just HOW BAD is jetlag coming back to the US from NZ?
 

Hi all

Pretty soon I am going to have to book my tickets to NZ. I have a choice of heading home anytime b/w Friday evening and Sunday sometime, to be back to work on a Tuesday.

how much time should I allow myself to get over jetlag enough so that I am not falling asleep at inopportune times? I'd like to try to max out my time there, but I don't want to get back on Sunday only to find out this much jetlag will really kick your butt.

thanks!

I don't know where you are but taking the US West Coast as an example, the time difference with NZ varies between 3 and 5 hours (it's currently 5). Most people can deal with that in a day or two.

In my experience, the best way to minimize jetlag is to choose flights that get you home or to your destination close to bedtime. Avoid at all costs those flights that get you in at 6am.

thank you! It's only 5, really? for some reason I thought it was 13+ hours from the East coast (I live on the East coast).

I was going to come back on Sunday but my brother just got back from Japan and said it took days for him to get over the jetlag.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...nt=australasia

the time clock above says it's 16 hours ahead right now. that's pretty much upside down.

Well, technically it's 16 hours ahead, but it affects your body like it's 8 hours behind (mutatis mutandis any time difference over 12 hours).

Flygirl - everyone will have their own opinion on this as it affects each person differently.

My family usually has a worse time going west (to Australia) than east (to Florida.) Our personal experience is that it takes us about 2 days to get used to the new time in Oz. Coming back is a different story though. We seem to not be affected on the return! I think that's due to the fact that we usually pack activities into every spare minute of our vacation and by the time we get on the plane to come home, we're thoroughly exhausted and sleep the entire way.

A couple years ago, we got back on a Sunday afternoon and my (high school age) kids started school on Monday morning without any problems.

Also - if you're returning to North America, don't forget that you "gain" a day when coming home! That day that seemingly disappeared from the calendar when you go to NZ comes back as a 48 hour day on your way home! We usually plan our return flight from Australia around 11 AM Sunday, arrive in Los Angeles at 7 AM Sunday (4 hours before we left in Australia) and end up in Miami sometime Sunday evening.

My vote would be to leave on Sunday.

My reaction is minimal going to NZ but terrible coming back! It's taken a few weeks to adjust. I just rely on coffee to stay awake.

The rule of thumb is one day per hour of time change before your brain and body are re-synched. Thus 8 hours = 8 days. Usually I can beat that by a day or two, and at less than 3 hrs change it doesn't much phase me after the first morning. 8 hours is US west coast to the UK, and it seldom takes me less than 4 or 5 days to get the clock straight. Westbound is another story - half the time compared to eastbound.

I think it probably took me about a week to get over it - but then, I think it was mostly depression about having to leave NZ in the first place!

thank you again! good info. I think I'm also going to get one of those U shaped neck pillows to sleep more easily on the plane. I already use earplugs and eye masks. any other tips for trying to get even a little sleep on the plane?

we are going with the 99s, a woman pilot's association (it is their international conference, with tours and so forth added in) and the leader of our group is an 88 year old woman, bless her heart! She just got back from Croatia yesterday, and last summer she went to Mongolia. Isn't that amazing? Guess anyone with gumption to become a pilot gets out and about as much as they can.

Should be a good trip overall, hoping to even go flying over there.

You will have jetlag, and it might be bad, but New Zealand is soooooo worth it that you won't even care! :-)

I've been wondering the same thing... how much an effect jet lag will have on me.
I'll be coming from Cairns to the US East coast so that will be a 10 hour difference. I can do 3 with no effects, 5/6 with little effect, but 10 is quite a different creature.

Gardyloo's rule seems about dead on to me.
I didn't think I'd be zonked for so long but it really did take me about 18 days to really feel myself again. Both my travel partner and myself couldn't believe how tired we were.
We were both still able to function and go to work , but mid to late afternoon I was ready for a huge nap.

