Sleeping Aids which keep you asleep rather than get you to sleep
Jan 20, 2019, 3:03 pm
#46
Join Date: Jul 2010
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This seems like a lot of decent advice for someone wanting to sleep on a plane flying East on a nighttime flight, but the OP is flying to YVR on a daytime flight. Sleeping on that flight to try to avoid jetlag is absolutely crazy. If the OP dropped zopiclones on the flight they'd be up, fresh as daisies, on arrival at YVR.
The best strategy to deal with UK>West coast jetlag is to stay awake as long as you possibly can - do not sleep on the plane at all - and to go to bed as late as you can muster upon arrival. Do not just hit the sack as soon as you check into your hotel! When you arrive at your hotel, go for a walk and find somewhere to eat some dinner - ideally not at the hotel - a bit of fresh air and acclimatisation is important, eat some good food, some drinks (no caffeine though! - even though your head and body will be screaming for it). You'll feel totally beat by this point, but push through as late as you can. Go to bed, ideally after 11pm. You *will not* wake up until morning.
The BA flight to Vancouver arrives around 7pm - so this shouldn't be too tricky at all. Good luck!
The best strategy to deal with UK>West coast jetlag is to stay awake as long as you possibly can - do not sleep on the plane at all - and to go to bed as late as you can muster upon arrival. Do not just hit the sack as soon as you check into your hotel! When you arrive at your hotel, go for a walk and find somewhere to eat some dinner - ideally not at the hotel - a bit of fresh air and acclimatisation is important, eat some good food, some drinks (no caffeine though! - even though your head and body will be screaming for it). You'll feel totally beat by this point, but push through as late as you can. Go to bed, ideally after 11pm. You *will not* wake up until morning.
The BA flight to Vancouver arrives around 7pm - so this shouldn't be too tricky at all. Good luck!
Jan 20, 2019, 3:15 pm
#47
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
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Posts: 4,160
Almost 12 years ago someone raised the prospect of “a stronger antihistamine that works better for sleep but isn’t marketed for it”
that drug is cyproheptadine (brand name Periactin) and it’s bloody marvellous for sleep
has been a little tricky to get hold of in the UK last few years I believe (due to “manufacturing issues”, it remains a pharmacy medicine if you can find somewhere selling it) but freely available in australia
that drug is cyproheptadine (brand name Periactin) and it’s bloody marvellous for sleep
has been a little tricky to get hold of in the UK last few years I believe (due to “manufacturing issues”, it remains a pharmacy medicine if you can find somewhere selling it) but freely available in australia
Jan 21, 2019, 6:22 pm
#49
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Back to Florida...... bye London
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In the USA you can buy an OTC called Alteril. It's a combo of melatonin and herbs and twigs. Works well with a different effect than an antihistamine or plain melatonine.
Jan 21, 2019, 7:04 pm
#50
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Southern California
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Almost 12 years ago someone raised the prospect of “a stronger antihistamine that works better for sleep but isn’t marketed for it”
that drug is cyproheptadine (brand name Periactin) and it’s bloody marvellous for sleep
has been a little tricky to get hold of in the UK last few years I believe (due to “manufacturing issues”, it remains a pharmacy medicine if you can find somewhere selling it) but freely available in australia
that drug is cyproheptadine (brand name Periactin) and it’s bloody marvellous for sleep
has been a little tricky to get hold of in the UK last few years I believe (due to “manufacturing issues”, it remains a pharmacy medicine if you can find somewhere selling it) but freely available in australia
Jan 21, 2019, 7:14 pm
#51
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Jan 23, 2019, 11:05 pm
#52
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: PEK and BOS
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In jargon, melatonin decreases "sleep latency", i.e. time it takes to fall asleep, but it doesn't increase likelihood of staying asleep (at least officially, unless taking mega doses). So melatonin is not really recommended for people who keep waking up in the middle of the night. I've personally only ever tried it a couple of times (prescription, CR version, from UK), and it didn't really do anything for me. I've only ever needed sleeping aids when I've had real issues with sleeping, and the added pragmatic issue for melatonin, i.e. taking it a couple of hours before due to falling asleep, with food, just boosted my anxiety levels: "is it working or not, I don't feel sleepier"...whereas e.g. zolpidem would knock me out shortly after taking it (not recommended for regular use).
tb
Jan 25, 2019, 6:20 am
#54
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Jan 28, 2019, 2:15 pm
#55
Join Date: Feb 2004
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That's interesting to know - I am a dreadful sleeper at the best of times & on my last trip to the US, I was in tatters with jetlag. I averaged 2 hours sleep a night over the two weeks away and again for 3 weeks when I came home. We've a trip to Florida & the Caribbean planned for late September and this was actually worrying me. I shall ignore my trusty Nytol One a Night (UK OTC only) and force myself to stay awake on the flight!!!
Jan 28, 2019, 9:21 pm
#56
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
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quite. Many years ago when I was working in the ICU we used a lot of melatonin as critical care patients get a reversed sleep-wake cycle very easily. We used to crush circadian and put it down nasogastric tunes. Being a fresh out of nursing school well trained policies and procedures type i was horrified to see a controlled release drug being crushed
the pharmacist told me there was absolutely zero evidence that the controlled release component made any difference to anything
to this day I still wonder why they bother manufacturing it as such- maybe it works CR for some people?
the pharmacist told me there was absolutely zero evidence that the controlled release component made any difference to anything
to this day I still wonder why they bother manufacturing it as such- maybe it works CR for some people?
Jan 29, 2019, 12:04 am
#57
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: PEK and BOS
Programs: BA - Blue
Posts: 4,530
quite. Many years ago when I was working in the ICU we used a lot of melatonin as critical care patients get a reversed sleep-wake cycle very easily. We used to crush circadian and put it down nasogastric tunes. Being a fresh out of nursing school well trained policies and procedures type i was horrified to see a controlled release drug being crushed
the pharmacist told me there was absolutely zero evidence that the controlled release component made any difference to anything
to this day I still wonder why they bother manufacturing it as such- maybe it works CR for some people?
I'm not saying that CR doesn't work better, but I'm not aware of much evidence that it does. I've actually had reasonablly good experiences prescribing it to critically ill patients myself. But it didn't do anything for me...
tb
Jan 29, 2019, 1:00 am
#58
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
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The CR formulation allows it to be patented...it's about 50x more expensive than "normal" melatonin that one can buy in the US...
I'm not saying that CR doesn't work better, but I'm not aware of much evidence that it does. I've actually had reasonablly good experiences prescribing it to critically ill patients myself. But it didn't do anything for me...
tb
I'm not saying that CR doesn't work better, but I'm not aware of much evidence that it does. I've actually had reasonablly good experiences prescribing it to critically ill patients myself. But it didn't do anything for me...
tb
Feb 27, 2019, 5:38 am
#59
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 73
So why does everyone put down the window shades and why does the cabin crew dim the lights to make the cabin seem like it's night time? One can watch movies with the window shades open..
Feb 28, 2019, 9:08 am
#60
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Agreed entirely. I want to stay awake and to read my book (planes are such a good time to get lost in a book). Closing the window shades not only removes the amazing views of Greenland but also throws off most people's sleep rhythms. I do get that there may be connecting passengers whose time clocks are completely off, but that's what eye shades are for.