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Originally Posted by Athena53
I know that one day, one time zone is the general rule- but for me it doesn't seem to take quite that long, especially going from East to West. Maybe 3 days going from Central time zone to Europe, 2 days going back for most of the effects to abate.
I have sincere admiration for those people that land in Europe early in the morning, go straight to work and are still intellegent and amusing at dinnertime. I just know I will never be one of them. Actually its getting harder with age. However, Dallas is 7 hours different from Central Europe and it doesn't really take 7 days. It does take me 3 to be at full tilt (well, full tilt for me) though. |
Originally Posted by bbkenney
Absolutely ! Eastbound is the killer.
I have sincere admiration for those people that land in Europe early in the morning, go straight to work and are still intellegent and amusing at dinnertime. I just know I will never be one of them. Actually its getting harder with age. However, Dallas is 7 hours different from Central Europe and it doesn't really take 7 days. It does take me 3 to be at full tilt (well, full tilt for me) though. First time using sleep aids. Usually just stay wake as long as possible the first day. Last night started taking melatonin before going to bed, earlier each night. Helped put me to sleep, but around 3:00 am I tossed&turned & had funny dreams. :D |
Originally Posted by Athena53
If it were my itinerary I'd take one on the MIA-LHR leg because it's an overnight and morning in London is also (roughly) morning in Nairobi, so you're easing into Nairobi time. I'd try and stay awake on the flight to Nairobi so that I'd be tired enough to sleep on arrival, consistent with local time. If I woke up 3 hours after going to bed in Nairobi I might take another one if I had to be functioning at my job the next day- if I were on vacation I'd just read for awhile and hope to get back to sleep. This is similar to a trip I took to India in February although I stayed overnight in London both ways, which helped coniderably.
But after taking Ambien 2 nights in a row I'd stop and just try to let my body deal with it. But it isn't dangerous to take half an ambien a third or fourth night either if you're really having a hard time transitioning, or fall asleep naturally and then awaken bolt upright at 3AM. |
I do alot of international and take Ambien.....I skip the dinner on the eastbound flight and take it minute its wheels up. Never take before takeoff as I did once.......
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The three "B"s are most helpful:
Bose (headphones), booze and business class... |
Originally Posted by Torsten71
The three "B"s are most helpful:
Bose (headphones), booze and business class...
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My jetlag experiences have all been with eastbound vacation trips from US mainly to England, but also Turkey, various European cities etc. With my earplugs and eyemask, and a determination to convince myself that I CAN sleep, I do usually -- maybe not well, or soundly, but enough that I am surprised by the arrival of the breakfast cart. Trips to England have been frequent enough lately that I've learned to adjust, and it seems my body can handle that change fine. Coming home (westbound) is often harder.
I think it's the excitement of vacation and the adrenaline that carry me through most of the first day -- though I might doze off if I'm on a train for any length of time. On a longer trip, I did try Melatonin. It worked for getting to sleep, but every time I've used it I have very vivid and disrupting dreams (so I don't do that any more). Benadryl kind of stuff makes me wired. I guess I'll just have to deal. When I talked to my dr. about it, he did offer an Rx. He added the caveat that he was once on a longhaul trip where many pax took sleep aids on wheels-up -- and when the plane had to turn back for some reason and land an hour after takeoff, they were all sound asleep on landing. Took a while to shovel them out of their seats and into the terminal... :eek: |
Originally Posted by DaDOKin DC
As a physician, I will echo ermdjdsj's comment -- first TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. You might be taking another med or have a medical condition that makes even the 'safe' OTC drugs dangerous.
For OTC meds, your choices boil down to Benedryl/diphenydramine (get the generic, the extra $$ is not worth it) -- however, the paradoxical effect of revving you up, that cejkwj mentioned is true. Chor-Trimeton/chlorpheniramine may also work Dramamine/dimenhydrinate, usually used for motion sickness, also makes people drowsy Melantonin -- max dose of 3 mg may work For US prescription meds, the best choices are Ambien, Sonata -- be aware these should be used for short-term use only, as there is a possible for dependency if taken for an extended time (to be safe, not beyond 7-10 days) Whatever you choose, try it out before you travel, to be sure you get the intended effect and it neither lasts too long (hangover effect) or too short. Although many people swear by Ambien and Sonata, there are some people for whom they do not work (like myself, I get too zonked by Ambien). |
If I may jump in re. sleep aids and Jet Lag :
When I bought some FlyerTalk merchandise, it included a packet of "No Jet-Lag" ('promotional product') , a homeopathic remedy. http://www.nojetlag.com "For relief of tiredness associated with air travel." Chewable tablet containing: Arnica Montana (Leopard's Bane), Bellis Perennis (Daisy), Chamomilla (Wild Chamomile), Ipecacuanha (Ipecac), Lycopodium (Clubmoss) Don't know if it's a sleep aid. Maybe some of you will recognize the contents. |
I also swear by Ambien, but only if you know you'll be able to sleep an entire 7-8 hours uninterrupted.
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