No. 3 Try to sleep on the PLANE on the way over as soon as you can....don't watch the movies. Try to stay awake until your normal bed time (European time)in your arrival city.

How can you sleep if you're drinking all that water and going to the bathroom?

My experience is to adjust to the new time immediately and NOT to sleep while the sun is up.
When flying westwards I do not sleep on the plain and I do not lie down on arrival. Instead, I am active until it is at least 9 or 10 p.m. local time. Then, after a very long day, I go to bed and sleep for 8 or 9 hours. Then I keep the new rhythm.
When flying eastwards, I try to get some sleep on the plane as soon as possible. My typical medication is two glasses of red wine and a whiskey. After landing, I do not sleep until it is evening. I don't even stay on the hotel room but keep walking, visiting, meeting people, having a dinner at a restaurant. Again, after a long day, sleep comes easy and you are in the new rhythm.
For the following days: Never lie down during the day! Do NOT fall asleep while driving in a bus, car or train!

If Jetlag feels like driving and not knowing how you got there, then yeah, especially yesterday I had it. Got back from flying out of Amsterdam at Midnight on Wednesday. Went to bed at 1:30 am US time, woke up at 9:30 am, so I thought I was doing great. Until the end of the day when I was hungry, more than hungry since eating schedule is messed up. I drove myself to dinner and just like breakfast, barely could eat. I ended up crashing on my couch fairly early (hence it's 7am, I don't work today, and I'm online)

I never get jet lag on the way BACK from Europe -- I'm just tired, go to sleep a little early, and i'm raring to go the next day. I am fine enough that I stay away as long as I can, and am scheduled to work the next day.

Going over, it depends. I am usually able to get a couple hours sleep on the plane, and am tired, but alert when I arrive. About midafternoon, I start to droop, and either take a short (1-2 hour) nap or push on through. That night I'll sleep long -- maybe 10 hours -- and I'm fine for the rest of the vacation.

I count myself lucky that this is all that happens! DH gets low blood sugar and has twice almost passed out the second day after heading over.

I drink lots of water on the flight (bring my own bottle), earplugs, eyeshades, and sleep when I'm tired, usually after meal and a movie. I change my watch to time at arrival point as soon as I get on the plane, as well.

I try to get a great night sleep the night before, and eat healthy all day. I think that helps a lot

I treat it as mostly psychological and turn my watch to Euro time as soon as I get on the plane (or US time, when I'm coming home). Look at my watch a lot to get my mind on the new time. That really helps. I can't sleep well on planes so I'm usually really tired when I arrive in Europe. But I do NOT take a nap; rather, I have a coffee right away(or two) and do lots of walking around outside. No more coffee for the rest of the day after the initial boost. I stay awake until as late as I can take it (usually around 9 or 9:30 pm local time), then I go to bed and get up at a normal hour. I feel great and adjusted, no more jet lag.

Coming home I have no trouble at all adjusting; again, I stay awake until a normal hour and the next day I feel great.

ok, here's my entire routine which includes some pre-prep that I think relaxes me and sets me up for the trip:

1. Several days before the trip I wrap up all affairs, business and personal so there are no loose strings

From about 1 month to 1 week prior all of the following are done( all of the actual trip arrangments: hotel, itinerary, etc are done way in advance of this 1 month to 1 week other details) :
Dry cleaners
shoe repair and cleaning
visit to drugstore
cancel paper
hold mail
inform all contacts of hotel info,itinerary and plane schedule
any new travel items are purchased ( new luggage, etc)
packing list updated
copies of passport made and given to family members
copies of credit cards made, given to family members
small amount of local currency purchased
e mail forwarded
all small electronics checked for usage ( I pod, Bose headset, laptop)
Credit card companies informed about trip
Bank informed about ATM usage

Day before: All packed and everything brought down to my downstairs area.

Day of:

Massage, pedicure, manicure, and facial in the morning
Water turned off
small appliances plug is pulled
Timer for lights set
alarm system on

dietary habits: Have very good ones already, but I stop all ice tea with caffeine 3 days before. Double water consumption.

