Jetlag

Unfortunately there are a lot of folk lore cures which seem to work for some not for others. Mostly it is trial and error for you. It took us about four or five trips to find an approach that works for us. In a net shell - we try to time shift a couple hours or more prior to leaving. On the day of departure we get up on European time, follow the whole day with European time for meals, on the plane within the first 30 minutes we settle in put on eye shades, ear plugs, and ignore everything - no food service, no movies, nothing. I use a mild sleep aid. About an hour prior to landing the plane wakes, we do, freshen up, have whatever is being service for breakfast, deplane, checkin hotel, deposit luggage and do anything that keeps us outside and moving, in the sun, have light lunch and walk. Around 3 pm will take a nap for more more than 2 hours - set an alarm clock - for us this is critical. Do more outside activities, have dinner at the normal time for where you are, to bed within a couple of hours - again I use a sleep aid. The next morning we are in pretty good shape and by the third day the jet lag is very minor.

My rule is to try to get some sleep on the plane (now that I travel across the pond with a 1 year old, it has proven more difficult). Once in country (italy, in your case) try to keep yourself awake until 9pm, then crash until the sun wakes you. If you cave early, it can days to get over it. My method has never failed me or my wife (it even works for my daughter, stunningly enough). It's easier to stay awake if you're starting in someplace like Rome, versus a sleepy little town like Cinqueterre. You'll be totally enamoured by the italians, so it will likely be easier than you think to stay awake. If Rick lists a nightwalk where you're starting, then do it on day one to keep you moving. have fun!

It is a trial and error thing. For me, I have the jetlag down to a manageable level. Try to sleep on the plane if you can. I get motion sick so dramamine helps me to fall asleep - sometimes - other times not so much. I try to get a good night sleep the night before, book a window seat - I don't take anything for motion sickness unless I hear that there is much turbulence, on the plane I have a glass of wine (with lots of water on the side) and sleep when I can - if it is just a few minutes, grab what you can. If I'm not able to sleep much on the plane, I don't worry about it. When I land, I immediately change my thoughts/schedule to Europe time. I continue to drink lots of water. The excitement of being in Europe provides much adrenaline so I'm able to stay awake. I don't go to bed until 10:00 pm Europe time. I consulted with my doctor after getting by on 2 -3 hours of sleep during a trip for about 10 days; now I believe in "better living through drugs." I take one or half a sleeping pill at night for the first 3 or 4 nights about 1/2 an hour before bedtime. I am able to sleep through the night and wake up feeling ready to take on the day. You may want to talk to your doctor. Mine advised that if I was nervous about taking a sleeping pill, benadryl may work. I got over my reluctance to take a sleeping pill and this has worked very well for me (just not on a plane where you are not guaranteed conditions conducive to sleep - I once took the sleeping pill on the plane - and had bad results. I got no sleep with carts up/down the aisles, people crawling over me, kicking the back of my seat, the seat in front of me reclining on me, was very tired and stoned when I landed. I won't do that again.) Good luck and have a great time!

Kelly, Frank and Diane "hit the nail on the head." It is a trail and error type of thing! What works for one, may not work for another. Don't take ANY sleep aids unless you try them at home first! Remember, Jet Lag is a two part thing: sleeping on the plane, and then being able to sleep on EU time once you get there. My wife and I make the trip each year, and we can't sleep at all on the flight over.. We just don't worry about it anymore. We are just too excited to sleep. But, to make sure that we will be OK ,the day after the flight, we do the following: We drink lots of water on the plane, to keep from getting sick. We try to minimize any coffee or alcohol 24 hrs before we leave, and try to have none on the plane. We set our clocks for EU time the minute we get on the plane. When we get to our destination, we DO NOT take a nap (a nap it screws up my clock and trys to put me back into US time.) We take a shower and head outside for a "fresh air" excursion. We have found that it is really important to NOT go to bed before 9 PM EU time on the day of our arrival. We have a nice dinner, with alcohol, and try to find some more outside excusions, then "hit the hay." We usually wake up refreshed and ready to begin our vacation!

