I stand corrected and educated Robespierre :)

Regards Ger

My wife and I never seem to have much trouble with jet lag when we get to Europe. Neither one of us sleeps well on the plane, but we seem to hit the ground running when we get there. I think it must be a mental thing, because it does seem to hit us on the return - the "our Europe trip is over blues!"

One thing you should NEVER do is mix a sleeping pill with alcohol-- it's a very dangerous combination. Ask your pharmacist about potential interactions with any other drugs you take, too.

If you plan to take a sleeping pill on your flight try it at home first to see how you respond to the medication. Some people become very confused when they take these medications. Be sure you have enough time to sleep so the effects will wear off before you arrive. Don't take the medication before you're able to actually go to sleep. Some "sleepers" have an onset time of minutes.

Sorry for the "nurse lecture" but the earlier post made me cringe.

Getting up and walking around periodically, and avoiding dehydration can help avoid fatigue. Avoid the pretzels and sweets that will make you feel bloated and tired.

I've found that every flight is different, so it's hard to plan sleep. Sometimes it's turbulent, noisy, uncomfortable; other times I sleep really well.

I do what Robespierre does but out of necessity since I live 4 hours away from LAX :( By the time I'm on my flight to Europe (Egypt this time!) I'm ready for a little dinner and then go to sleep. I've found that if I'm really tired when I get there, a short nap can make me feel a lot better. Then I get up and walk around and stay busy until bedtime in my new place.

I hope you enjoy Rome.

As everyone has already mentioned, the preference to nap or not nap is personal. If I nap, even at home, the amount of time spent sleeping is what affects how I feel afterwards. Anything less than 30 minutes helps to perk me up while anything more just makes me tired (I think it has something to do with the level of sleep you get to and the rem stage). I once read an article that said the best thing for jet lag is to be outdoors, so that's what I do, weather permiting, and it's worked! I spend the first day calmly strolling around, maybe taking in just a couple of sights, and eating light nutritious meals (nothing heavy), and save the museums for later in the trip. After being outside, I'm usually ready to turn in early that evening (8:00) and start fresh the next day. One thing to be cautious of when taking sleeping aids while sitting in coach on long air trips is the possibility of blood clots. You don't want to be so sound asleep that you don't move around at all. Since my back starts hurting after only a couple of hours I'm always tempted to take Tylenol PM, but resist because of the advisories warning against doing so. Oh, to be able to fly first class! Someday!

Don't bother with anything, but take an Ambien and get 6-8 hours sleep.
M

Of course like it's been said, everyone is different. However, I have to agree with mikemo's last post. I always had problems with jeg lag on trips to Europe. A big part of the problem was that i couldn't sleep well at all for the first several nights and was tired all day. I don't know how most of you feel about drugs but once I started taking Ambien for the first few nights of the trip, I slept like a baby for 7 or 8 hours and woke up with absolutely no hangover and thoroughly enjoyed the day. I highly recommend it!