I'm flying to Hawaii from the east coast. Our connecting flight is in LA. I'd like to know from anyone who has done the flight....how do you avoid jet lag? Thanks!

A very long discussion on this topic took place several months ago on the European forum. You might try a search there and see if any of the messages are still available. If not, post again and I will try to summarize the major points as I can recall them.

Some people suggested seratonin. Others said to start altering your sleeping patterns to fit in with your destination. (Hard to do if you have a job.) Others said lay off the alcohol and coffee (cokes too). Perhaps the best idea, one I used last year, was to get out in the sunlight as soon as you can because scientific research shows that exposure to sunlight helps reset the body's clock. If no sunlight, shine a bright light on thin skin areas. The backs of the knees are large areas of thin skin, so that is a good place to expose to light.

Bob, I think you meant melatonin, not seratonin. There has been much discussion about taking melatonin when you are ready to sleep, once you arrive at your destination, it supposedly helps reset your body clock. My husband tried it, and it didn't much help.

Do try and drink lots of water to avoid getting dehydrated on the flight. It should at least help you sleep and feel better.

Cameo,

After flying East Coast to Hawaii trip four times, and being a person who NEVER sleeps on the plane, this is what helps me: no caffeine, alcohol, or carbonated beverages - only water and fruit juice, at least a cup per hour of flight time; walk the plane once per hour; light eating. When you get to Hawaii, immediately after checking in, get in the pool, jacuzzi or just your bathtub and "soak" away that parched, jet lag feeling. Then get out in the sunlight the first few mornings. Also, try to get as early a flight as possible from East Coast, and quick connections in Dallas or Chicago. We leave RDU about 7:00 am, just have time to change planes in the next city, and are in Honolulu between 12:00 and 1:00 PM. Works out great!

A lady on another forum said to put brown paper bag cut-outs in your shoes to keep the energy from draining out your feet - said she did this, flew Michigan to New Zealand, and rode her bike 57 miles the next day! I replied to her that if she was in such good shape to ride a bike 57 miles, especially after that flight, she wouldn't feel jet lag anyway! However, guess who may have brown paper cut-outs in her shoes on her next trip to Paradise??????

Cameo, I think you'll find that you are worrying for no reason. Most folks have no problems with going west, it's the returning back east that is rough. I find that sunshine does a lot to help and you will naturally be out in the sun in Hawaii. At most you will awaken earlier than most people (and Hawaii is beautiful in the early hours) and want to go to bed after dinner for a few days. I would just go with it rather than jump through hoops. My husband is one of the "whatever time it is here, that's what time is is---don't think about home!" Seems to work for him. Aloha!

Cameo, I have to disagree with Kam (sorry, Kam!) about the jet lag. I have several family members and friends who travel the East Coast to Hawaii roundtrip, and they all complain of jet lag. Yes, it is even worse coming back. I think it's a very unusual person who doesn't feel ANY jet lag after going through several time zones! I have to say I'd love to be one of them!

Ruth et al., Never meant to imply that there is NO jet lag from East Coast to Hawaii, I just don't think it's as bad as going to Europe and that the situation usually improves in a shorter time. Used to do it regularly from Chicago (just one hour difference from you) with small children etc.

Kam, I probably took you too literally, didn't I? You're right about one thing - If jet lag is going to wake you up in the morning, Hawaii is the best place for it to happen. I love going out on the lanai in the wee hours of the morning when the moon is shining on the waves, the breezes are gently blowing, you can smell the plumeria and you feel that God is looking right over your shoulder! Don't we wish we were there right now?

The August 98 post "How do you pass time away on an overseas flight" can be found in the "Smart Tips" forum.
63 people have responded all ready, many good ideas were shared. You may enjoy reading it.

Just came back from Hawaii to the East Coast last weekend. We had an overnight flight from LA that got us home at 6:30am. I only slept about 2 hours on the plane and my husband didn't sleep at all. We then just forced ourselves to stay awake all day and went to bed at the normal time that night. We were fine the next day.

