Jet Lag advice??
 

This will be our first trip to England from the States. Our flight leaves at 6 pm and we arrive there at 6 am. What would you suggest we do upon arriving that first day? How horribly tired will we feel? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Get as much sunlight as possible early in the first day.

Ellen, <BR>You will probably feel a little disoriented and tired but excited at being in another country! I'd suggest a fairly easy day, go straight to your hotel, have a shower and breakfast then do a double-decker red bus sightseeing tour where you can just sit and stare at the sights. You will be tired, but this will give you your bearings on where things are and you can go back and re-visit things properly in the next few days. After that maybe have a walk,an early dinner and an early night. <BR>I'd recommend not going to bed when you first arrive as your body needs time to re-align itself to the new timezone in the UK. <BR>When my husband and I travel overseas we are usually wide awake at 3am for a couple of nights which is a pain, but we read maps and guidebooks and plan the day ahead! <BR>Kay

Even if you are able to sleep some during the flight, you will feel tired when you arrive, but also exhilirated by your new experience. Use the exhiliration to sight see and stay awake as long as you can the first day. A bit of straining the first day will hasten rotation to the new time, in my experience,

Short-acting sleeping pills have saved me from misery. I'm one of those who can't sleep when I'm too tired, and I lie awake for hours on both sides of the Atlantic and take days to get over jet lag. No problems since I started taking Halcion. Ambian is another. They only last about 6 hours, so you don't wake feeling groggy, but they get you through the wee hours when you tend to lie awake. Only take them 3 nights (I take a half dose). With a truly good night's sleep, you feel sooo, much better, and it's easier to adjust. I know some will probably recommend against prescription sleeping pills, but if I don't take them, I end up sick. My husband takes Tylenol p.m., which works for him. My kids take benedryl, but it can make some kids hyper.

I agree with the medicine boost. Except we take Benadryl the first night to help us sleep, then have Advils available for the inevitable groggy headache the next day. Not from the Benadryl, but from not enough sleep.

I am also going the sleeping pill route. My Dr gave me a prescription for Ambian yesterday. He suggested I try it before we go to see if I need 1/2 or a whole pill. <BR> <BR>I am never able to sleep on planes and know that I will be a wreck for days if I don;t sleep the way over. <BR> <BR>Suzy

I probably shouldn't even comment as i never get jet lagged, but my poor husband suffers greatly. Mainly because he won't listen to me! No matter how little sleep I've had on the plane, I go out into the sun , however little there might be, as soon as we reach our hotel. Take a nice walk, look at the sights, etc. I can almost guarantee your hotel room will not be available till after 1 PM , so leave your baggage at the reception, freshen up as best you can in the Ladies, and get outdors. The bus tour sounds fine if you've never been to London before. You can scope out the places you want to go back to later and get the lay of the land. have a nice lunch and by then your room should be ready. Unpack, shower, a short nap , and early dinner and you should be set forthe next day. <BR>I finally got MH to do this on the last trip instead of falling asleep in the lobby and he couldn't believe how much better he felt. <BR> <BR>Now if someone has a cure for jet lag on the reurn trip I'll take any advice given as that is when I get it. don't know if it's jet lag or i can't face allthat dirty laundry!! <BR> <BR>One more note , if you do go the Ambien, halcion route Please do not drink any alcohol on the plane or while waiting for your flight, the combo is potentially lethal!

Dear Ellen <BR> <BR>I have read the postings above and I am a little concerned at the need for medications to help one with jet lag. WE have traveled to Great Britain and we are leaving for Germany in two days.I have done some pretty extensive research on jet lag and the ways to best address it. And it works. <BR>1) If at all possible try to readjust your sleeping patterns a few days before you leave ie. going to bed earlier and gradually adjusting your internal time clock (circadian rhythmn)closer to the time of your country of destination. <BR>2) Don't put unnecessary chemicals in your body (meds). They can leave you drowsy and worse you do not know how your body is going to react to these meds (sleeping pills) unless you have used them before. <BR>3) Go to your local health food store if you want something to help you relax and sleep on the plane and get some 1 mg Melatonin pills. These are a natural occurring hormone in the body that helps you relax and sleep and it helps to reset the internal time clock and allow the bodies system a more smooth transition to the time change. <BR>4)Get your self an eye mask and ear plugs (this will help you to phase out the people and things that could be distracting to your ability to sleep on the plane). <BR>5) Don't drink alcohol or caffine on your flight. Drink plenty of water (bring your own if necessary). Alcohol will only raise your body temperature and make you feel bad. Caffine products will make it harder to rest because of its stimulation effects on the nervous system. <BR>6) Wash your face with water, to refresh your self as needed. <BR>7) Get up and walk around while awake to help promote circulation (buy some mild pressure stockings if your feet and legs swell) wear them on your long flights. <BR>8) Eat plenty of fruits and veggies. In general "be good to yourself". <BR>9)Remove your contacts. The air on these long flights are very drying to the eyes. <BR>10) If all goes well try to sleep on the plane. When you arrive in England the next day stay up until its bedtime in your new time zone. If this does not work respond to what your body tells you to do (take a small nap and rest if needed). <BR>If your hotel is in the general location to some interesting sights walk there and get your circulation going. And above all have a good, safe time in England. <BR> <BR>Peace, Robbie <BR>

I too have read all postings and agree with JODY. This is exactly what my husband and I did first day in Paris. After 8:00 dinner we went to bed at midnight or so and awoke at 6:30 for a 7:30 train to Dijon. Our jet lag was hardly noticable and within 2 days not evident at all. First day hardest where you must fight your body to stay up, but getting to sleep close to your normal time helps set your new pattern. Have a nice trip!

I find "Travel Pillow" really help me to have good sleep when flying coach. Good sleep does reduce the effect of Jet Lag. I never eat airline food(or any solid food) when fly eastbond,only drink plenty of juice and water. Half an hour before landing,I will have some fresh fruit(brough in carry-on) to fresh me up. I could almost hit the ground running.

So far, the best way to avoid jet lag I've found is: <BR> <BR>1) Take a mild sleeping pill on the eastbound trip. Try to get as much sleep as possible on your way there. <BR> <BR>2) Do go to your hotel to freshen up, but resist the temptation of taking a nap. In my case, at least, it is not a regular 30 minute light nap that makes you feel better... it is immediate deep sleep. The times I've tried it, I wake up feeling very tired and disoriented, and then have a very hard time trying to sleep at night. <BR> <BR>3) The later you go to bed the first day, the better (but have a light dinner). You'll have an easier time falling asleep and you'll be tired enough to sleep for at least your normal hours.

advice about sleeping pill called halcion- there is no question that it works but some people are very susectable to this drug and can be gorked for 12-24 hrs on a normal dose. advise take 1 or 2 test doses at home before using this drug on a trip

My wife and I drink a lot of water on the plane, try to nap by listening to our CD players, and then take a 2-3 hour nap once we arrive. There is nothing worse than sightseeing when you are exhausted. I know this is contrary to what others are saying but it always works for us! We feel much better, and then follow a regular routine. <BR>Fred

Having lived in a military community, full of people who do a lot of traveling over one "pond" or the other, I've found there are three types of people. The first are those who never have jet lag. (I was married to one of those; he could never understand mine.) <BR> <BR>The second are those who get jet lag when they go from west to east, i.e., from America to Europe. <BR> <BR>The third are those who get jet lag when they go from east to west, like from Europe to America. These seem to be in the majority. <BR> <BR>I'm in the last category and don't have much problem going to Europe. (One of the lesser reasons it is my favorite area to visit, maybe?) I've found that if I take a nap on the plane, I'll still be a little tired my first day, but am able to stay up till a reasonable hour, add sunlight and a fairly easy day, and then I'm OK the rest of my trip. And this works for most people. Coming home is another story! (Jody, I sympathize with you; know exactly how you feel--and no, it's not the laundry). I can only get through it by forcing myself to stay awake till normal bedtime (I find exercise or taking a walk helps keep me awake). This shortens the recovery time to 2-3 days, vs. a week. I have found that sleeping pills just make me groggy and I don't enjoy ANYTHING. <BR> <BR>But an earlier post on this topic recommended a product called Jetlag, available at airports. I'm going to try it on my next trip. Surprised nobody has recommended it already on this thread. Has anybody out there tried it? Does it really work?

Hi Ellen, I agree completely with Ellen - one of those hop-on/hop-off double decker bus tours is the perfect way to spend your first day in London after the long flight over. I also arrived at 6am all the way from Australia, went & dropped my luggage off at the hotel, had a strong coffee & something to eat & then just hopped on for the entire circuit of the bus tour - it was a great way to get oriented & to plan the rest of my stay & also relax. I may be just fortunate not to get jet lag but what works for me is plenty of water & no alcohol on flights & then staying up till night time at your destination rather than napping which I personally think compunds the problem. Have fun!

I'd skip the meds. Whatever you do just dont sleep your way through that first day. Stay awake and until its good and dark.

Hi Ellen <BR>VERY IMPORTANT - I travel from UK to South Africa and Australia and have NEVER had jet lag problems. <BR>You must get some sleeping pills for your flight - you can buy Herbal sleeping pills from any herbalist store/health store. <BR>When you arrive, get to your hotel, unpack, shower and freshen up, then head off to a coffee shop or cafe and get yourself a HUGE glass of freshly squeezed juice and then top up with an expresso. <BR>DO NOT - repeat, DO NOT go to sleep until normal time of UK, that is, do not go to sleep until approx, 9pm or after UK time. <BR>Don't think about what time it is in the US, just carry on UK time. <BR>Likewise when you arrive back in US, DO NOT go to sleep until evening time.

We left US at 7:00pm arrived in London 7:00am. Checked into hotel, showered, relaxed for a hal hour or so and went walking about 11:00am. A tour bus would also probably do the trick. We have been to London before so we just explored the neighborhood, did a little shopping, found atm's, checked out pubs and restaurants etc. Took a ride on the tube to reaquaint ourselves with the system, had dinner about 7:00pm and were in bed about 9-9:30p. Had no further adjustments to make. We like to walk and maybe the "fresh air" helped us from being too sleepy.

US to Europe: <BR> <BR>Do not, under any circumstances, sleep the first day. If you are a person who takes naps, then maybe a few hours in the morning. No more. Otherwise you delay your body's adaptation to the time zone. I made the mistake of lying down once and slept for 7 hours, was late to dinner, and my whole trip was ruined. <BR> <BR>The shower helps (if you get in your room). And water on the plane. <BR> <BR>I enjoy walking a lot the first day to take my mind off the tiredness. YMMV. <BR> <BR>