Jetlag remedies/suggestions??

When you fly abroad, you have 2 factors working against you.

1) You may not get enough sleep on the flight. I would advise Melatonin or Benadryl allergy pills (Diphenhydramine, same thing in Advil PM, etc). Definately try to get some rest. Even when I have only gotten 3 or 4 hours of broken sleep, it made a world of difference compared to a time when I got none. It lets you at least be a bit coherent for when you have to deboard, get luggage, go to customs, etc.

Also, I freshen up in the planes bathroom before landing. Wash face, brush hair & teeth, apply deodorant and a bit of lipgloss. It makes you feel a bit more alive!

2) You may get actual Jetlag. When I go abroad, I make sure to stay up until 9 or 10 pm my first night. Even if I get to Europe at noon, I do not sleep. Usually I can't even take a nap even if I wanted to because I am excited and can't relax. I get to my hotel and take a shower, change into clean clothes and go somewhere and get a coffee. Then I eat a small meal later. The first day is usually a wash. Don't plan to see/do anything that you really want to see/do because your heart wont be in it.

When I go to London, for instance, I just spend the rest of the first day getting my toiletries from a shop, getting a few food items to keep in my room, getting postcards, and taking a stroll around my local area. Then I go to bed by 10 and wake up around 7/8am and I am on track the next morning. This has worked for me on 3 European trips so far!

I agree with the others- try to sleep on the plane. Dramamine works for my husband. He takes 1/2 of a regular (NOT non-drowsy) pill and is usually asleep before they serve the meal. I often have a glass of wine with my meal- no more than 1 though. If not, I too take either a dramamine or benedryl. When you arrive, check in to your hotel then go out into the sunshine and walk a bit. Get oriented, plan your route to your first destination each day, visit a park-- anything that keeps you out in the sun and moving for at least a few hours. Then eat a good supper and get to bed at a reasonable hour.

We usually arrive in London in the early morning (7-8 am) and usuaing this method, we don't have a problem with jet lag.

If you can adjust your "personal internal clock" gradually over a few days before your trip if may also help- you have a few more time zones to deal with than those of us on the east coast. Try to slowly start matching your sleep time (and meals) to Italy's if you can- even a slight adjustment can help.

Advice: If you're going to take any medication, talk about it first with your physician, who knows your medical history and can go a physical examination, if necessary. Even over the counter medications have contra-indications for some people. Should you decide on a medication to help you sleep on the flight, make sure you test it before you leave so you know how it will affect you and how to time your doses.

Most people WILL be tired on their first day of arrival, that's almost a given. They key is to take it easy and limit the damage so that it doesn't overly affect subsequent days. Every veteran traveler has their own techniques that work for them, but may not work for everyone. I, for instance, take a brief nap on the first day, go to bed early, and wake up slightly later than I would at home. But that's what I've found works for me after much trial and error. Would it work for you, who knows?

It's all about resetting your internal biological clock as quickly as possible, which you can do by trying to eat and sleep on your new local time, expose yourself to as much sunlight as possible, and use melatonin to encourage sleep at the new local sleeping hours.

Some years ago, there was a book touting a variety of these strategies, including using a special diet three days before leaving for Europe to help in resetting your clock through manipulating glycogen levels in the blood. I tried it several times and it really did work (or was a terrific placebo!) but frankly, it was too much of a pain in the neck to adhere to so I don't bother with it anymore. What I did learn from the book, though, is that lean protein helps your body to perform alertly and carbs help it feel sleepier. So, on the day of my flight, I set a watch to local time and try to eat a carb-heavy meal at about the time that a late dinner would occur in Europe, followed by a tablet of melatonin. Then I try to sleep, or at least rest and cover my eyes with an eyeshade. When it's wake-up time in Europe, I get up, wash my face, move around a bit, go back to the galley and get a couple of cups of coffee, eat a bit of protein-rich food, and try to be mentally active--do a crossword puzzle or sudokus, read, etc. If I'm in a window seat and I can get away with it, I crack the window cover and expose myself to a bit of sun. Once on the ground, as others have said, as much outdoor exposure as possible--no sunglasses, please. And for me, napping just extends the number of days I feel jetlag, so I resist it by getting a distance from my hotel room!

On your first day or two, try to emphasize protein for breakfast and lunch and carbs at dinnertime. The usual Italian breakfast of rolls and coffee doesn't provide enough protein to encourage alertness, so you might have to feast on cheese, cold cuts, eggs, yogurt instead. A carb-heavy dinner in Rome is easy, though--pasta, risotto, bread, salad, wine-yum!

