zippy the pinhead

I just saw an article which lifted bits from this 2016 Vogue piece on fighting jet lag by fasting. Am I the only one who has never heard of this?

I'm traveling with the family in a few months on a 13 hour redeye heading west, and in the past found that sleeping on the flight, after a very long day, worked pretty decently. Even a few hours of sleep made a difference, and after arriving at the crack of dawn I was able to do a whole day without too much trouble. I went to bed at my "normal" time in the local time zone and slept well. But I find that traveling eastward is much harder. The last time, I did that on a redeye as well, but the ripple effect from the jet lag took a week or so to shake off. I didn't fast, but enjoyed everything I was served on the flight, including a fair bit of wine.

Can anyone attest to success at minimizing jet lag going from west to east, on a long flight, by fasting?

gfunkdave

I have friends who swear by it when they have gone to/returned from Japan a few times.

davesam12

Yes. A former neighbor for years flew (business or first) frequently to Japan, Thailand, and China for work. His regime on the return flight home to US mainland was no alcohol, hydrate, fast or a very light meal of fruit, and sleep. When he got home, if possible he also tried to get out in the sunshine for awhile. He was convinced it helped immensely with jet lag.

We fly from DFW to Hawaii RT at least twice a year, and even that 7-8 hour flight back east to mainland is always brutal. I have tried skipping the dinner service and drinks and just sleeping. It does help, but is no fun.

Proudelitist

I think eating lightly would serve you better than not eating at all. The flight time may be 13 hours, but the door to door travel time will make it closer to 24 at the very least. Your blood sugar will hit the floor, you will get punchy, moody and perhaps nauseated.

Instead eat lightly. Salads. Fruit. Juices. Nothing too heavy or hard on the system, but enough to keep up basic caloric requirements and blood sugar.

gfunkdave

Sorry, I was confused. What I was thinking of (what my friends do) is not so much to fast as to eat on the schedule of your destination. So if you're flying to Japan, you'd eat at mealtimes in Japan (i.e., middle of the night in the U.S.).

zippy the pinhead

On the westbound redeye, I'll be in Y, and the first meal is served around dinner/supper time at the destination. The second meal is served around 2:00 a.m. destination time, but that's about lunch time for me at home. On the eastbound redeye, I'll be in J, and the first meal is served around breakfast time at the destination. The second meal is served at early afternoon in destination time. It's hard to turn down a meal in J when you don't fly that way usually. Likewise, the alcohol. I guess I'll do my best to rise early on flying days so that I'm tired when there is a chance to sleep on the flights, and get some sun at the destination both ways.

CDTraveler

Agreed. I would expect actually fasting, forgoing eating at all, would make you fell much worse upon arrival than careful eating.

I bring along protein foods rather than concentrated sugars such as juice. Cheese, nuts, hummus (in < 3 oz prepackaged containers), or the relatively new Sargento Balanced Breaks or Oscar Mayer P3 snack packs. I find getting the commercially packed protein snacks past the TSA is easier than if I put the exact same items in the same quantities in containers of my own.

maxp0wers

Since a I switched to a vegan diet a year ago or so, I noticed my jet lag recovery has been better. Meaning, that when on the plane, I request the vegan or vegetarian meals, which are much lighter than the standard meal offerings ( economy and business ). I also always drink lots of water the entire day of the flight and tons on flight. I'll drink alcohol lightly.

I'm not suggesting everyone go vegan and you won't be jet lagged, but it is another data point that eating lighter meals and drinking lots of water seems quite helpful.

I also suggest lotion to keep your skin hydrated constantly and agree with using real sunlight to help regulate your sleeping schedule.