How to cope with Jet lag?

Doshwaster

Everybody's body clock is different so it's just a matter of experience to find out what works best for you.

There's also different methods of coping if it's business trip or a holiday. Jet lag isn't that much of a problem is you are on holiday as you can laze by the pool, but it is if you need to be in a meeting at 8am local time when it's midnight back home.

What works for me

1) When you get on the plane set your watch to the destination time, this will psychologically start resetting your body clock.
2) when arriving at a destination during daytime, try to stop up as late as possible and resist any temptation to have a quick snooze. Go out for a walk to get your bearings.
3) A combination of will power, caffeine and alchohol will probably get you through the first day or two. Be prepared to be really hit on the 2nd or 3rd day
4) If you need to sleep on the plane, eat at the airport before boarding, have a few drinks and ignore on the onboard service and inflight movies. If you still can't sleep, a very large G&T does wonders.

Other people may disagree, but whatever works for you.

Besides, timezones don't really exist in Vegas do they? It's a 24 hour city. It really doesn't matter what time you eat or sleep.

kittykarate

Jet lag used to really cripple me when I was being sent to San Francisco by work, and for me the things that worked were:-
- try to sleep on the plane. Make yourself as comfortable as possible, take a pillow/neck cushion/eye shade. Don't drink masses of alchohol.
- depending on what time you arrive, try to stay awake until a normal bedtime.
- eat meals at local times, not when your body 'thinks' it should eat.
- get out in the sunlight, do a bit of of exercise, even if its only walking around a bit.
- if you do wake up bizarrely early (3am for me every bloody day the first time I was there) have a strategy for getting back to sleep. After my second or third time I used audiobooks on my ipod, I'd stick on the Harry Potter books (simple, familiar, not too demanding) on quiet and I'd be back asleep within an 30 minutes. Doesn't sound that big a deal, but if you get a decent nights sleep, you really bounce back from jet lag so much quicker.


I tried Melatonin (it's not the tanning drug Melanotan) and it didn't work for me, but one of my colleagues used some of my supply and he was gently snoring on the plane before we got over Ireland.:rotfl: It's a really gentle sleeping aid, supposed to release these hormones into your body to make you more prepared to sleep.

With Las Vegas you don't really have to swap fully to local time. Everything is 24 hours a day there, so it's not like you're having to front up for a 9-5 job.

slinga

Westbound is generally a lot easier than Eastbound.
My sister in law never gets jetlag, she just has a problem with sleeping the first few nights after a long haul journey.

Oh and always have a good book handy so that when you do wake up in the night you can read a few chapters. So much better than tossing and turning and wondering if you will ever sleep again. After a few chapters I usually drop off.

BaileyB

Thanks everyone, i know Vegas is a 24hr city but we do have things booked and got our wedding 8 days after we arrive so would like to be awake for that . We staying out there for 19 days (LV SF & LA)

Flight times are


Departure: 11:15 Manchester,
Arrival: 14:00 Philadelphia, USA


Change of plane required. Time between flights = 4:05.

Departure: 18:05 Philadelphia, USA
Arrival: 20:35 Las Vegas, USA


Departure: 11:30 Las Vegas, USA
Arrival: 19:22 Philadelphia, USA

Change of plane required. Time between flights = 1:18.


Departure: 20:40 Philadelphia, USA
Arrival: 08:45 +1 day(s) Manchester

CountryGoose

I am very bad!

Unless I have to work to do I drink and eat to excess on the flight - though I do top up with water.

On arrival you have 8 days to get "in time" for your wedding - so do what you like when you like. Vegas is 24/7 and the only things that are fixed are show times. Otherwise you can breakfast or a burger at 3am or 3pm.

Just relax, don't worry about Jet Leg - it's a state of mind. You'll soon find yourself blending into the local time. You may feel a little sleepy some times, or super awake at others: just go with it and don't let it strees you..... The wedding will provide enough of that!

luci

Melatonin didn't work for me either, but that may because I didn't take enough of it as I was worried it would space me out. You can buy it from CVS or Walgreens on the strip if you wanted to try it on the way back. I don't think you can buy it in the UK.

A couple of travel sickness tablets may have the same effect.

alibongo42

CountryGoose wrote: »

Just relax, don't worry about Jet Leg - it's a state of mind.

I used to believe this too. Until the first time I flew back from Vancouver and was so tired on arrival in the UK that I thought I could sleep for a week. Once in my own bed, I slept for two hours and then failed to get properly back to sleep for another seven nights.

Same thing happened again the next twice, while annoyingly my hubby who had been on the same trips, snored gently next to me!

Due to go again in Feb, and am dreading the after effects. Have recently heard about the relation to eating times, and am going to try this next time. Extensive web research during my sleepless nights didn't provide any easy answers!

ferf1223

slinga wrote: »

Oh and always have a good book handy so that when you do wake up in the night you can read a few chapters. So much better than tossing and turning and wondering if you will ever sleep again....

Or getting up, getting showered and hitting the slots at 4am.

...not that I have any personal experience.

I do a combination of what others have suggested...I usually only have one alcoholic drink on the plane if it's free...none if they aren't (not a big drinker, no interest in buying one)...always bring a litre bottle of water on the plane with me. The neck pillow is a big thing - I find if I have one, I have waaay more chance of getting a few hours sleep on the plane than if I don't...otherwise I drift off but wake myself up when my head lolls to the side violently...I make sure I have plenty of music/movies/tv shows on my media player to pass the time and help me zone out a bit.

I think trying to stay up as late as you can the first night is a big thing...Vegas is a good place for that since there's a such a massive buzz about the place. More than anywhere we go it's the place we have the best chance at staying up to 9 or 10pm the first night.

ailuro2

For either way...

Set your watch as soon as you get on board

get some sleep on the flight... if it's overnight coming back that's fine too.

When you get to your destination get out and get some daylight. stay awake until as normal a bedtime as possible.


I remember doing this and us wandering round Vegas at 11 at night stating I simply couldn't go any further and going back to the hotel but DH who is a shiftworker was much fresher and wanted to stay up.
We went back and I felt good the next day.

I agree going west is easier than coming home.;)

Congradulations on the marriage ( that's not a typo, it's what the folks in Vegas will shout at you if you're out for a wander in your wedding wear):)

uzubairu

kittykarate wrote: »

Jet lag used to really cripple me when I was being sent to San Francisco by work, and for me the things that worked were:-
- try to sleep on the plane. Make yourself as comfortable as possible, take a pillow/neck cushion/eye shade. Don't drink masses of alchohol.
- depending on what time you arrive, try to stay awake until a normal bedtime.
- eat meals at local times, not when your body 'thinks' it should eat.
- get out in the sunlight, do a bit of of exercise, even if its only walking around a bit.
- if you do wake up bizarrely early (3am for me every bloody day the first time I was there) have a strategy for getting back to sleep. After my second or third time I used audiobooks on my ipod, I'd stick on the Harry Potter books (simple, familiar, not too demanding) on quiet and I'd be back asleep within an 30 minutes. Doesn't sound that big a deal, but if you get a decent nights sleep, you really bounce back from jet lag so much quicker.

.

Great tips which worked for me as I'm currently in San Francisco.
Thanks.