Bring a turkey sandwich for the plane. decline food service
Tons of water

Once seated:
Set watch to local time. Loose fitting travel outfit from Chicos
Take a No Jet Jag and an Ambien CR
Put on Bose Headset and plug in I Pod. Listen to music, eat sandwich for 45min-1 hour.

Put lavendar oil on wrists. Use my own pillow, blanket and eyeshades. cover feet with thin wool socks over my knee highs

Sleep duration of plane ride with Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones on until about 45 minutes prior to landing( DH wakes me). No movies. If longer than 6-7 hr flights, I do other adjusting so I am not asleep for the entire duration.

Upon waking, decline food service for breakfast. Bring energy bar and drink more water. Take last No Jet Lag tsblet.

Spritz my face with Evian water mister. Spritz hair with atomizer filled with drops of conditioner mixed with water ( cleans up hair a little).
Moisturize face and hands.

Once inside the terminal if I have a layover to final destination, I'll find a restroom to freshen up.

I'll change into a new outfit that has been packed in my carry on. Change shoes. I have these neat bath sheets infused with cleansers from Magellans Travel and use them to cleanse( so far I only found showers at Heathrow and have used them and they are great!).

Put on fresh moisturizer and fresh makeup. Use those "dry" toothpaste cleaners.

Then stay up at final destination until bed. Usually immediate shopping helps!!!!!!!!

May take 1/2 Ambien or natural Valerian root to help me sleep the first night. Not always needed.

Voila! Work, yes, but oh so helps!!!!!!

I don't sleep well on planes. Never have and it's unlikely I ever will.

I do what my body says. If I am completely wiped out when I arrive, I take a nap. It has ALWAYS helped me, no matter that some people say it's the wrong thing to do. What works for some may not work for others. I can still remember when my husband and I caught a long flight to Paris that had two plane changes. By the time we got to our hotel room, we were exhausted. We slept for three hours, even though it was mid afternoon, woke up, showered, went out for dinner, felt great, stayed out til midnight and then went to bed, waking up at a normal hour the next day.

If my flight is eight hours or less, jet lag isn't a big problem for me coming or going. If the flight is longer than nine hours, then I need to take a nap shortly after arrival. Taking a nap after a long flight has never prevented me from getting a decent night's sleep that first night. And I do drink plenty of water and avoid caffeine and alcohol while in flight.

I prebook a sauna or steam bath and one hour massage for the late afternoon. This invigorates me so I don't desire a nap. Then dinner at 8pm and bed by 11. Oh yes, wine at dinner. I usually sleep until 10am the following day but wake up with no jet lag. This routine works for my husband, too. We've done this for our last 4 trips to Europe and it's worked each time for us.

I think differnt tricks work for different people so I dont think "one size fits all". For me on a NA to Europe pm flight..1. I sleep on the plane. By the time I get organized and arrive at my destination it is noon. I have lunch (which often includes wine) then nap. I wake up around 5pm then I walk for a number of hours followed by a late dinner (which always includes wine) then I go to bed. I have tried not napping but I just am tired and miserable and seem to have the same issues the next day with jet lag. I will confess that I am a good sleeper ..my definition of insomnia is taking 10 mins to fall asleep. I travel a lot and my ability to sleep anytime/anywhere is helpful. It isn't something that I have "learned"; I seem to have beeen born with it.

Gravol helps to sleep on the plane - take it after the meal and its good for about 4-5 hrs and no drowsiness after so that's a bonus (also good if you get turbulance!)

As for jet lag... to your body, sleeping in every weekend is like getting a few hours of jet lag every Monday am. So use the mind-trick and just think of travel as sleeping in.

As shown above... there are many approaches. To find what works for you will take a few trips to Europe! Nap one trip and don't nap the next. Drink and don't drink. Etc.

Also realize that some people simply experience jet lag more severely than others. I'm so bad I get jet lag from daylight savings time clock change. I'm hopeless

We usually are ok going but cloudy upon return.
THis time for the first time, we took a nap once we arrived in Europe instead of staying up as long as poss and we both experienced problems there.
Coming home was the lastest we'd ever returned, it was 3 a.m. European time and 9 p.m. home time so we were bushed and slept well and don't feel too bad for once. SO adjust your sleep to as close to local time as possible and call me in the morning.