New "No Jet Lag" method worked for me!
 

After all the times I've set my watch to the time at my destination (usually Germany) as soon as I get on the plane, used neck pillows, soft blanket, etc., and jet lag has attacked with a vengeance when I've landed, I tried something new this time.

Normally I get up at 4 AM and leave for work at 5:30 AM, starting work at 6 AM. I'm always sleepy by 9 PM. So this time I did my normal morning activities, including working (for only five hours), and boarded the plane to Frankfurt at 6:15. After the meal and a movie (and a watch which told me it was 9 PM and time for bed), I fell sound asleep until my husband woke me up five hours later. I felt great and never had even a hint of jet lag.

Might not work for others, but it sure worked for me!

Sorry, I just don't understand what exactly you did differently this time!??

maybe a different husband?

LOL, Turtle Micheael. I'm with you two. I've read it twice. What's the "tip" on avoiding jet lag? Do nothing?

I don't get it either. The only difference I see in the two scenarios is that she didn't set her watch ahead.

Lucky lady to be able to sleep 5 continuous hours on a plane.

Another one who doesn't get it!!
I think she just went by her local time, but I do that too until I land.

Postal - I think lot of people do that. It perhaps works better for you because most of us probably don't go to bed that early or get up the next morning so early

Add me to the list of those who don't get the jist of the post. I have never slept for more than an hour on the plane. This time (2 weeks!) I am taking ambien, at my dr's suggestion. Hope it works!

OK, I DO get it. Normally she sets her watch ahead, so that after dinner it would have said 3 AM instead of 9 PM, and then she wouldn't be able to sleep. But since her watch said 9 PM, she was able to sleep and therefore avoided the jet lag.

OK, folks, I said I "get it", not that I understand it.

Come on, everyone. It is obvious. Her biorhythms don't depend upon what time it is; they depend upon what time it says on her watch. Maybe it will work for me. It's 8:00 AM where I live, but I think I'm gonna set my watch for 7:00 PM and go have dinner.

Yeah, I get it too...you eliminated jet lag by actually SLEEPING on the plane...now, if you could just figure out a way to make sure everyone ELSE does, too, I KNOW how we could make our money!

Vedette - LOL that was a riot.

I thought maybe the difference was that this time she went to work for part of the day before flying and maybe usually she doesn't. Note that she said that "this time" she went through her normal routine, including getting up early going to work. Maybe that made her tired so that she couldn't help falling asleep, even on a plane. Just guessing, though.

Leave it to some, whose poorly chosen words and writing style often causes angst and confusion, to throw the first stones at Postal. Threads like these are very revealing.

Postal, watch or no watch, if everyone could sleep on an overnight flight to Europe, no one would complain about being tired on the day of arrival and most would be able to stay up all day without that disastrous nap tempting interference with our body clocks.

Congratulations, you found a way to catch five hours of sleep, presumably in Coach. That deserves a pat-on-the-back rather than ridicule and criticism, which I would completely ignore.

A good tranquilizer and a small shot of Hennessy and a neck pillow works for me!!! I sleep away my fears....

At about 5'1, the worst problem for me has always been backaches from my feet not touching the ground. For our upcoming trip, I reserved exit row seats (more foot room) and bought a portable, foldable footrest from Magellans which has received mixed reviews on this site. Has anyone else tried it? When all is said and done, I'm sure that I still won't sleep at all.

I won't comment on the OP - since there has been enough bashing already and I'd just be piling on.

MarshaL: I am even a bit shorter than you and have the same problem. All of my taller friends can't seem to understand not being able to put your feet on the floor is as (or more) uncomfortable as having too little leg room.

I bought that foot rest several years ago and only used it two trips. It isn't light - has to be to stay in place. So it made my carry-on or hand bag heavier to schlepp through the airport.

And as soon as I fell asleep and wasn't concentrating on keeping the darn thing upright - I would either kick it over or it would slide forward under the seat in front and I'd wake up w/ a start.

In theory the foot rest is a great idea - but I found it more trouble than it is worth (and it isn't cheap either). Now I have fairly short legs even for my height - so maybe you will have a better experience w/ it.

Oh, how I miss the adjustable foot rests that used to be on most planes . . . . . .

It would be interesting if one or more of those people accusing the rest of us (I guess I'm one of those being accused) of slamming or criticizing, would instead explain what Postal did to avoid jetlag other than sleeping. Or was that it? I frankly didn't see any criticism, but most of us were merely asking for an explanation of what was different about this "method". Are you saying the "method" she's talking about was merely sleeping? If so, then yes, I'm all for sleeping to avoid jet lag also.

Hi Everybody!

Are there any side effects from using AMBIEN for sleeping? I am feeling kind of desperate since I NEVER can sleep on planes anymore!

Does AMBIEN make you groggy the next day? Is it anything like taking cold medicine?

Thanks for your input!

I took Ambien on my last flight to Italy. Within minutes, as I attempted to finished my dinner, I noticed I was bringing my fork to my forehead instead of my mouth. Next thing I knew I was asleep for about five hours. When I woke up (just in time for breakfast) I had none of the grogginess that plagues me for a day after taking benadryl. Amazing! I will definitely use it again, but it's suggested that you try it out at home to gauge its effect before you use it on a flight.

Well, I must say I am THRILLED that my post has gotten this must attention, even if someone of it is a little negative!