I know technically if you look at it the other way around, it's only 6 hours, but when all is said and done, NZ is 18 hours ahead.
I'd give yourself a day or two before returning to work...and expect to feel tired for a couple of weeks.
It was worth it!!!

it also took me a couple of weeks to feel back to normal again. i remember being COMPLETELY worthless the next day. i kept myself up until 9pm the night i came home and someone called me the next morning at 10:30 am from a DEAD sleep! my poor sister had to go back to work the next day and she was really hurting.

i would also do it all again in a heartbeat.

We have flown from Australia to the US and Europe quite a few times and usually it takes about 3 days to recover from jetlag. A few years ago we wanted to be wide awake on our first day overseas instead of disoriented and drowsy, as we were meeting friends from the UK, so we tried a product called No Jetlag www.nojetlag.com

We found it pretty good and we did feel it worked for us, when we reached Rome on that trip we feel pretty good. There are a few threads on this forum about this product, it might be called something different in different countries. I couldn't find it at a pharmacy but the health food store has it.
Might be worth trying, the only thing against it is you have to take one every few hours which means being awake to take it.
Kay

From the manufacturer's page at www.nojetlag.com: "The five homeopathic remedies listed below are the active ingredients in No-Jet-Lag: Arnica Montana 30C (Leopard's Bane), Bellis Perennis 30C (Daisy), Chamomilla 30C (Wild Chamomile), Ipecacuanha 30C (Ipecac), Lycopodium 30C (Clubmoss)".

"30C" is not a quantity; it's a homeopathic designation of dilution, equal to 1 part per 1 followed by 60 zeros. That means one molecule of the substance dissolved in an amount of water more than 30 billion times the size of the earth. There isn't a single molecule of the substance spread over every single one of these pills ever manufactured.

In other words, there's nothing in them. They have no ingredients. If they work for you, it's the placebo effect.

I live on the East Coast of the US as well. The first time I went to Australia it took me 3 weeks to get back to normal. It was horrible-I'd be up from 4 AM-6 PM and then conk out. But after a few weeks it was okay. The second time I went to NZ/OZ it took me a week to recover. The third and fourth time I had absolutely no jet lag. I guess I got used to it. However, it's totally and absolutely worth the pain of having your clock be off for a while to go to New Zealand! Just don't plan anything big for after work for the first week you are back so you can just go to work and then go home to sleep if necessary.

I also take Ambien on the flight-usually I take a natural nap from NYC-LAX, load up on food during the changeover, then watch a movie and pop an Ambien so I get 8 hours of sleep on the way over. Works like a charm.

Have a great trip!!!!

Oh, and stay in NZ as long as you can! You'll beat the jetlag soon enough but every precious day over there counts!

I've been back for several months - it actually took no time to get into the time zone - one day - and coming home I was back to normal by the second day. so not bad at all!

I have used Nojetlag and absolutely recommend it (placebo or not ~ it works)

I first used it on an Auckland - LA flight and had great success. Forgot to take it on the return trip and suffered for days.

Forgot to take it on an Auckland - Honolulu flight and had an awful few days, took it on the flight home and had no problems at all.

Great stuff ~ wouldn't hurt to give it a go!

The key to avoiding jetlag, in my opinion and experience, is to pay attention to the ARRIVAL time of your flight at the destination, and act accordingly on the flight. For example, when flying East from the US to Europe, I'd depart at 9PM (which is 3AM in Europe/Germany...so, I'd go to sleep as soon as possible, even before take-off (eyeshades and earplugs/headphones help)...skip the whole dinner and drinks thing, unless a drink will help get to sleep..... Get in 6 hours+ sleep...don't "worry" about "enjoying" the Flight, the movie and 17 channels of radio entertainment and the In_flight magazines etc...just Sleep...it's just a place to sleep! On arrival in Europe at 11 AM or so, you are perfectly functional. Stay active until 9 PM or so, which is no big deal(in my case i always went directly from the airprot to work, worked teh afternoon until normal quittingtime at 6PM or so, then head home, normal dinner...hit the sack. Wake up the next morning and be perfectly in synch and back to normal.

