Horrific Jet Lag
Discussion
So I've just returned from a week long trip where I flew 13hours and 9 time zones East. Then returned to the UK, albeit we then flew East for 14 hours to get back here (i.e We went around the world) Slept maybe 2 hours tops each way on the plane.
Easily my longest ever flights. Longest previously was 9hrs WEST then obviously the same back EAST. Which apparently is the easier way to do it and you get to your destination and are tired so go to bed and then wake up in the morning of the new time zone. Whilst obviously there was some acclimatisation. It was manageable. So figured I'd be OK on this trip. Oh dear lord no!
During my time in destination recently, my sleep was very poor. And more than 1 night I was wide awake at 3am. (1 night I had a sort of mini anxiety attack as my brain was obviously severely sleep deprived!
) What was weird is that during the day as I was active I didn't really feel that tired until the evening. But that general tiredness never translated to a good lump of sleep.
Having come back my body is all over the place. Interrupted sleep. Waking up at anything between 4-5am. I've fallen asleep dramatically at 7pm ish having almost narcolepsy. I'll be sat down and then BANG I feel like I've been up all night and I'll be fighting to stay awake, which inevitably fails and I doze for a bit before BANG waking up suddenly and not being able to fall asleep again.
Clearly I just have to ride this out. But what are peoples thoughts, techniques and suggestions for reducing jet lag and getting better sleep?
Easily my longest ever flights. Longest previously was 9hrs WEST then obviously the same back EAST. Which apparently is the easier way to do it and you get to your destination and are tired so go to bed and then wake up in the morning of the new time zone. Whilst obviously there was some acclimatisation. It was manageable. So figured I'd be OK on this trip. Oh dear lord no!
During my time in destination recently, my sleep was very poor. And more than 1 night I was wide awake at 3am. (1 night I had a sort of mini anxiety attack as my brain was obviously severely sleep deprived!
) What was weird is that during the day as I was active I didn't really feel that tired until the evening. But that general tiredness never translated to a good lump of sleep.Having come back my body is all over the place. Interrupted sleep. Waking up at anything between 4-5am. I've fallen asleep dramatically at 7pm ish having almost narcolepsy. I'll be sat down and then BANG I feel like I've been up all night and I'll be fighting to stay awake, which inevitably fails and I doze for a bit before BANG waking up suddenly and not being able to fall asleep again.
Clearly I just have to ride this out. But what are peoples thoughts, techniques and suggestions for reducing jet lag and getting better sleep?
If I’m long haul on my own, Temazepam
If it’s long haul with the kids, lots of stuff for them to do and then get ready for the point when they just collapse on you.
Sydney-Auckland-LA-San Jose was our longest jaunt - about 35 hours with all the hanging around at airports - took a few days to get over that one too.
If it’s long haul with the kids, lots of stuff for them to do and then get ready for the point when they just collapse on you.
Sydney-Auckland-LA-San Jose was our longest jaunt - about 35 hours with all the hanging around at airports - took a few days to get over that one too.
You can get melatonin in the UK for jet lag it helps you get to sleep but maybe not stay asleep. Whenever I am in the US I pick up some unisom. It will really put you down. Its great for sleeping on the plane too. If you have a friendly doctor you could ask for zopiclone but really I just have a stash of the unisom but I dont want to abuse it as there are reasons stuff like this isn't available over the counter in the UK. Works a treat though. Else you just gotta grind it out.
You can also try and adjust yourself a bit ahead of time if you're going away which can help. Wait till you go to Aus it's horrid!
You can also try and adjust yourself a bit ahead of time if you're going away which can help. Wait till you go to Aus it's horrid!
Edited by White-Noise on Saturday 9th March 21:22
Going east is much harder than going west because you are trying to go to bed early and get up really early, going west is just like staying up a bit late which is much easier. (i.e. delaying sleep is easier than advancing it)
I take melatonin, take before bed time when going east.