Living in Australia all of my flights are long haul (a short flight for me is 9 hours) and as I fly internationally about every second week to Asia or the USA the things I can relay to you are:
If you do not fly regularly you will feel some sort of tiredness (time lag), you can help yourself by switching your watch to the destination time as soon as you get on the plane , adjust your eating/sleeping pattern to the destination time zone once on the plane, if you are going to try and sleep on the plane USE ear plugs and eyeshades, although you will be advised not to drink alcohol on the plane you may find that a drink early in the flight might help you settle ( I normally just drink water or diet coke), depending on class of travel find out as early as possible what type of plane you will be on and make sure you get seats allocated away from the galley or toilets, dont eat a meal unless you NEED it and it makes sense to do so - breakfast as midnight never really made sense to me, make sure that when you arrive that you manage the day as normally as possible and by this I mean don't go to bed as soon as you arrive if it is not close to night time - stay up as long as you can and if possible get some physical exercise the next day (a walk, a run etc). When I first started flying massive amounts a number of years ago I could not sleep on the plane and it was ruining the following couple of days for me, now I can get on a plane and be asleep within 30 minutes without any trouble so it can be done. Good luck and safe flying.

I don't think people who sleep on planes can speak of jet lag in the same breath as those of us who never can sleep on planes. You haven't lived until you've been in/off flights 36 hours without sleeping a wink. I think it must be such a blessing to be able to sleep on plane; haven't accomplished it yet in 15 years or so of flying!

Just did Central Time Zone to Big Island last week. Going didn't seem to be a big problem. I think that the excitement of arriving and starting a vacation helps keep one awake. We felt hungry on Central Time much more than sleepy. One excellent solution for me (a non-airplane sleeper) has been Tylenol PM. My doctor recommended using it to relax and sleep on planes and in new settings to adjust time zones. It really works. I used it earlier this year to travel from U.S. to Nairobi with great success. It has been about 3 days since our return and we're just now feeling normal. We force ourselves to stay awake at night (by reading Fodor postings) and set the alarm clock to wake up at the correct time each morning. Of course, coming home wasn't nearly as exciting as the outbound trip. So, maybe its adrenalin rather than melatonin that helps.

It really depends on you. There are tons of tips on this forum and in the tour guides. There is really no way, though, to avoid jet lag altogether. You really won't know how quickly you adjust to a different time zone until you get there. I, personally, have learned, however, to read all the advice and implement what seems logical for me. I don't sleep on planes either - I'm too excited, and planes really aren't conducive to sleeping - so, when going east to west, I take a short nap (which all the experts advise against) upon arrival, after being out and about a bit, and before dinner. Works for me. I've found that it's best to just do what you feel like doing, and you'll adjust more quickly. Do agree, though. It's the going west to east that is a more difficult adjustment!

Gee, there's really no avoiding jet lag. Read all the advice, just in case you find any of it useful to you. None of that stuff really makes much difference. You'll just have to adjust, and how long it takes depends on you...The advice to do what feels right to you would be well taken.

Gee, there's really no avoiding jet lag. Read all the advice, just in case you find any of it useful to you. None of that stuff really makes much difference. You'll just have to adjust, and how long it takes depends on you...The advice to do what feels right to you would be well taken.

OOPS. Beth is right. I had a Senior Moment when I said Seratonin. Melatonin it is. Seratonin is a neuro transmitter. (I must need a few more!!)
Tylenol PM has benadryl in it. Some people don't get much result from it; others get sleepy, and still others get excited. My pharmacist said if you want to get sleepy perhaps you should talk to your doctor first. I tried benadryl last year on a flight to Amsterdam and I could not tell it did me much good. It depends on the person.
I staying hydrated with water, drank nothing like coke or coffee or tea, and read a boring book. I managed to sleep a little. But I think my key was getting out in the daylight once we arrived. Then I went to bed about 9:30 PM Europe time and slept for 8 hours. Then I was ready for the 7:26 train.