I need jet lag advice...
Jun 12th, 2005, 06:08 AM
#1
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I need jet lag advice...
My wife and I are off to HI on 6/25 from the east coast. When we arrive in HI it will be 7 HST but we'll feel like its 1 am. Whats the best plan of attack to avoid feeling like crap the next day? I've never been on a plane longer than 4 hrs or so, so I've never had to deal w/ significant jet lag. Thanks.
Jun 12th, 2005, 06:10 AM
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Walk & Eat.
Eventually you will be too tired , so go to bed. You will wake up early and hopefully refreshed. I find jetlag going west to be easier than flying east.
Good luck, have a wonderful time!
Eventually you will be too tired , so go to bed. You will wake up early and hopefully refreshed. I find jetlag going west to be easier than flying east.
Good luck, have a wonderful time!
Jun 12th, 2005, 06:46 AM
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We've been to Hawaii twice and the trip TO Hawaii didn't really bother us. The return FROM Hawaii was a different story. If you are working, make sure you have a couple of days cushion to help you adjust when you return. It killed us to come back to central time. Getting up at 6 a.m. when it was only 1 a.m. in Hawaii was rough. Have a wonderful visit!
Jun 12th, 2005, 07:06 AM
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Drink lots of water on the plane to stay hydrated ... that will make you run to the bathroom a lot, which is good for you, to get up and move every hour! 
Then get in water (pool, ocean) as soon as you can after arriving in the islands..... really, it makes you feel better!
Set your watch on Hawaii time before you get off the plane. You will be so excited that adrenaline will keep you going until suddenly you can barely stagger to your bed. I never sleep all that much in Hawaii ... but somehow I survive, and have an utterly fabulous time, every time!
Save expensive dinners & such until you've been there a couple of days ........ because you will really feel the fatigue hit you sometime in the first 48 hours, and you don't want to be eating a $100 dinner when you do........... 
Then get in water (pool, ocean) as soon as you can after arriving in the islands..... really, it makes you feel better!Set your watch on Hawaii time before you get off the plane. You will be so excited that adrenaline will keep you going until suddenly you can barely stagger to your bed. I never sleep all that much in Hawaii ... but somehow I survive, and have an utterly fabulous time, every time!
Save expensive dinners & such until you've been there a couple of days ........ because you will really feel the fatigue hit you sometime in the first 48 hours, and you don't want to be eating a $100 dinner when you do...........
Jun 12th, 2005, 07:09 AM
#5
I have it much worse when flying east also (Seattle going to Europe, Hawaii back to Seattle) than going west (to Hawaii or home from Europe).
Some people use a homeopathic remedy called "jet lag". Some people get a prescription from their doctors for sleep (ambien) to use to ergulate your sleep schedule.
Some people use a homeopathic remedy called "jet lag". Some people get a prescription from their doctors for sleep (ambien) to use to ergulate your sleep schedule.
Jun 12th, 2005, 07:34 AM
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Trust me, you'll be so excited once you're in HI, that you won't feel the jet lag at all!!
LuvTrvl is right in that you'll feel it more on your return flight home! So on that flight home, try to adjust right away back to eastern time. So if it's night time back east when you get on the plane in HI, try to go to sleep right away.
LuvTrvl is right in that you'll feel it more on your return flight home! So on that flight home, try to adjust right away back to eastern time. So if it's night time back east when you get on the plane in HI, try to go to sleep right away.
Jun 12th, 2005, 07:51 AM
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After the initial adrenaline rush from arriving in Hawaii, I would say that around noon or 1pm you will start feeling like you've had a night without sleep. Take a nap, but just a refresher. If you sleep too long, your clock will be off for the entire trip. Nap for maybe 90 mins, 2 hours if you are really dead tired. This should keep you going just until 9pm or so when you can get a good night's sleep because you'll be overtired. After that first night you should adjust a little better since you've had one good night's sleep on "Hawaii time" already.
Jun 12th, 2005, 03:28 PM
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I have read where there is scientific evidence that sunlight helps the body to readjust after a long flight.
For some nutty reason, I do better going to Europe than I do coming home.
I am not sure why. Perhaps my adrenalin is up when I go over, but down when I come home because the trip is over.
So the east to west bit is harder on me than the reverse.
Perhaps it is because when going to Europe, the flight is over night and I arrive in the morning and have all day to get out and about. I do fade out early, however.
For some nutty reason, I do better going to Europe than I do coming home.
I am not sure why. Perhaps my adrenalin is up when I go over, but down when I come home because the trip is over.
So the east to west bit is harder on me than the reverse.
Perhaps it is because when going to Europe, the flight is over night and I arrive in the morning and have all day to get out and about. I do fade out early, however.