My husband and I followed the Rick Steves' plan last October with tremendous success. While we were a little tired our first day, we slept like rocks that first night and were energetic the remainder of the trip. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/jetlag.htm Our travelling companions did not follow the plan -- or any for that matter. They were packing up until the last minute, drank wine on the plane and watched movies all night. They napped when we arrived at the hotel, which threw off their sleep that evening. Not only did they experience jet lag an additional 2 days after we arrived, they each got sick and had head colds throughout the trip. For a sleep aid, I tried melatonin, which works beautifully for me at home. Due to excitement and anticipation, (it was my first trip to overseas), melatonin did not work. Tylenol PM did the trick.

The PP mentioned they get up on European time on departure day. I phase that in over the last four days or so before I go, perhaps an hour earlier each day and earlier to bed. Once on the ground I stay up and active until local bedtime. Its important for me to get it right because my husband is the energizer bunny even on multiple nights of no sleep. I rarely get more than a short nap on the flight and usually feel worse if I do (sore neck and back). I've never taken wine with dinner on the plane but might give it a try this September on the way to France! Got to get in the mood!

Kelly, My suggestions are along the same line as the others have mentioned. It will probably take a couple of trips before you'll find a solution that works for you. Your situation might be a bit more difficult, as you'll be arriving in the morning. You'll be excited to be in Italy and especially the magical city of Venice and anxious to explore, but it's going to be challenging to stay awake all day until ~21:00 regardless of how much sunshine and fresh air you get. If you can manage that, it will help you to adjust to the new time zone quickly. If you can't stay awake, a short nap may be needed, but the critical thing with naps is to be very disciplined and only allow yourself an hour or so. I've tried the No Jet Lag product on several trips, but I can't say definitely that it works. My perception is that it helps a bit and kind of "takes the edge" off the jet lag. I sometimes forget to take the pills at the prescribed intervals, so that could be one reason that it's not as effective for me. I've never been able to sleep for any length of time on international flights. I'm usually so excited to be going back to Europe, that sleep just isn't an option. The best I can manage is short naps. When riding in "sardine class", sleep isn't easy. I usually have an aisle seat, so I have to get up when the others in that row want "out". My legs routinely get hit by people walking in the aisles or by the food cart. I usually like to watch a couple of movies and "enjoy" the fine airline cuisine, as that's part of the experience for me. One of these trips, I'd love to be able to afford Business Class so I could enjoy one of the "Pods" on a long flight. That might make the flight more tolerable. Good luck and happy travels!

I go to Europe every summer and take "No Jet Lag" pills as directed on the box. Since taking them, maybe the last 4 years, they seem to help - don't know if that is physical or mental. I can rarely sleep on the plane ride going over and I almost always take a nap when first arriving at our first overnight destination, even tho that seems to be against most advice. It works for me. As others have said, you will have to decide what works best for you personally.

Here are my two cents... I don't sleep well (any) at all on the plane. So I try and get a good nights sleep the night before and don't drink any alcohol on the flight over. Upon landing, I hit the ground and walk until I can't go any longer. (Usually til around 8pm local time) Then I crash hard and make the switch. Once nice thing about your trip is going to Venice is a lot better for the first semi-comatose day as it is not nearly as dangerous as Rome etc when you don't have your wits about you. You have lots to look forward to.. Relax and enjoy.

I ask my doctor to prescribe Ambien so I can sleep on the plane. If I can get 5 hours it really helps. Bring ear plugs and a mask. I try not to eat on the plane. Remember when you land your stomach is still on home time. So if you eat a heavy meal at lunch time in Italy it will be like doing so early in the morning. So I eat light for the first day and get as much sun as you can. Don't nap for more than an hour or so. Get to bed by 9 and you should be good in 48 hours or less.

I'm with Diane! Just can't sleep on planes, even when I'm occasionally up front. The trying to stay awake all day on arrival just leads to one long miserable day for me. Ambien has changed my life! Instead of being jet-lagged for the first week (from being awake from 3-6AM) I take my Ambien the first 5 or 6 nights, sleep well, and hit the ground running. (I also need about 3 hrs of sleep when I first get to the hotel.) I don't take it on planes because it lasts a full 8 hrs for me. And don't drink wine with it unless you're prepared to sleep with one foot on the floor to keep the bed from spinning! I only take it when I'm traveling, but it's been life-changing.

