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First day in Rome after little to no sleep

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First day in Rome after little to no sleep

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Old May 19th, 2012, 08:54 AM
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We carry an alarm clock and set it for 2 hours. We are useless without a nap.
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Old May 19th, 2012, 01:16 PM
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By the way, as an active 77 year old, I can tell you that the jet lag is going to last longer for grandma. (She is one, after all) It takes days for us to get over it. And even being an active 70, she will tire faster than the OP. As for the kid, we were surprised about 10 years ago that on the day after arrival, after falling asleep in the car after lunch, we could not wake our grandson up when we got back to the hotel. We literally sleep-walked him to the nearest chair, where he slept for two hours with his head on the armrest!
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Old May 19th, 2012, 05:22 PM
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I can't imagine taking a 2-3 hour nap. I would wake up disoriented, in a foul mood with a dreadful headache. We always keep going, preferably in the fresh air and sunshine, until late afternoon when we take a shower for an early dinner and go to bed at about 9:30 or 10:00. We're awfully tired at 10:00 but fine the next day after a good night's sleep.
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Old May 19th, 2012, 05:54 PM
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I quess through my years of flying overseas every week that if I stay up when I get there after already being up close to 20-24 hours-I will probably be sound asleep in the piazza by 5pm snoring!
If you have a coffee or coke when you wake up in your hotel room,you will feel alot better when you get back out in the sunshine for the rest of the day.
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Old May 19th, 2012, 07:54 PM
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The Jet lag is not just a distruption in " sleeping cycle " ,it is also a distruption in " Digestive cycle "...and they both are enter-reletive ..
Dp not eat during the fight heading to the destination,only water...and sleep on the plain as much as you can.....this is all preparation..and when getting there start eating at the same time as locals do.....try to saty up..but do not push it...if you must take a very short nap...but other wise,drink lots of water and stay out door..and go to sleep early.
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Old May 19th, 2012, 08:02 PM
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I struggle with jet lag no matter which direction I'm going in, whether I nap or not, whether I eat or sleep on the plane, or not.. you get my drift..

I have discovered that I'm usually so anxious/excited the night before my flight that I don't sleep, so I can generally manage to fall asleep on the plane, and this helps me adjust to the time change(just a little).

When I arrive at the hotel I can usually get my room, or they atleast store my luggage. I then go out and wander around, get my bearings in the neighborhood, peruse the restaurant menus. I'll eat an early dinner and head back to the hotel, take something to help me sleep through that first night and then I'm usually good to go the rest of the trip. I still fight jet lag but I found this method greatly diminishes it, at least for me.
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Old May 19th, 2012, 08:59 PM
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I would let the hotel know in advance (as already suggested) that you'll be arriving early to drop of your luggage. They'll likely have rest room you can use to freshen up.

I never make plans for the first day. "jet lag" has already set in for me upon arrival, because I never sleep on the plane so am facing the huge time change with 24+ hrs lack of sleep. I'm always a mess.

I like to just walk around with no particular agenda. Get a street map and explore the area around your hotel. Have breakfast, walk, have lunch, sit in a park, walk some more, check into hotel.

Once I get my hotel room I take a 2 hour nap. Then get back up and go out for dinner. Get to bed early, but on the local time.

I don't think you need to cater to an "active" 70 year old any more than a 40 year old or a 10 year old, as long as everyone's healthy and in good shape. But any for any age, taking it easy, lots of fresh air, light exercise, good food is a perfect first ('recovery') day.
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Old May 19th, 2012, 10:37 PM
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Jet lag impacts everyone differently, and with the disparity of ages in your group... who knows!

A friend of mine who suffers from terrible jet lag came up with a solution that worked for her. She books her "arriving hotels" one day earlier than her arrival date. She then informs them she would be getting there about 8 AM in the morning after the first night of her booking... and thus she has a guaranteed room to crash in. No worries about whether her room is ready!

Granted, it's not the cheapest option but she says that based on what she spends on a trip... and the challenges she has with serious jet lag... it has made all the difference in her trip experiences! Good Luck...
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Old May 20th, 2012, 07:21 AM
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I really like that idea and want to try it sometime. I know it's hard for people who don't suffer terribly from jet lag to understand but it can be debilitating and nearly ruin several days of your trip. If after an overnight flight with no sleep, I checked into a hotel early morning and slept for 5-6 hours, if I could get back to near-normal.

Oops, sorry, off topic to our OP. But good ideas and suggestions on this thread.
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