Coffee and Jetlag
 

For some reason I have found that by drinking Coffee that I don't feel the effects of Jetlag. I am in my 20s and took a flight from JFK-TLV I had no Jetlag and was able to get up at my regular time in TLV I slept on the plane without a problem.

Then on the return I left TLV and had a stop in JFK and was able to arrive in SJC around 11 PM, took a shower and woke up at my normal time the next morning. I drank coffee and I felt so good and awake in the morning. I did not wake up in the middle of the night.

On another trip I had severe jetlag as I did not drink coffee.

So I think coffee can help with jetlag. You drink lots of water too but the coffee can help combat the jetlag quickly. Any ideas?

I've tried coffee before. It can help me stay awake, although it doesn't make me feel particulary perky. My bigger problem is falling asleep at an earlier time so I'm not exhausted in the morning.

I think you're just young and you deal with jet lag more easily! I'm 54 and it hits me harder than it used to. I do drink coffee to perk me up but, as Elizabeth W noted, it doesn't really eliminate the jet lag. Only time does that. I've also resorted to Ambien the first night or 2 to keep from waking up in the middle of the night..

Coffee doesn't help me one way or another but drinking plenty of water does seem to keep me more comfortable. Therefore I can really get sleep on flights. Coffee actually has the opposite affect and will dry you out.

My trick is to stay up an extra "day" on arrival, get very tired, go to bed and get up normal time (or slightly early) the next day - I'm usually fine straight away. In a way it helps that I sleep badly or not at all on night flights, which encourages tiredness for this to work.

Neil

When flying to a far destination I load up on water towards the end of the flight and upon arriving I take a hot shower, do some walking to "come down" from the trip and get acquainted with the immediate area around my hotel, have a hot tea, take an ambien and go to sleep for about 12 hours. Typically I will wake the next morning, completely refreshed, and ready for the day and the remainder of my stay.