I know this isn't a question about the UK but I was hoping to get some opinions. I have never been on an overnight flight before and I was wondering if it would be better to try and sleep or if that would make the jetlag worse. Any advice would be appreciated. <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR>

<BR>Check out the travel tips forum--as usual, everyone has opinions. Almost everyone agrees you should sleep on the flight over; people are divided n the wisdom of taking a nap the next day. Once I heard it was okay to take a nap, I started doing so, and it works for me. Remember that dehydration can make you feel tired, so drink as much water as you can stand, both on the plane and when you arrive. If you do decide to take a nap, drink a lot of water beforehand--it'll give you real incentive to get up ;-)

If you're able to fly out of New York (and I think Boston and Newark as well), something you really should consider is to take a daytime flight! We left JFK on British Airways around 9 am and arrived in Heathrow at about 9 pm. By the time we got to our hotel it was bedtime (local time), and we were onto a manageable local time schedule. <BR>File this tip away for future use -- it's a great way to circumvent jet lag! <BR>

I cannot sleep on those sardine can planes - noise and people behind me continually rocking my seatback getting <BR>in and out of their seats. Unless you like near major cities, you probably don't have choice of departure times. I have found it easier to delay bedtimes instead of making them earlier. So my <BR>strategy is to stay UP doing simple trips close to the hotel until the local bedtime. This strategy is difficult to implement for early morning arrivals. In which case, I take a short nap, never past 10am.

I cannot sleep on those sardine can planes - noise and people behind me continually rocking my seatback getting <BR>in and out of their seats. Unless you like near major cities, you probably don't have choice of departure times. I have found it easier to delay bedtimes instead of making them earlier. So my <BR>strategy is to stay UP doing simple trips close to the hotel until the local bedtime. This strategy is difficult to implement for early morning arrivals. In which case, I take a short nap, never past 10am.

<BR>The problem with planning to take a nap when I arrive in the early morning, I've found, is that my hotel room is rarely ready for me to move into at that hour of the morning. Unless you're staying in a large business hotel, the odds are against your being able to check in before noon, at the earliest, and sometimes not until mid-afternoon. <BR>I usually drop my bags at the hotel, wander out to get some breakfast, and soon my adrenalin kicks in and I'm so thrilled to be there that I make it throught a good part of the day. <BR>When I get back to the hotel and check in, it's usually afternoon. I'm very tired, but I shower, change, and tell myself I only have to stay up a few more hours. I go out again to see or do something,I have an early dinner, and even if I go to bed at 8 or 9 pm I feel that I didn't waste the day. <BR>I don't sleep well on planes either, so if I can get 2 or 3 hours on the flight I think of it as a bonus. Some people say that if they take a small amount of <BR>melatonin (1-1.5 mg) in the late afternoon before an early evening flight, it helps them sleep on the plane for a few hours and they don't wake up groggy, just tired. <BR>I have tried the above, had some success. As the disclaimers say, consult your physician. However one thing I always do: I bring my own dinner (sandwich, fruit, whatever) and water on the plane with me. I eat right after takeoff, which lets me try to settle down for some sleep while everyone else is just starting to get their beverage service. It's not embarrassing to do this; others may envy your food. <BR> <BR>good luck. <BR> <BR> <BR>Ditto the advice about drinking water and avoiding alcohol on the plane as you want to stave off dehydration.

<BR>The problem with planning to take a nap when I arrive in the early morning, I've found, is that my hotel room is rarely ready for me to move into at that hour of the morning. Unless you're staying in a large business hotel, the odds are against your being able to check in before noon, at the earliest, and sometimes not until mid-afternoon. <BR>I usually drop my bags at the hotel, wander out to get some breakfast, and soon my adrenalin kicks in and I'm so thrilled to be there that I make it throught a good part of the day. <BR>When I get back to the hotel and check in, it's usually afternoon. I'm very tired, but I shower, change, and tell myself I only have to stay up a few more hours. I go out again to see or do something,I have an early dinner, and even if I go to bed at 8 or 9 pm I feel that I didn't waste the day. <BR>I don't sleep well on planes either, so if I can get 2 or 3 hours on the flight I think of it as a bonus. Some people say that if they take a small amount of <BR>melatonin (1-1.5 mg) in the late afternoon before an early evening flight, it helps them sleep on the plane for a few hours and they don't wake up groggy, just tired. <BR>I have tried the above, had some success. As the disclaimers say, consult your physician. However one thing I always do: I bring my own dinner (sandwich, fruit, whatever) and water on the plane with me. I eat right after takeoff, which lets me try to settle down for some sleep while everyone else is just starting to get their beverage service. It's not embarrassing to do this; others may envy you. <BR> <BR>good luck. <BR>

I have trouble sleeping on overseas flights mainly because the drinks are free. <BR>

The dehydration commented on by others is a real threat, so you do need fluids. <BR>Also I find a saline nasal spray (NOT Afrin or similar asoconstrictor)helpful to keep membranes from drying out. After arrival, get out in the sun light for some light exercise such as walking. Scientific evidence -- medical research done at Cornell University -- shows that exposure to light helps reset the body's internal clock. Even shining a strong light on thin areas of the skin, e.g. the back of the knees, will help. <BR> <BR>And I find I sleep a little if I have something to help shut out the noise somewhat. On my last flight on KLM, the attendants passed out earphones for free and I listened to music. I dozed and arrived in Amsterdam better rested than I thought I would be.

Hi Cindy, <BR> <BR>I'm back & forth between London and San Francisco often, on the direct overnight flights. <BR> <BR>My only tips would be to bring on board (& drink) a whole 1.5 liter bottle of mineral water -- and if it's possible for you -- to "pretend" a day or 2 ahead of your flight that you're already on your new time zone setting. <BR> <BR>(E.g., SFO/LHR is 8 hours difference, so I'll stay up 'til the wee hours or get up really early [depending on my destination's time]. . . then I figure I only have about 4 hours' difference to get over -- easy!) <BR> <BR>And as a previous poster said, I'm usually so psyched to be in a new town that there's no prob staying 'til my new bedtime. <BR>Have fun! <BR>xo <BR>T

I always found that adjusting my watch to the destination time as soon as I get on the plane, if not a bit before, helps me avoid jet lag. It quickly gets me out of the habit of thinking of the time at home. Don't know if it works for anyone else, but it has helped me from being cranky upon arrival. <BR>

Just did Minneapolis to Niarobi twice. Both ways overnight. Agree with advice to set watch to new timezone as soon as you board the plane - then live in that timezone. Use an eye mask and earplugs with Tylenol PM (our doc recommended this, but check with yours to see if its o.k. for you) to sleep. Stay up doing something when you arrive until the local bedtime, then use the Tylenol PM to sleep the first night. After that we were fully adjusted with no jetlag. I also agree that its easier to adjust when you are going someplace than when you are coming home. Its the excitment I'd guess. Also, buy one of those silly looking blow-up horseshoe shaped neck pillows. It was the best $6 I ever invested. Really makes sleeping on planes possible - not comfortable, just possible. Good Luck.