Not much use when going west because there you are going to bed ‘late’ anyway, but handy once arrived back home,
I take melatonin, take before bed time when going east.
Not much use when going west because there you are going to bed ‘late’ anyway, but handy once arrived back home,
BunkMoreland said:
So I've just returned from a week long trip where I flew 13hours and 9 time zones East. Then returned to the UK, albeit we then flew East for 14 hours to get back here (i.e We went around the world) Slept maybe 2 hours tops each way on the plane.
Easily my longest ever flights. Longest previously was 9hrs WEST then obviously the same back EAST. Which apparently is the easier way to do it and you get to your destination and are tired so go to bed and then wake up in the morning of the new time zone. Whilst obviously there was some acclimatisation. It was manageable. So figured I'd be OK on this trip. Oh dear lord no!
During my time in destination recently, my sleep was very poor. And more than 1 night I was wide awake at 3am. (1 night I had a sort of mini anxiety attack as my brain was obviously severely sleep deprived! ) What was weird is that during the day as I was active I didn't really feel that tired until the evening. But that general tiredness never translated to a good lump of sleep.
Having come back my body is all over the place. Interrupted sleep. Waking up at anything between 4-5am. I've fallen asleep dramatically at 7pm ish having almost narcolepsy. I'll be sat down and then BANG I feel like I've been up all night and I'll be fighting to stay awake, which inevitably fails and I doze for a bit before BANG waking up suddenly and not being able to fall asleep again.
Clearly I just have to ride this out. But what are peoples thoughts, techniques and suggestions for reducing jet lag and getting better sleep?
We just did this to Japan and back, bad jet lag when we got there and the same when we got home. Worth it though. My only useful suggestion are fly at the front of the plane and give yourself time to acclimatise at each end.Easily my longest ever flights. Longest previously was 9hrs WEST then obviously the same back EAST. Which apparently is the easier way to do it and you get to your destination and are tired so go to bed and then wake up in the morning of the new time zone. Whilst obviously there was some acclimatisation. It was manageable. So figured I'd be OK on this trip. Oh dear lord no!
During my time in destination recently, my sleep was very poor. And more than 1 night I was wide awake at 3am. (1 night I had a sort of mini anxiety attack as my brain was obviously severely sleep deprived!
) What was weird is that during the day as I was active I didn't really feel that tired until the evening. But that general tiredness never translated to a good lump of sleep.Having come back my body is all over the place. Interrupted sleep. Waking up at anything between 4-5am. I've fallen asleep dramatically at 7pm ish having almost narcolepsy. I'll be sat down and then BANG I feel like I've been up all night and I'll be fighting to stay awake, which inevitably fails and I doze for a bit before BANG waking up suddenly and not being able to fall asleep again.
Clearly I just have to ride this out. But what are peoples thoughts, techniques and suggestions for reducing jet lag and getting better sleep?
My doctor in France used to give me Zolpidem for jet lag when travelling fairly regularly to Oz/Nz which really suited me and gave me no problems, back in the UK now and my GP vehemently refuses to prescribe any type of sleeping tablet as it's my choice to travel so up to me to get over it, have tried to have a sensible conversation explaining that I'm not a serial abuser of sleeping tablets but got nowhere. Next time I need some I'll see a private GP and get the new Quviviq (daridorexant) which are supposed to be non-addictive, I still have 5 Zolpidem left from my last batch from the French GP so it's not urgent yet but like to keep a few "in stock".
BunkMoreland said:
Clearly I just have to ride this out. But what are peoples thoughts, techniques and suggestions for reducing jet lag and getting better sleep?
Uncle Mike's sure-fire cure for jet lag (OK, might be overselling it a bit)...Plan your flights to arrive at a local bed time, so you'll be tired and ready to go to bed at the right time. Usually I plan for late afternoon (3-4 PM arrival time) as that gives you a chance to beat rush hour, enough time check in, shower, grab some dinner and relax in front of the TV or have a few beers before a normal bed time (say 8 or 9 PM). However anywhere between 3 and midnight generally works although the later it is, the less inclined you'll be to eat and relax.