Except for a few winks on the plane, I never really sleep. In fact, neither the kids or hubby can sleep, so we all get in exhausted.

I have read about people here booking a "hop on, hop off" tour the first day and cannot imagine doing something like that.

We check into our hotel, have a cup of decaf tea or coffee, a snack, shower and hit the bed if the room is available. If not, we do the above and go out for a little walk until the room is ready, and then hit the bed for a couple hours. Later on we go back out and stay up until we can't stand it anymore.

Everyone is different. I know for us we would be so cranky we would not enjoy anything that day, so we don't fight it much. The first real day in Europe, we are usually ready to head out!

I always try but can rarely sleep on the flight over no matter what I do (sans pills). So, I'll watch movies, listen to music, read, and rest as best I can. After arrival, I always check into the hotel and immediately head out for something to eat and to see a few close-by sites for the remainder of the day. I’m normally pretty tired that first afternoon/evening and can get cranky, so I try to keep things light, simple, and within easy walking distance. I’ve done crazy things before, such as driving for 2 hours after arrival, but I don’t do that sort of thing anymore. I take it easy that first day. After dinner, I’ll head back to the hotel and will usually be in bed no later than 9 or 10 (although it’s been as early as 7:30 before). Try to stay up until 9 or 10. You may wake up and be fully awake at a weird time in the middle of the night that first night, but try to keep a regular schedule from there on out. My best advice is to stay reasonably active after arrival and don’t go to bed until 9 or 10.

I agree with Tom that you'll figure out what works best for you with trial and error. Good luck!

Things I have done in the past to overcome jet lag -

First day in London, tried to see everything on our list, filling up a roll of film (I'm older, kids - I predate digital) only to find that my wife had forgotten to put any film in the camera, being too tired to rememer. Try seeing the exact places once again IN THE SAME DAY THAT YOU GOT THERE!!! We did not talk to each other in normal tones till we got to Italy two weeks later.

Falling asleep in the middle of dinner in Bayonne, with food halfway up to my mouth. That was a particularly long day, having flown in to Paris and then training down to the south of France without a break.

Taking a train from Malpensa, then catching a bus in Como, to Belagio on Lake Como that got stuck on the road between the side of the mountain and a semi truck coming the other way on the too narrow a road to accommodate both the truck and the bus in the same space. I would have just walked the rest of the way if the doors to the bus had not been blocked. Two hours of stiffling heat spent with a whining and grousing spouse. My wife finally just told me to man up.

Staying up all night to look at the Hale Bopp Comet as we flew over Greenland.

Sure, you can just stay up as long as you can the first day, or try to sleep on the plane, but why miss out on this kind of stuff?

We've had several hundred posts on jet lag, and click here to read 'em.

In fact, we may have the world's greatest repository of advice on jet lag. Ironically, Tom (from Somewhere Else) is the only doctor on the site and he suggests talking to your doctor before taking some of the over the counter stuff. Think I'll take the doctor's advice.

Jetlag is different for everyone and it can even change from one trip to the next. I would say listen to what your body needs. Yes, the first day overseas might be nothing but a short walk and a long nap, but you shouldn't push yourself. It's best to try to sleep on the plane but if you aren't tired (without the help of drugs), then trying to sleep may not do you much good. Sometimes I can stay awake until 10pm on the day that I get there, but on my most recent trip to Europe I arrived in Hamburg at 7:30am and was falling asleep at noon. I didn't sleep on the plane and my friend and I had the whole day planned, but I had no energy. I slept for 4 hours, between 2pm and 6pm, and I felt much more myself when I woke up.

The only real way to combat jetlag is with sunshine.

When you arrive at noon Rome time, it will be 3 AM in California. Your body will be asleep and will not expect sunlight. The best thing you can do for jetlag is to get out into the sun, as soon as possible. This will force your body to start acclimating. If you wait until 3 or 4 PM Rome time, 6 or 7 in California, it will be too late.

The next morning, get up with the sun.

My own experience on 8 or 9 intercontinental flights has been:
1. Yes, the airline will have several movies or TV shows to choose from, and a nice looking little documentary on the place you're visiting. Avoid them. Getting some sleep is more worthwhile. (Catch the films when you awake or on the return flight when you want to stay up!).
2. Don't forget to stay hydrated, which means taking as much water on board as you are allowed, accepting a free cup of water from the flight attendants whenever it's offered, and say no to any alcoholic drinks on the flight.
3. (Related to 1 & 2). When you're not sleeping, use the bathrooms at all the quiet times. Those of us following the previous rules will be lined up for the toilets as the pilot announces the approach for landing!

