Hi,

Coming from the part of the world that I stay in I often have to take long distance flights to Europe, and jet lag hits me really bad. I am unable to recover for almost a week. I have erratic sleep patterns and when I try to fight it I feel extremely tired and drained out.

I was wondering if all you veteran travelers had figured out a way of getting around it?

I am just back after a long flight and still reeling under the after effects ):!

I really have no idea and am suffering from this myself right now after returning from South Korea three days ago. BUT I just read a story that dried cherries are the latest aid in combatting jet lag; you eat a handful for every time zone you have passed. As soon as I get up the energy, I may go and buy some!


http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/04/08...scherries.html

The best way (which I totally realize is utterly impractical for most people) is to break up the trip into shorter legs.

From Phoenix to Köln, we stopped for an overnight in New York, and it made all the difference.

Crossing the ocean, I have been most comfortable on a ship, where I had five days to reset my body clock for five time zones.

the thing I've done all my life is to get on destination time the day before. Works perfectly for me.

Before you leave, start going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. This gets your body acclimatized to your destination. I can usually get 2-4 hrs by doing this.

On the plane..sleep (if you can), Temptation is to watch movies, eat meals, have coffee,snacks, etc..Don't. Maybe have the meal after takeoff (no wine or coffee), then sleep till morning. Drink plenty of water. I usually put on a headset and program for nice background music.

On landing.. no naps. Full day, bed at normal local time. Next day, I feel almost normal.

When you arrive, don't go to bed until sunset.

Hi Ajni:
I am glad you asked because I was hoping for a new trick to try.
I may just try Mimi's idea of adjusting to destination time one day in advance. I have to work a full day the day before.maybe I can leave early hehe..

Welcome back Ekscrunchy hope you had a good trip. I am sure of all the foods linked to a jet lag cure, cherries are near the top of your list. no?

I was planning on a couple of Tylenol PM on the plane but just found out that Tylenol PM has Benedryl in it so now I am hesitant to take a couple on the plane as I have enough trouble with jet lag as it is. Maybe a little conac...I know liquor is supposed to be bad but..better than stratbucks.

ana maria

Hi, I'm not a seasoned traveler across time zones, however I did travel to Italy from the USA and upon our arrival the next day (did not sleep much on the plane since it would only have been 12 midnight when we arrived) arrived at 8AM and we were told by our guide NOT to nap or sleep until that night. By 6PM Rome time I was exhausted and still had to go to dinner. After dinner we returned to the hotel and I was in bed by 10PM the first day. The next morning I was fine and never felt jet lag the next 16 days. Returning to the USA we left at 10AM Rome time and arrived home 9PM. So that was great because I felt like it was a normal day. I think they tell you not to sleep the day of arrival until bedtime. Worked for me. P.S. Only napped on the 12 hour flight over.

It is hard to get AROUND it, but it is not hard to get OVER it quickly.

It is easier to go to sleep later than earlier. If I arrive at destination at 8am and go to sleep at 3pm because it is past my home time, I would continue to need to go to sleep at 3pm the next day and so on.

I force myself to stay up until 9pm on arrival day. By the time I wake up the next day at 6am, I am synchronized to the local time.

I agree with Greg. Stay up till 9p.m on arrival day ...

Steve

has anyone used melatonin? if so, how much and how'd it work for you?

I travel frequently..about 2 trips/month to Europe, Middle East or Far East. Tricks I have learned..know yourself! I have learned to sleep on planes and have been known to sleep on chairs in airports. I have a "lounge card" for a number of airlines BUT even if you dont, there are a number of airports that you can pay to use a lounge- Heathrow and Hong Kong for sure. If you have a couple of hours use them and sleep. If I have an important meeting, I never arrive the day of but rather the day before. Unlike others, I often arrive (ex E coast to Europe), find my hotel check in have lunch and nap. I am up by around 4pm or 5 walk for a few hours have a late dinner and go to sleep. I never usually fully adapt as my trips are usually less than a week when I am on business. As a rule of thumb, it is said that it takes 1 day per time zone to fully get over jet lag. I have tried melatonen and it seemed to help. I cant try changing my internal clock before I leave as I have very little notice of a trip and when I do, I am usually working late to get things organized at the office and at home. In summary, I think there are a lot of tricks I have learned, but I am afraid sometimes I just have to "suck it up" and deal with a little fatigue.

ekscrunchy:

”BUT I just read a story that dried cherries are the latest aid in combatting jet lag.”

My wife read that article and promptly bought me dried cherries from a health food store in anticipation of my imminent trip to Paris. Very tasty. Excellent in a salad with some chopped almonds. I may actually finish them before the trip.

Which may be wise, because I’m wondering if this rather unusual antidote to jet lag will be seen as a threat to airport screeners and confiscated. I have metal in one leg, and I already set off enough alarms when I go through the security check.

I don't believe there are any tricks that work for everyone. I think simply that some people are more prone to jet lag than others. Just like some people get motion sickness while other do not.

I can't sleep on planes and always have a difficult time with time changes. There is no watch setting trick that can fool me -lol! heck, I get confused when we set the clocks 1-hour difference for daylight savings time.

me too!

We take Ambien on long international flights - arrive refreshed without jet lag, but often starving.
M

VeeBee, melatonin is my solution. It's function is essentially resetting the body clock. When you take it you sleep for 8 hours.

Concerning the dosage, that varies from person to person. Some people will take 3mg and feel groggy. Some people will take 3mg and not sleep at all. You can read a lot about it online.

Side Effect? "Vivid Dreams". Some people's dreams are vivid enough that they decide that they would rather have jet leg. For me it just means I remember them very well!

I don't know, maybe I'm just totally hyper but jetlag doesn't bother me. When I fly west from Switzerland to Boston to visit my family, I am so excited to see everyone that I stay up until about 10:00 and then crash. Inevitably I wake up around 2:00 OR 3:00 a.m. but just start opening all my lovely eBay and Amazon purchases and start reading until dawn when I get up and have breakfast with my parents.

Then when flying east from Boston to Switzerland I often go right to the office and work after passing out boxes of Dunkin Donuts and Oreos, two things my Swiss colleagues love. Maybe I am not as productive as usual but I work until closing time, go home, have dinner and seem to adjust within a day.

thanks for melatonin input.. would love to hear more.. I travel int'l for biz a few times a yr - and use Tylenol PM - but this trip will be my family with 3 small kids and i don't think knocking myself out completely with Tylenol PM is a good solution. I've been researching online and even considering very small dose for kids ...OK, hopefully that won't get anyone in an uproar.. but has shown to be very effective in small control groups with kids. Jetlag does bother me tremendously flying to Europe and Asia.. and with kids - that could just be a nightmare in and of itself!!

Be careful about melatonin use. Check with your doctor. Can exacerbate underlying depression and/or cause nightmares!