You might wake up a little early, but you'll be adjusted to your new time zone. Especially if you get to sleep around 8 or 9 ish, getting up at 5 in the morning still means you got a good 8-9 hours sleep.
Jet lag is just your circadian rhythm being out of sync with the local diurnal cycle... erm... in simple terms your body doesn't know when night time is and gets confused by it being daytime when it expects to sleep. So to beat it, you really want to start off sleeping at a normal bed time in your new time zone on the day you arrive.
This does mean staying awake for the flight but I'm sure I'm not the only person who can't sleep on planes. Getting a few hours of low quality sleep isn't going to make you feel much better, especially if you're using alcohol or sedatives to get it.
I discovered this travelling from Perth, WA (-8 GMT) to Washington, DC (-5 GMT) via Brisbane (5 hour flight), LA (11 hour flight) to Washington National (another 5 hour flight) with 3-5 hour stopovers in Brisbane and LA. The kicker is, I started at 11PM Perth time having worked that day. All in all, 42+ hours of waking. Got to my hotel around 9:30 PM local time and out like a light, woke up just before 6 completely adjusted ready for a full day of walking and exploring. So now I like to plan to arrive later, plus most hotels won't check you in until 3PM (some will if they've the rooms spare, so it never hurts to ask nicely).
I’ve just landed back from Japan. The 11 hour flight has now become 14. Thanks Putin you cock.
Flew out last weekend and managed to defeat the jetlag by going out on the lash on the first night there with my mate until about 2am. Then slept straight though and got up at 8am for work. Felt fine after that.
I did sleep a lot on the way back this morning though, a week of mad work hours, beer and not much sleep has done me. Don’t think I’ll be working tomorrow. Fancy the westbound jet lag will be rough.
Flew out last weekend and managed to defeat the jetlag by going out on the lash on the first night there with my mate until about 2am. Then slept straight though and got up at 8am for work. Felt fine after that.
I did sleep a lot on the way back this morning though, a week of mad work hours, beer and not much sleep has done me. Don’t think I’ll be working tomorrow. Fancy the westbound jet lag will be rough.
White-Noise said:
...Wait till you go to Aus it's horrid!
]
I don't ever plan to go to the land of spiders as big as your head! ]
The prospect of a 20+ flight doesn't inspire me to change that decision!captain_cynic said:
...
This does mean staying awake for the flight but I'm sure I'm not the only person who can't sleep on planes. Getting a few hours of low quality sleep isn't going to make you feel much better, especially if you're using alcohol or sedatives to get it....
I rarely drink and the idea of sedatives doesn't appeal in general. (though that's not a firm no)This does mean staying awake for the flight but I'm sure I'm not the only person who can't sleep on planes. Getting a few hours of low quality sleep isn't going to make you feel much better, especially if you're using alcohol or sedatives to get it....
The lady on the flight next to me didn't attempt to sleep, she just watched film after film after film. (I didn't know her, so felt it off to ask if this was wise) I got the low quality sleep but they did turn the cabin lights down as it was an overnight flight which encouraged you to at least try to sleep. (took off lunchtime, arrived mid morning next day) Similarly coming back, they turned the lights down for a chunk of the flight to correspond with the time zone outside the window, if not the time at departure or destination. I wonder if airlines should not turn down the lights, or do it in a different way, to help people reduce lag.
I know it's generally easier when flying west, and 3 out of the 4 times I've been to the US I've been fine. Last year however was something else, of the 9 days I was there, for a good 5 of them by about 7-8pm I was falling asleep lights out as if I'd been out until 5am. It wasn't a gradual thing either, I'd be sitting watching the TV in my condo and 8pm rolls around and I'm completely gone. I remember 2 nights after landing on the Saturday, returning back to my condo in Clearwater from a day out at KSC, watching the 8pm Monday Night football NFL game with a beer and crisps, next thing I know I've woken up on the couch, it's 1am and the game's well over. Then I'd go to bed and be up at 7am. Rinse and repeat for about another 3 days.