Arrivaderla!

We need to b mindful thaqt we are oftne discussing two different issues here.

Jetlag

Travel fatigue

Jet lag , where body clock is out of sync seems to affect some of us more then others, and yes, travel fatigue doesn't help.

I drug myself for plane ride to hopefully get a bit of sleep. I try and stay awake till an early bed time when I arrive. I allow myself a few days to feel in sync again, but proceed with sightseeing regardless. I also keep cookies in room for 3 am breakfasts,, LOL

As for going to a doctor before taking a common non prescription sleep aide or just to discuss jetlag,, UNLESS a person had some other issues ,, making an appointment just to discuss jet lag would be seen as wasteful by some of us, but I know in States your healthcare system is different.I would bring it up as an appointment for a real issue though,, or while in for something else.

I took the tablets called jet lag, stayed away from alcohol and was okay. Good advice about being in the sunshine it really helps. Just don't plan too much for your first day.

Hello Brigette. Most of the repliers to this question were talking about "Jetlag", which is a person's brain being in a different time zone than the time zone that the person's body is in. When you will arrive at your destination in Europe, you will experience a lack of sleep. When I travel in an airplane at night to Europe, from the U.S.A., I sleep a total of one hour, or two hours. In my flight from Detroit to Frankfurt I was asleep three hours (after swallowing the medicinal herb kava kava). That is not enough sleep. Other persons here offered advice for adjusting to the different time zone in Europe, as quickly as possible. I choose to get some sleep there, first. Adjusting my brain to the different time zone is worked on later. But I acknowledge that arriving at an airport in Europe at a time in the afteroon causes a problem : if a person sleeps for two hours in the late afternoon, that could prevent a person from being able to go to sleep at 10:00 that night. Do not sleep for 8 hours during the day. Going to sleep at 2:00 p.m. (local time), and awakening at 10:00 p.m. would ruin a person's trip, because the person would be awake all night, and the next morning when it is time to begin sightseeing, the preson will feel tired and need to sleep. Thus, I try to get a flight that will put me at my destination airport in Europe at a time early in the morning, I go from that airport directly to a hotel or B & B, and sleep two hours that morning. And I do some walking outside in the afternoon. Some hotels and B & Bs allow a guest to check in in the morning. Some very large hotels located near an airport let guests check in at any time, but that might be only for guests who paid in advance at the hotel's internet website. But you can ask for an exception to that, via telephone. Rome is a big and stressful city. Visitors there need to be well rested.

Interestingly, I find that I can fight through the jet lag on my east bound flights much easier than west bound. This seems to apply even when I fly to NYC vs going to CA. I have a harder time on the west coast. I do think though that when I come home from Europe, I have less incentive to battle the jet lag. I drag through work and go to bed early and don't get my clock reset as quickly as I do when I have the excitement and motivation of vacation and Europe.

When I go to Europe I do try to stay awake until 9 PM. A few times, I've tried a quick nap early in the day. I'm not sure if it's helped. On my latest trip I think I slept for over 3 hours as I missed breakfast! Either that or they never served it!

Pam

I've found that planning is the key. Being a life-long insomniac I've made it a mission to get quality sleep even at home.

I eat a good sized meal hours before I get on the flight. Then I usually skip the in-flight dinner. The reason? Acid reflux and fewer trips to the bathroom.

Picking your seat is important too. Try to find a seat equally spaced between the bathrooms. If you sit too close to the bathroom the racket from the door opening and closing will wake you. Not to mention people who start conversations around the bathroom door.

If you are with a group try to sit in the same row. The person most likely to use the bathroom should take the aisle seat. If you're alone then skip the center aisle and get a window seat. No one will wake you to get to the bathroom and they can't play with the window shade.

I also try to pick the center aisle. No one can open a window shade on you.

Travel pillows: The U-shaped pillows work well for me. But I put them on backwards with the bulky base under my chin instead of on my neck. That keeps my head from falling forward and being jerked awake.

Instead of Melotonin or Advil PM I simply pop a multi-vitamin.

I use an eye-shade and those silicone ear-plugs you flatten and put over your ear canal. Dress light too.

The night before the flight I stay-up as late as possible. Then I will be good and tired later into the flight. Even if you sleep before the lights are out it's still sleep and it counts.

Get the check-in time for your hotel or B&B. If check-in is in the afternoon then book the latest departing flight. There's nothing worse than arriving early in the morning (European time). Most check-in time is 1 or 2 in the afternoon. For example, you arrive in Europe at 6 am but check-in is 2 pm. That's eight hours you have to kill when you're literally a zombie.