Yes, what I meant was, instead of taking the day off from work, sleeping in, packing and starting to worry about the flight, changing my watch as soon as I boarded and then getting stressed that I was still awake and it was already 1 AM in Germany, I followed my usual morning routine, even going to work, and as a result built up no anxiety about the flight or my ability to sleep. By not changing my watch, I kept my regular routines going and was sleepy as usual right on time. Oh, and by the way, even though I know I was sound asleep for five hours, my husband says he asked me if I wanted water about halfway through the flight, I drank a glassful, and went right back to sleep.

My point is simply that while we're always looking for ways to avoid jet lag, maybe we're overlooking the obvious - our regular routines.

Thanks for amplifying your original post, Postal. Makes much more sense now! I don't think the majority of us were bashing you, just really confused by what made the difference.

Do I get some sort of a prize for getting it right? Actually, it made sense to me the first time I read it, and I only became unsure of my interpretation after reading all those posts from other people saying they didn't get it. So the moral of the story is....

I am concerned about the person whose feet do not reach the ground. It must be difficult to walk. Do you ride a small bicycle?
Luckyerthanthou

O, luckyerthanthou, I am having a good chortle!

To Postal--thanks for the clarification. I also would like to add that if a "Fodor Good Sport Award" existed, you would deserve it for your gracious and totally non-defensive response to the posts!!!

I agree with socialworker--good on you, Postal! I understood immediately. I honestly think if I got up at 4:00!!!, went to work and then caught the plane, I would be ready to crash, too.

MarshaL and Janis, I take a pretty solid roll-y tote on board, and as soon as the plane takes off, I take it out from under the seat and prop my feet up on it. Of course, it helps to have bulkhead, exit row or (natch) first-class seats to have the room to lay it down.

luckier than thou, you are really funny!

Another shortie here - at 5'2" my feet frequently don't reach the floor either. I stash my backback/tote under the seat in front of me and then put my feet on the bag. Not that I sleep on the plane but at least it's not as uncomfortable. That's why I do not like bulkhead seats - no place to put a bag in front of me. Which is too bad, as my 6'2" husband always needs a bulkhead/exit row to survive a long flight.

Re: Ambien. I've taken it on several recent red-eye flights and it does help more than any OTC medication or trick I have tried before. After taking a couple (one does nothing for me) I can get about 4 hours which is way better than none. There's a little bit of grogginess first thing after you wake up, but it goes away pretty quickly and the rest of the day is unaffected.

I can NEVER sleep on the plane. I don't always sleep that great at home, either, and sometimes take Excedrin PM. That is great for sleeping, but I feel hungover most of the next day. I'm tempted to try Ambien on the plane (but don't want to get addicted to that at home!) - but am afraid of the hangover effects, which might be worse than the jetlag. Does Ambien affect any of the rest of you negatively? I also take melatonin periodically, which works well for me, too - but haven't tried it on the plane. I'm so wide-awake on the plane, I'm afraid nothing will work- and then will feel worse for not sleeping that stuff off.

And Postal, I'm so glad you figured out what to do - sure wish I could.

Thanks for explaining, Postal. I swear I never would have figured that out. When you said "I normally get up at 4 AM, etc. I thought you meant normally when you fly, not normally when you don't, so I couldn't figure out what was different from your regular flying routine. Now it makes more sense.

Meanwhile, I have my own method to help me sleep on a plane. Regardless of what the experts say, a couple of Scotches, some wine with dinner, and an after dinner drink, and I'm out like a light until we land.

AbbyDog: You're story about falling asleep during dinner was funny! I think I am desperate enough to give AMBIEN a try.

Patrick: Alcohol never works for me. I end up sleeping poorly and being EXTREMELY DEHYDRATED on the plane, to make things worse!

I'll readily admit alcohol works differently for different people. My partner gets more awake and wound up the more he drinks. Give me a couple, and I'm content to curl up and sleep.

When we flew to New Zealand our doctor gave us prescriptin sleeping pills. We were both wide awake the entire flight. I foolishly followed the old rules about no alcohol.

Being extremely tired before you get on the flight is definitely helpful. Last year I had an 8:00 am flight to Italy from the west coast. I only got 1 hour of sleep the night before because of a last minute minor family emergency. I slept almost every minute of both flights (had to change planes). I arrived in Rome at about 11:15am ready for a fun day, and was the only one in my group that suffered no jet lag at all.

I have never been able to sleep on a plane. I have a medical condidtion where I cannot take any meds to help me and Alcohol makes me sick if I drink while flying. So I am out of ideas. I also am short and feet do not reach the floor when I sit, so I put them on my bag.

Where does one get those neck pillows by the way?

tledford's comment about getting on the plane tired sure works for me. My last two trips to Italy I was exhausted and consequently I was able to sleep a good portion of the flight. Generally I cannot sleep while flying.

Regarding Ambien: I have a presc. for it and will be trying it soon but is it really true you cannot drink alcohol when taking Ambien? Would love to have a glass of wine on the way to Ireland....(but I am prepared NOT to if need be)...
Shadow

since you have a prescription -- shouldn't you be asking your doctor or pharmacist that question?

Not a scientific statement here, but I'm a firm believer that no doctor or pharmacist would ever say "yes" to drinking alcohol with almost any medication. It is a matter of "protection" if nothing else, not unlike the long lists of "possible side effects" listed on any medication. I think Shadow is asking more what others' personal experience has been.

I say this because for years I have taken a drug for gout and for the past year an insulin enhancer for diabetes, and both clearly state "do not take with alcohol". Yet I do, with no ill effects, in fact when I have an evening drink, my blood sugar is always lower the next day.

Ooops, I forgot the most important part. Even my doctor at the Cleveland Clinic has said "off the record" don't worry about a drink in the evening, despite the warnings on the labels.