Jet Lag

Ambien on the plane so you can sleep. Just pray to God that you don't have a screaming 2-year old two rows away like we did for the ten hour flight from Seattle to Frankfurt because no Ambien on earth can overcome that. (I kept thinking that the kid would eventually become exhausted. No such luck. I was trying to figure out how to slip the kid some Ambien.)

Awhile back we were speculating that those who typically take naps at home benefit from a nap and those who don't, don't.

I used a combination of No-Jet Lag pills (they work for me...or maybe I just think they do!), sleeping on the plane (got about 4 hours off and on), went for a long walk after I dropped my bags at the hotel, and had an hour long unintentional nap from 2pm-3pm.

I also reset all my clocks to match the time zone I was going to. So upon boarding in Seattle, my watch was adjusted to New Jersey time. Changed planes and reset my watch to Rome time. Then, whenever I would see what time it was I said "Oh, it's 4am, I should go to sleep" and didn't let myself figure out what time it 'really' was. It's very much an individual thing, but I think a good deal of psychological trickery helps!

Stay awake for as long as you can, don't go to sleep once you arrive. You need to reset your body clock to the new time zone. Try not to sleep before at least 8p and you should wake up feeling pretty good the next morning.

Drink as much water as possible on the plane and take something so that you sleep during the fight. And then just stay awake for as long as possible once you get there.

As mentioned above, a lot jet lag adjustment involves resetting your body clock to account for the time difference between when you sleep in Italy and when you have been sleeping in New York.

A lot of people advocate using the over-the-counter supplement melatonin, which speeds up the resetting of the body clock. Taking the melatonin before going to bed in Italy tells your body that THIS is bedtime now, not the time, six hours from now, when the New Yorkers will be bedding down.

Here's the recommendation:

When traveling to points east, on the day of your flight, take one dose of melatonin, as directed on the bottle, between 6 and 7 p.m. your time; you may have to take the melatonin on the plane. On the day you arrive and for the next four days, take one dose of melatonin at bedtime (between 9 and 10 p.m.) local time of where you now are.

Suzanne, after much traveling (including trips to Australia and New Zealand) I've found what works for me is similar to what the others have said; sleep on the plane and then stay up until a normal bed time hour once you arrive at your destination.

Here is my routine: I buy 2 big bottles of water to bring on board and keep hydrated. As soon as I sit down on the plane, I set my watch to whatever time it is currently at my destination; this helps me start to adjust. I sleep on the plane (since its almost always an overnight flight) to simulate a night's sleep. I continue to drink water as well as wash my face, brush my teeth, etc to keep myself feeling fresh. When I arrive it's usually morning so I go about my day and then go to bed around 8-9pm b/c by then I am tired. The next morning, I am adjusted and ready to go!

Enjoy!

Drink as much water as you can to stay hydrated and avoid alcohol or any over-the-counter anti-jet lag items, they invariably make me groggy. Have a wash cloth and a fresh suit in your carry-on; as soon I land I wash up and change my change, which has a remarkably refreshing effect. As soon as you can, store your bags, go for a great walk, and grab a cappuccino. I must admit I'm so excited to be there jet lag really isn't a problem for me, but these tricks help.

In addition to what others have said above, I find that having a nice meal on arrival helps too. It recharges the batteries and gives you fuel to get through to the evening.

Jet lag hates sunlight and activity. When you get to Rome, get out into the sun (even if it's cloudy) and walk. And like everyone else said, stay awake until a decent bed time for Rome. Ditto the water.

Regarding a big meal, that's really individual. I tend to fall asleep after a big meal so I would avoid it my first day. Just light eating. But you may be different.

I've had very good experiences with a melatonin regimen such as the one described above. I also follow the jet-lag diet developed at Argonne National Labs.

However, melatonin is serious stuff--it's a hormone that regulates other hormones--and anyone should read up on it and maybe talk to a doctor before taking it.

The jet-lag diet is useful but also time-consuming in a way that complicates the days before departure. (Worth the trouble in my view but maybe not yours.)

The best is to sleep on the plane. If you sleep on the plane and then stay up until bedtime once you arrive you should be fine.

Suzanne, everyone has their approach. There is no perfect cure and what works for them may not work for you. That cannot be a directly because it takes far too long. We used follow the idea of staying awake at all costs till evening BUT by accident we discovered an approach that works much better for us. We fly from two zones further west but try to time shift by two to four hours the previous two weeks. On the day of travel we follow the time pattern for where we are going. For Rome, we are up at 3 AM and eat meals on that -- breakfast 4AM, lunch at 9 or so, and dinner around 4 or 5 pm. Within an hour of wheels up, we ignore all food service, the noise canceling headphones on, eye shades on, (I use a sleeping pill, M does not). Normally we can get 4 or 5 hours of something close to sleep. On landing, eat on local schedule time, try to walk and stay in the sunshine, around 2 to 3 local time take a MAX two hour nap. We do set an alarm but generally find our nap only lasts and hour to an hour an half. After the nape we find it critical to get back outside. Normal dinner time, and retire around 10 to 11 that evening. We rarely had any problems the next day. We found that the nap is very important to being able to stay comfortably awake until late evening.

Go the the Graffiti Wall and click on Jet Lag Cures for LOTS of differing opinions.

Along with the others I suggest TRYING to sleep on the plane (force yourself). Even if you only doze a bit, it will help. A couple of people I talked with had been advised to stay awake, and learned that they had big problems after that. When they tried sleeping on the flight over on another trip, they found it was much easier to adjust.

I also learned that by setting my watch (already mentioned) and putting myself mentally on the new time, it really helped. Finally- get out and do some rather strenuous walking (15 minutes to half an hour minimum) when you get to your destination and don't go to bed early. A little self discipline will get your "clock" reset really fast.

As for me- no jet lag problems whatsoever when I got to Sicily.

Think local time in Rome from the time you arrive at the airport in New York. Get as much sleep as you can on your flight over. Stay active your first day and force yourself to stay up until a decent bed time. After that you should be in pretty good shape.

Go to Graffiti Wall on this web site and click on Jet Lag tips. Lots of differing opinions.