Jet lag, any tips?
 

Any suggestions on how to deal with jet lag? What about prevention, or is that not possible? I have an upcoming trip to Italy and I'm concerned, especially due to a medical condition I have.

I researched some of the posts regarding jet lag, but most are without any real suggestions on how to cope with the effects, or eliminate them completely.

Thanks for your help.

Happy trails,
Aranda

Hello aranda, well I would say get organzied, take care of financial matters (calling your credit card companies, bank atm card companies) in advance to advise that you will be in Europe for those certain dates. Anything you can do in advance should be taken care of.

Figure out what you will be packing. Be packed and all organized two days before your trip.

That way you should elimiate a lot of last minute stress which IMO can add to jetlag.

Try to get proper rest and sleep and healthy food before the flight, taking care of yourself is a good thing to do always but especially before a trip.

I would also talk to your doctor since you have a medical condition, perhaps your doctor will have some good advice.

And don't overplan your intinerary for your trip. Give yourself "downtime" while on your trip. And personally I would not schedule anything for the day you arrive or the day after. That will give you time to recover from the flight.

Best wishes to you that you have a healthy and fun trip!

If you're flying from the east coast, look at one of the daytime flights that leave NY, BOS or WAS around 8-9 AM, arrive in London at 8-9 PM. Many people find that helps enormously in minimizing jetlag.

Otherwise, the body adapts to around one hour of time change per day, so 6-9 hrs time difference requires around a week. That said, many people get over jetlag quicker.

You can try to pre-condition yourself by going to bed an hour earlier every night and getting up an hour earlier the next morning, again for a week or so. If you're able to sleep this way, then you can trick your body to some degree. Have to admit this is hopeless in my case, but it works for several relatives.

You can also google "SAD" (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and see what the boffins are suggesting. Bright lights etc. may help.

I think you dn't find any posts on how to "eliminate them completely" because there aren't any!! I mean this most kindly, but jet lag is jet lag, there's no way around it. It hits some people worse than it does others. And effects some people more going to Europe and others more on their return home.

To ease the situation, I allow 3-4 days in my first city with no plans and just kick back and let my body adjust, sleeping and eating when I feel the need as I adjust to local time and get over the plane ride.

I also have a prescription from my doctor for sleep that I use the first few nights to try to get my body onto the local time. That helps the most.

My health was poorly both years I traveled to Italy from the U.S.A(surgery and other health problems). I walked to the bathroom every hour or so to stretch me legs. I drank water and took an allergy pill to keep my sinus's clear and my muscles loose. This helped a great deal. It will be o.k. When you get to Italy do not go to the hotel and rest. Wait until about 6 or 7 PM then go to sleep. This helps a great deal. If you go to sleep right away when you get to Italy then you will have problems. You need to let your body adjust. Have a wonderful time.

I don't get much sleep on planes, so for me, it's like pulling an all-nighter.Whenever we fly over to Europe, we take naps throughout the day we arrive, alternating with getting up and going for a walk around the neighbour and getting a bite to eat. As soon as we arrive at our hotel, we have a shower, then hit the sack. It really does wonders.

> What about prevention

The only prevention is to not travel.

The body clock system (there's more than one clock, though they are largely synchonised off a master clock) is quite complex and there's no way to trick it into sudden adjustments.

You can minimise some of the effects by following the advice offered above, but what works for one individual may have no efficacy at all for another. So,in general you just have to go with the actual flow in your situation.

Cheers,

Bill

I thoroughly disagree with the advice not to take a nap. I take a nap. When my body is screaming for sleep, I sleep. I don't force myself to stay up.

Overnight flights to Italy are tough because you arrive so early, you can't get into a hotel room, but you can usually get in by noon. I usually sleep for about 2 to 4 hours.

You may find that when you arrive, the excitement of being abroad kicks in and you'd rather be out walking about and seeing things.

Just play it by ear.

Get as much sleep as you can (that is, don't go for long periods without it). Start sleeping and eating in accordance with the time zone at your destination as soon as you get on the plane. Don't go to sleep before 9 PM at your destination on your first day if you can possibly avoid it. If you get up in the middle of the night, try to go back to sleep.

Even if you get a burst of energy upon arrival, you may still feel disoriented the first day. A lot of my visitors say that they find Paris unremarkable on their first day, and then the next day it seems wonderful. The reason is first-day jet lag; even if it doesn't make you sleepy, it can make you feel odd without realizing it.

Many years ago I read a story about a NASA study where they spent millions of taxpayers money researching the best cure for jet lag, which then they didn't publish. The reason? They found the best cure for jet lag was to have sex when you arrive at your destination, and preferably with a local person. If you think about this, it does help to relax the body and "plug" you into the local time zone ;-)

For me if I travel and don't have a loved one waiting with arms open to jump into, a hot bath is a reasonable substitute and oh so good if you can find a good (therapeutic) massage to unlock all the kinks of being cramped into to small a place and the stress of getting there.