Jun 14th, 2005, 08:22 AM
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Hi,
I also recommend a vitamin supplement called EmergenC. It's in a powder form that you mix with water (similar to Alka Seltzer!, and it gives you an incredible energy boost without the hyper feeling that caffeine or NoDoze would give you. I first read about using EmergenC on Fodors, and admit that I was somewhat doubtful that it would work. Now I swear by it - not just for jet lag, but for those days when you need a little boost. My husband also admits (and he is most critical of such supplements!) that the EmergenC works really well. You may want to try it before you leave to make sure it doesn't have any odd effect on you such as upset tummy.
We went to Tahiti for our honeymoon 2 years ago from NYC, and I wish that we had had the EmergenC then. I think the other posters are quite correct that the return home will be the biggest problem. While in Tahiti, we found ourselves yawning and ready for bed by 11:00 p.m. at the latest - and we are night owls! However, we were up every morning by about 6 a.m. - our biggest mistake was not taking a breakfast package as we assumed that we would prefer to sleep in on holiday. Upon our return, however, we really did feel the effects of the time change. We slept for about 2 days before we felt back to normal. Perhaps the EmergenC would have cut that down to 1 day!
Enjoy your trip!
Chels
I also recommend a vitamin supplement called EmergenC. It's in a powder form that you mix with water (similar to Alka Seltzer!, and it gives you an incredible energy boost without the hyper feeling that caffeine or NoDoze would give you. I first read about using EmergenC on Fodors, and admit that I was somewhat doubtful that it would work. Now I swear by it - not just for jet lag, but for those days when you need a little boost. My husband also admits (and he is most critical of such supplements!) that the EmergenC works really well. You may want to try it before you leave to make sure it doesn't have any odd effect on you such as upset tummy.
We went to Tahiti for our honeymoon 2 years ago from NYC, and I wish that we had had the EmergenC then. I think the other posters are quite correct that the return home will be the biggest problem. While in Tahiti, we found ourselves yawning and ready for bed by 11:00 p.m. at the latest - and we are night owls! However, we were up every morning by about 6 a.m. - our biggest mistake was not taking a breakfast package as we assumed that we would prefer to sleep in on holiday. Upon our return, however, we really did feel the effects of the time change. We slept for about 2 days before we felt back to normal. Perhaps the EmergenC would have cut that down to 1 day!
Enjoy your trip!
Chels
Jun 14th, 2005, 08:30 AM
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East to west isn't usually a problem. You've gotten good advice so far.
Get some light exercise, have a nice light meal, stay up until you're tired, then go to bed. By the time you wake up in the AM, you shouldn't be to bad off.
The other way can be a bit more tricky. I've had the fortunate (unfortunate) experience of the two killer jet lag trips.
1) The double red-eye (red-eye from NYC to London... 10 hour layover... red-eye London to Nairobi)
2) The never-ending day (Auckland to LAX to Chicago to NYC) Left at 5pm Sunday, got to LAX at 9am Sunday, got to Chicago at 4pm Sunday, Got to Neward at 9pm Sunday.
Not sure there is anything that you can do to help yourself in that situation (and coming back from Hawaii is always an issue). Getting out in the sunshine and getting some exercise (take a walk!), always seems to help the most.
Enjoy your trip!
Get some light exercise, have a nice light meal, stay up until you're tired, then go to bed. By the time you wake up in the AM, you shouldn't be to bad off.
The other way can be a bit more tricky. I've had the fortunate (unfortunate) experience of the two killer jet lag trips.
1) The double red-eye (red-eye from NYC to London... 10 hour layover... red-eye London to Nairobi)
2) The never-ending day (Auckland to LAX to Chicago to NYC) Left at 5pm Sunday, got to LAX at 9am Sunday, got to Chicago at 4pm Sunday, Got to Neward at 9pm Sunday.
Not sure there is anything that you can do to help yourself in that situation (and coming back from Hawaii is always an issue). Getting out in the sunshine and getting some exercise (take a walk!), always seems to help the most.
Enjoy your trip!
Jun 14th, 2005, 09:09 AM
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I've never been to Hawaii but we travel to Europe quite frequently and jet lag has always been an issue for me. No matter how much adrenaline I have when I arrive, I always feel exhausted by the middle of the afternoon. Here is what works for me:
1. Ambien. My doctor prescribes just enough to get me to/from Europe (4-5 pills). The medication allows me to get a decent amount of sleep on the plane and helps me stay awake when I arrive with no serious side effects. I can actually stay awake for the entire first day, but my husband still gets tired so we usually end up taking a small nap at some point.
2. If I am tired, I just give in and take a nap. Be careful, though, not to take too long of one. On our first trip overseas, to London, we took what ended up being a 5 hour "nap" that screwed us up for the remainder of our 5-night trip. Set an alarm and try to keep the nap at 2 hours or under.
Of course, these are what works for us (DH and I). Everyone has their own way of dealing of jet lag that works for them.
Good luck and have a great trip!
Tracy
1. Ambien. My doctor prescribes just enough to get me to/from Europe (4-5 pills). The medication allows me to get a decent amount of sleep on the plane and helps me stay awake when I arrive with no serious side effects. I can actually stay awake for the entire first day, but my husband still gets tired so we usually end up taking a small nap at some point.