Kelly, I can relate to your concern as I live near Los Angeles so for us folks on the west coast, it makes for a looong day of travel to Italy! We usually have 1 lay over on the east coast so we always stay awake for our first flight (5 hours) & then try to sleep on our 2nd flight. We eat dinner & then take a sleep aid to fall asleep. I would definitely take some sort of sleep aid on the plane & follow the advice of others in terms of trying to stay awake all day when you get to Venice. If you do need a little nap, don't sleep for more than an hour, so that it won't throw off your sleeping habits that night. I use melatonin at home and have read that it works well for getting over jet lag but since you're leaving next Wednesday, you really don't have enough time to experiment with it. The melatonin in combination with a sleep aid does the trick for me when we fly overseas. I used "No Jet Lag" on our last trip & can't say whether it did much or not. My husband didn't use it & we both slept about 6 hours on the flight, took a small nap when we arrived in Rome, went to bed at our normal bed-time that night & were fine for the rest of the trip so I don't know if the product worked for me or not. Can't hurt though.

As others have said, you will figure out a routine that works for you. I can usually sleep on the plane, if only for a couple of hours, and that does make a difference in terms of how you do on your first day there. Try to stay up but if you need a nap, take a nap. When I went to Germany last year, I couldn't sleep on the plane at all and it really affected how my first day was. I took a four-hour nap and then could only sleep for a few hours overnight. Not the best way to do it, but I had to listen to my body. The next morning I was tired but definitely on Germany time. Try not to worry about it. Worry makes everything worse. Remember that it's just one night on the plane and pay attention to what your body needs and you'll be fine. I have to say I'm surprised that so many people experience several nights of jetlag in Europe. I only experience one and then I'm on the correct time. But when I get home, I have jetlag for about a week.

I'm one of those who doesn't sleep on planes. So for me, I'll try get a good night sleep the night beofre we leave. We'll head to the airport by 10, a 12 hour flight and land at 9:45am. Since we'll arrive at our hotel at around 1:00, I'll muscle through the day until around 9PM and get a full night sleep (around 10 hours) and I'm on schedule. When we arrive at the hotel, if I am non functional, then I'll take a power nap for 2-3 hours. And no matter how tired you are DON'T extend the nap. And ditto drinking lots of water on the plane.

We live on the east coast and our flights always leave in the late afternoon or early evening. The flights, though long, are not long enough for anything but catnaps. Our strategy is always the same. We go to our hotel and just dump or bags: held for storage if our room is not ready yet (normal) or in our room if it is ready (unusual). Then we just go! Our plan is to get out and walk as quickly as possible. If we sit down for even a minute, we're finished (learned that on one of of first trips). We usually scout out what we want to do (really don't do any serious sightseeing, museums, etc), have lunch in the early afternoon, and when we run out of gas, we don't fight it but head back to the hotel (usually about 4 PM) and just go to sleep. We're up early the next morning, rested, ready to go and never have a problem after that. We've been to Europe 8 of the last 11 summers and this is the plan we have come up with. It works for us but know that other plans work for other people. This summer we landed in Milan at about 9:30, arrived in our hotel at about 11 (our room was ready), were out in the street at 11:30 and made it till about 4:30.

After 14 years of European travel, usually two ro three times a year, I was almost always unable to sleep, so I would always stay awake the first day and excitement and adrenalin help. If I need to close my eyes for a minute I would sit on a bench outdoors and rest for a bit. However, on my last 3 trips I have found what helps me (I will not take sleeping pills. tylenol pm, or benadryl maybe ) I bought a really nice pair of noise cancelling headphones and that has made all the difference. I put on a movie I have already seen, so I don't get too involved and I just fall asleep. On my last few trips I did not sleep on the way home, but just watched a ton of movies I wanted to see and I never felt that drag that happens when I fly. Even if I have a shorter US flight the noise of the plane is so stressful and I think these help me tremendously. I will not travel without them again. (I cannot stand earplugs, but they might help as well)

RE Sarah's post above. We all ARE different and just have to find our way. My husband can get off the plane and go straight to a business meeting in Europe while I'm semi-comatose on landing. But flying back home he's jet lagged for a couple of days while I stay up really late on arrival day, and am back on ATL time by morning.