What is your technique for adjusting to time change/jet lag?

We have a 9 hour difference too. I also stay up late the first night, with no napping allowed on arrival day after we get off the plane. Sometimes in the first few days I am up at 3 or 4 anyway, but I usually crash by 9 pm the first night so it's OK. A couple of other things I do: - no coffee or alcohol on the flight. Only allow myself coffee when they wake us up for what passes for breakfast before we land, and coffee as I desire until about 2 pm. - set my watch to Rome time as soon as I take off from the east coast. It's a mind game, but it works for me. - the first afternoon especially, go back to your room for a short nap, no more than an hour, after lunch. - make sure your first days are heavily oriented to outdoors activity so you body figures out what time it should "be."
- don't drink too much alcohol in the evening until you have adjusted. Contrary to popular opinion, while a glass or two of wine might make you sleepy, too Mich alcohol will cause poor sleep. Good luck!

Ambien. And expect one day to get adjusted for each two hours of time change. At least that's what works for us.

I'm a heavy-and-short sleeper: without an alarm clock and other health/noise issues, I'll normally wake up after not more than 6h30 of sleep. What I do in intercontinental travel, ideally (not always possible) is: EASTBOUND: force myself not to sleep the night before the flight, so that I'll be totally tired when I board the plane, sleeping in more-or-less the "destination time" already on flight. