jetlag

Can't really sleep on the plane, don't drink, don't take drugs, so I just muddle through. Actually, as long as I keep busy (especially that walking around outside in the fresh air) and switch to the new time schedule, it seems ok. I do think different things work for different people. No one stop cure-all. I know I don't let jet lag affect my plans too much. I have been known to go to work the same day I have landed back in Germany. Granted, that was not one of my own ideas and I felt like I got run over, but I did make it and the next day was almost fine.

I, too, used to have trouble sleeping on flights, until I discovered that, on Lufthansa, all those bottle of wine from dinner are still open in the flight attendant area. A few extra glasses, and I am relaxed enough to sleep. I know everyone says "avoid alcohol", but it works for me. Just as long as it's enough to relax you and not enough to get you drunk.

The other thing, that won't help the way you feel when you arrive, but will help you to aclimate quicker when after you arrive, is to get to Europe in the morning and get out into the sunlight. That helps to reset your biological clock.

I'm also someone who has trouble sleeping on planes. My remedy for help prevent jet lag:

1) Set my clock to arrival time once I'm on the plane.

2) Upon arrival, try to act as if I'm starting the day since most arrivals are in the morning.

3) Have a light breakfast with caffeine

4) Try to get in a shower and change clothes.

5) Get out in the sunshine--even if it's cloudy, get outside.

6) Move. Whether it's walking, strolling, bike riding, whatever move.

7) If absolutley necessary, take a short nap. Not hours mind you, but a short nap.

8) Stay awake until a resonable hour and then I take some melatonin to help me get a good night's rest.

I just got those "jet lag" tablets and will try them on my next trip--if I remember.

As far as alcohol goes, it is dehydrating as is the air on the planes. I find if it skip it, I can handle jet lag much better.

Everyone responds differently. YOu have to find what works for you.

When flying, I use noise-canceling headphones with my Ipod and crank up the music to drown out noise. I use my own down blanket and pillow and try to sleep leaning forward with my head down on my arms on my tray. I also take a Benadry, both for my sinus congestion that I always get on planes, and to help me sleep. I don't want to be totally knocked out in case of a plane emergency.

Before I leave, I reset my body clock by going to bed and rising earlier an hour or so earlier every day, so that I am following European time more closely by the time I arrive.

Also I agree with the advice to get out into the sunshine as soon as possible your first day.

"is to get to Europe in the morning and get out into the sunlight. That helps to reset your biological clock."

That's probably the best advice anyone can offer. Consider jetlag a fact of life. It's not only caused by the interruption of a traveler's normal sleep cycle, but also by the disruption of the internal clock from new patterns of sunlight. You can prepare for this by slowly adjusting your bedtime and wake-up time over the next ten days by about 10-20 minutes per day, but this will only partially prepare you. The best you can do is to not let the effect linger for longer than your first day. Try not to nap upon arrival, and get an extra hour or two of sleep on your first night.

Although some people are able to sleep with the aid of pharmacology, the downside is that if the pill was strong enough to give you a significant amount of sleep on the plane, the effects will probably linger for several hours after you reach your destination. Some travelers swear by melatonin, but the studies on this aren't very convincing. Some people also take over-the-counter medication containing diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in benadryl), but the downside is that it dries out the mucous membranes, and leaves you groggy.

Hi lets keep in mind that travel fatique and jetlag are two different things.
Not sleeping on the flight does make one very fatiqued when they arrive, and since flights arrive in Europe generally in the morning, that makes for one miserable day.

I take a prescribed drug to sleep, I take it just for flying, and it does not give me a hang over as in only lasts about 4-5 hours. (Its antivan but many people take other stuff, talk to YOUR doctor).

When I arrive I go on to local time.

If I did not get to sleep on the flight at all ,, I would take a short nap, everyone says not to, but it is impossible to keep your body awake for 24 hrs or more and not create a situation of over exhaustion which then makes sleep impossible. I would set alarm so I only napped for 1or 2 hours, in mid afternoon, no later then 3 or so. Then stay up till at least 11 pm.

I have tried Melatonin, and my doctor has suggested for our son( he has sleep issues due to other problems) and it does help. But, Melatonin is not a sleeping pill, it can help on fall asleep, but it does not "keep" you asleep, it is helpful to reset your body clock , but does not sedate you .

No matter what you decide to try, ( if you decide to take something at all) try it at home,, before you go and see how it effects you, even over the counter or "herbal" stuff affects people differently.

Good luck.

I can tell you what didn't work. For my first trip to Europe, at night I was taking Tylenol PM to help me sleep at night. It took me awhile to realize I was struggling with the lingering effects the next day. I COULD NOT get going in the morning and was very groggy. I just thought that was jetlag. Now I don't take anything and within 2 days I am pretty well acclimated and those first two days aren't that bad. The best advice would be the get out, get active and mentally adjust your clock as soon as you depart the US.

I don't sleep on planes either. I recomend drinking a lot of water on the plane so you feel better when you get off the plane. I also recomend trying to stay awake until your normal bed time when you get to europe. This is of course a textbook answer, but I've tried everything else and this works best.

Everyone has good advice, but what I will tell you is that I had almost no problem with jet-lag going to Germany (except I didn't sleep on the plane so took a 45 minute nap after checking in at the hotel.) The problem was coming back home! We were zombies for almost a week.

I took the "Jet lag" tablets, wore comfy clothes,drank lots of water, had ear plugs, wore the silly looking neck pillow, eye shades and had little cat naps on the plane. My husband and kids were not interested in any of those things and so watched movies and ate and drank what they wanted. I was the only one who arrive in Amsterdam feeling rested and alert. The others were all zombies. It might have been just luck, but I would do the same again.

I also used the "No Jet Lag" tablets (I believe they have melatonin) and I got to London and hit the ground running! I am not even a believer in holistic approaches, but since they have proven that melatonin helps your brain readjust, I think it really does work on some biological level. The only issue I had was not being able to sleep until 2 am, which isnt a big deal since while on holiday, I dont have to be up or work by 6am :)
Then again, I am a night person at home anyhow!

Sleeping on your flight, by itself, will not shift your circadian clock. For that you need to take measures like special diet, regulate light exposure, or a clock-shifting drug like melatonin (which is a hormone actually) taken at the right time.

Thanks to Tami. I am glad to hear the side benefits of Melatonin. I have taken it successfully for years to help me sleep beyond 4 am.

As I read this page I realize why I have not been affected by jetlag recently. For about 10 years I have flown across both oceans and hit the ground running without feeling any jetlag. Now I know why.

Melatonin is sold over the counter and easy to find.
It comes in various sizes; I take 300 mcg.

We decided to arrive late in the day rather than the morning. Our plane arrived at 5pm, we rented a car and drove to our destination, had dinner and went to bed. We woke up ready to go and refreshed.

I try to reset my internal clock an hour or two in the right direction before my flight.

My watch goes to local time at my destination when I arrive at the airport (just don't miss your plane). From that point on I think about meal and sleep times based on the new local time.

I take an Excedrin PM when I'm in the air. I don't take them any other time so they seem to work pretty well. I don't like earplugs but I will use the eyeshades on the plane. Eliminate as many distractions as you can and relax. Even if you can't get to sleep, you can rest.