Edited by 75Black on Sunday 10th March 21:46
The 3 things I do.
Fly business
Take avomine 1 hour before I need to sleep on the plane.
Try and align my eating / sleep to the destination time zone about 3-4 days before I leave if I can - at least half way.
Coming home I don't care.
As I am retired I am not worried about getting back on UK time zone.
Now you have jet lag the best thing I find is to get good meals in your body at the right time, get as much sunlight as you can and stay active around the times you would be sleeping where you just came from, walking, cycling etc.
Its much more difficult if you have kids / work etc.
Fly business
Take avomine 1 hour before I need to sleep on the plane.
Try and align my eating / sleep to the destination time zone about 3-4 days before I leave if I can - at least half way.
Coming home I don't care.
As I am retired I am not worried about getting back on UK time zone.
Now you have jet lag the best thing I find is to get good meals in your body at the right time, get as much sunlight as you can and stay active around the times you would be sleeping where you just came from, walking, cycling etc.
Its much more difficult if you have kids / work etc.
Nothing will eliminate it but my go-to method for minimising its effects is to reset your mental clock to the time at home the minute you are airside. So if it's morning at the airport but evening at home, act as you would if it were an evening flight.... decent meal, few wines, then sleep on the plane. Avoid tucking into a slap up meal at what would be 3.00am at home! That would screw with your inner clock even if you were at home!
As above, the impact of jet lag does does also decrease the further forward on the plane you sit too.
As above, the impact of jet lag does does also decrease the further forward on the plane you sit too.
StevieBee said:
Nothing will eliminate it but my go-to method for minimising its effects is to reset your mental clock to the time at home the minute you are airside. So if it's morning at the airport but evening at home, act as you would if it were an evening flight.... decent meal, few wines, then sleep on the plane. Avoid tucking into a slap up meal at what would be 3.00am at home! That would screw with your inner clock even if you were at home!
As above, the impact of jet lag does does also decrease the further forward on the plane you sit too.
That’s my method although arguably it’s best to avoid the alcohol and stick to water, lots of it.As above, the impact of jet lag does does also decrease the further forward on the plane you sit too.
I was lucky enough as airline employee to be able to reduce jet lag at the front of the plane a few times for West Coast flights and had a nap after the meal they'd bring out.
Never seemed to stop waking up stone awake at 3AM thinking it was the usual morning time, at least you got to see some of cities early morning which was nice in San Fran (when not a dump like it apparently is now).
I did Thailand years ago and seem to recall jet lag not being as bad but maybe that was just as I was younger.
Never seemed to stop waking up stone awake at 3AM thinking it was the usual morning time, at least you got to see some of cities early morning which was nice in San Fran (when not a dump like it apparently is now).
I did Thailand years ago and seem to recall jet lag not being as bad but maybe that was just as I was younger.
fourstardan said:
I did Thailand years ago and seem to recall jet lag not being as bad but maybe that was just as I was younger.
We do Thailand most winters and the jetlag is minimal. Maybe oversleep for a couple of days on arrival , but who cares, and then on return we get up at 5-6 am (again, who cares) , which adjusts back to our normal 9am within about 1 week. We go away for 2 months. Longer you are away the more pronounced it is. Certainly don't see Thailand as an issue.New Zealand for 3 weeks - now that was a totally different story upon return. Bloody awful.
StevieBee said:
I often wonder how pilots and cabin crew manage. I assume that must have a permanent 'airline' time that's the same wherever they are. Or they just get used to it.
I am mates with a pilot and I think they just adjust there life around it (with potential risks to longterm health)They don't stay long enough as well to be too impacted.
Also they sleep on board during breaks and get used to sleeping on a plane unlike normal once a year holiday makers.
I can vouch for this as eventually the buzz and novelty of being waited on hand and foot went and I got into sleeping when i needed to.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff