't such a thing as a perfect answer.

gordon0808

Melatonin is your friend. I couldn't cope without it.