2. If I am tired, I just give in and take a nap. Be careful, though, not to take too long of one. On our first trip overseas, to London, we took what ended up being a 5 hour "nap" that screwed us up for the remainder of our 5-night trip. Set an alarm and try to keep the nap at 2 hours or under.
Of course, these are what works for us (DH and I). Everyone has their own way of dealing of jet lag that works for them.
Good luck and have a great trip!
Tracy
Jun 14th, 2005, 09:21 AM
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You might also want to check into melatonin. My brother travels overseas every month on business & swears by it. He takes it when he gets there & for a couple of days after he gets home. I think it helps regulate your sleep patterns. He has no side effects. It is in the vitamin/ herbal supplement section.
Jun 14th, 2005, 06:13 PM
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If you're going to take a sleep aid (Ambien, Melatonin or something else), try it once at home before you take it for the first time on a plane. You want to know what it feels like, and know whether it's likely have any undesirable effects.
I travel a lot on business (trans-Atlantic, trans-Pacific and a few times around the world). I swear by: a) melatonin; and b) a short nap if necessary on arrival. Melatonin will actually change your body clock (e.g. if you take it at 8 pm on day 1, causing your body to think it's midnight at 9 pm), on day 2 your body will think it's midnight at 9 pm (without having to take another pill). So, if if works for you, it works well on jet lag. I don't, however, both taking it several days in advance (although you can to adjust your body to the new time zone before you get there). I just take it when I get on the plane on my way to Europe in the evening. 8 pm suddenly feels like midnight, and I'm able to get 4-5 hours sleep on my 7 hour flight without feeling groggy when I wake up. Flying West across the Pacific, I don't usually need the help (because I'm usually past my bedtime by the time I get on the flight from LA to wherever). But if you have trouble sleeping, you could take one around 10-11 pm, and it should help you sleep.
When I get to my destination, I usually manage to walk around a bit but then need a nap. Some people swear by a no-nap principle, but I get a migraine if I don't sleep when I need to. So try a short (60-90 minute nap), as tracey2cents suggests, and don't plan anything too ambitious or too far away from your hotel on the first day. Keep in mind that the two of you might have different styles: one might need a nap and the other might be better without. Respect the difference.
Try to stay up latish (at least 10 pm) on your first day, and then take another melatonin. You should be fine the next day.
When you get to the East Coast, you might find that a melatonin will help you sleep at night on the first two nights you get home. Flying back across the Pacific, I usually find that I'm dragging my feet at 5 pm and then get a second wind and don't sleep well even though I'm tired. The melatonin just seems to smoothe those sleep disturbances out, without knocking you out.
Oh - and you can get melatonin in the vitamin section of your drugstore.
I travel a lot on business (trans-Atlantic, trans-Pacific and a few times around the world). I swear by: a) melatonin; and b) a short nap if necessary on arrival. Melatonin will actually change your body clock (e.g. if you take it at 8 pm on day 1, causing your body to think it's midnight at 9 pm), on day 2 your body will think it's midnight at 9 pm (without having to take another pill). So, if if works for you, it works well on jet lag. I don't, however, both taking it several days in advance (although you can to adjust your body to the new time zone before you get there). I just take it when I get on the plane on my way to Europe in the evening. 8 pm suddenly feels like midnight, and I'm able to get 4-5 hours sleep on my 7 hour flight without feeling groggy when I wake up. Flying West across the Pacific, I don't usually need the help (because I'm usually past my bedtime by the time I get on the flight from LA to wherever). But if you have trouble sleeping, you could take one around 10-11 pm, and it should help you sleep.
When I get to my destination, I usually manage to walk around a bit but then need a nap. Some people swear by a no-nap principle, but I get a migraine if I don't sleep when I need to. So try a short (60-90 minute nap), as tracey2cents suggests, and don't plan anything too ambitious or too far away from your hotel on the first day. Keep in mind that the two of you might have different styles: one might need a nap and the other might be better without. Respect the difference.
Try to stay up latish (at least 10 pm) on your first day, and then take another melatonin. You should be fine the next day.
When you get to the East Coast, you might find that a melatonin will help you sleep at night on the first two nights you get home. Flying back across the Pacific, I usually find that I'm dragging my feet at 5 pm and then get a second wind and don't sleep well even though I'm tired. The melatonin just seems to smoothe those sleep disturbances out, without knocking you out.
Oh - and you can get melatonin in the vitamin section of your drugstore.
Jun 14th, 2005, 06:59 PM
#19
I will be taking the same flight as you next April. I planned to take the flight that lands at 7 pm, so that when we check in, we can go to sleep and wake up on Hawaii time. We are bringing kids and I thought this would be the easiest way to adjust. I had a hard time last time when I went to Hawaii, but I was five months pregnant. I believe Delta serves meals on flights to Hawaii still, but just call and check.