Also I like to nap a bit on the plane, so I am not immediately sleep deprived when I arrive, there are some good mild sedtaives on the market if you are not lucky to travel first or business class,and then force myself to stay awake all day on the other side, resist the temptation to doze, so you can go to better on the new time cycle (and even better if you have a companion!)

Hi

This is a questions that pops up quite often in different travel forums. I think that we just have to realize that when we move our body across time zones it can effect the body. I guess the jet lag also have different effects on different people. They say that the best way to handle it is to drink lots of water and juice when you fly (and stay away from alcohol and coffee), get some sleep on the plane and when you arrive you should have an easy program the first day and try to get into the local rhythm as fast as possible. But I agree with suze...it is hard to avoid jet lag and I think we just have to accept that. But I hope that you will have an excellent trip to Italy :d

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

I find melatonin works for me.The current recommendation is for pilots having sleep disturbance to take a benzodiazepine such as temazepam. A combination of treatment including light, melatonin and diazepams may be needed.You can buy it in the US (not in Europe) but it may be changing to prescription-only soon.Google it for more info.

My husband will be elated when he hears of your advice, Challi! Do you think it will matter that we arrive early in the am and won't have a room yet??
We usually just take a nice long walk and like AnthonyGA says, never go to sleep before 9pm. That seems to work best.

OK, here's my recipe.
Stareting about a week before my trip, I will go to sleep and hour earlier, and get up an hour earlier. As I get closer to departure date, it will be 3 or 4 hours of shifting. When I'm on the plane, hydration but no alcohol, no meal (except for breakfast before landing) and skip movies. The temptation is to think "I'm paying for all of this, I'm going to take full advantage". I put on headset, tune in to musinc channel, an kick back. When I land, do a regular day, walking mostly, tour buses/trains can be a killer :). Dinner at regular time, maybe go to bed early that night. Going to bed during the day may make you feel better, but you are only putting off the process of getting your body acclimatized by doing this.

L84sky-that is what the airport lounge is for.

Other than that, I have no special regimen before I leave. No alcohol or coffee on the flight but keep well hydrated. Avoid the temptation of the movie and sleep if you can. When I arrive I go directly on local time as far as meals, sleep etc. and avoid any long drives for safety's sake since I am sure that my reflexes and attention are not up to par until I get a good nights sleep. It works for me. My first day jet lag is usually minimal and from the second day on, I'm good to go.

I once read that it is a good idea to set your watch to “their time” before you even get on the plane. That has helped me. A friend who travels constantly for work swears by staying up as long as possible and then sleeping as long as possible on the first day. That helps me. Napping would never help me. This time I’m not going to drink any alcohol on my first day. If I keep saying that, it might be true!

Hi, aranda!

Two measures that have helped to some extent against the jet lag that always makes me wretched:

>Benadryl--This antihistamine made me drowsy enough to sleep on one transatlantic flight, and caused no sedative hangover. For me, it also caused significant dehydration, but then I was limiting fluid consumption (because of a medical condition). For someone making sure to drink plenty of water, Benadryl might be a really good solution.

>Melatonin--This relaxed me greatly on a flight last year, and I drifted easily to sleep. Unfortunately, other circumstances (monumentally bratty kids) intervened, and I didn't rest for long. But on a quiet flight, it could be wonderful.

I tried both OTC meds at home, well before the flights.

A nap on arrival does ultimately aggravate jet lag for me, but sometimes I just cannot resist it.

Next time, we may try a daytime flight, to see if that helps (helps me, that is--my husband doesn't get serious jet lag).

Good luck, and have a wonderful time in Italy!

Once again 'proof' that jet lag is an individual thing. I take a nap when I feel the need, to me that's just listening to what your body is asking for. I don't set my watch forward when I get on the plane, that really twists me. I think it's probably made worse for people who fly an overnight flight and can't sleep on the plane at all (me).

All the above advice is great, and what may work for one person may not work for another.

But here is what works for me, and I have traveled to Asia a few times where the time change is 14 hours. I barely experience jet lag, or only for the first day.

I get plenty of rest leading up to the flight. When I am on the flight, I only drink water or fruit juice. No coffee or tea, nor any alcohol. I try to get a few hours of sleep on the plane. I try not to watch the movie. i set my watch to the local time as soon as I am on the plane.

When I land, if it is during the day, I keep myself awake. No naps. I find if I do I can't sleep at night. I eat when the locals eat, and I sleep when they sleep. So i try to keep myself up until no earlier than 8pm, or else I'll be up at 4am. I know it sounds difficult, but when I am in a new country or city the excitement take over for a few hours anyway. Usually the next day I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go!

Good luck and enjoy your trip. I am heading to Italy myself in September and hopefully this works again for me.