Heading West, it would be entirely different approach. Departing from Europe,usually on a mid-day flight from Frankfurt, say at roughly 1PM(7AM at destination), I'd Not sleep on the Flight at all. Eat, drink(in moderation, and lots of water,of course) and be merry....chat with folks, read, etc... Arrive on East Coast at 3 or 4PM; stay active, by 9 PM your body says its time to sleep(3AM back home..you've had a big night, that's all)..hit the sack, get 9 hours sleep, wake at 6AM or 7AM, head off to work or whatever. You are totally in synch once again.

Now for longer hauls, generally do the same. Start with your Arrival Time at destination..If you are going to arrive at dinner time, be sure that you will be prepared(Need) to go to bed about 3-4 hours after arrival. If you are going to arrive early morning, get a good period of 6-7+ hours sleep immediately preceding arrival.

Going to Beijing, departing San Francisco at mid-day, say 1PM(5AM in Beijing) with an arrival time in Beijing of 5PM, I'll want to be alert on arrival, but ready to hit the sack at 9-10PM or so....your body would normally think that is 4AM,and that would have been TOO big a night of partying....so, during the 12 hour flight, I'd take just a 3 hour "Siesta" during the second half (equivalent of a nap in Beijing from Noon-3PM)

I've not been to Australia or NZ, but will be going this coming August. I plan to follow this technique to beat Jet-Lag, always backing the plan from the Arrival time to modify my in-flight activities accordingly.

Maybe I am preaching to the choir on this, but that's the way I, personally, Beat Jet-Lag. Ohh...it helps a LOT if you are flying business class and there are no crying babies, or teenage tour groups, or Flight Attendants disturbing you to eat meals you don't want, turning cabin lights on and off when THEY want to do so...

Wiley, you are so lucky. I do the same as you do, but my body certainly is not in synch just like that. I always adjust to the new time and schedule in my mind and actions, but it still takes my body a few days to get with it.
I'm not sure anything can really help that except time.

I remember flying back from Australia, arriving at LAX, getting a rental car and driving down the 405 during rush hour with bumper to bumper traffic. It was a piece of cake--everyone was driving on the right.

My husband and I frequently fly to the Pacific Rim (including Australia and New Zealand). We usually break up our trip by spending a night in LA or in San Francisco

We have 3 suggestions: 1)do NOT under any circumstances, be sleep deprived, when you leave your "home port" to travel. If you can, travel by Business Class, or First Class if you can afford the luxury. (British Air has some Business Class seats that recline 180 degrees on some long hauls which means you can sleep all the way across - no matter which way you are going!

2) Talk with your Doc about whether you can use over-the-counter Melatonin - (in my experience sublingual only - the regular oral does not do it! )as a way of getting to sleep at bed time. If you use Melatonin sublingual - please understand that you put it under your tongue and turn the light out at the same moment as any light de-activates Melatonin.

(3) If you are Eastbound, book a flight that will get you to your destination (plus thru customs) right before bed time so where ever you are you can shower, crash, and wake up on local time. Have done this thru multiple time zones!

If you are Westbound, plan to go to bed as close to your "regular" time zone (IE: you normally get up at 7 AM Eastern Time in Washington, DC (which is also 4 AM Pacific Time); plan to get up as early as you can manage and get home as soon as you can!
Note: One extra day to unpack and wash self and clothes in any direction is always smart!(Give yourself all of Monday to be back to work on Tuesday)
Have been there and back - D.

we always tke the ambien route; take one and sleep on the plane 6-8hrs. Take one our first 2 nights at either end so we get full nights' sleep .5 on the 3rd night and after that no worries. Seems to work for me going both east and west

Andrewdavid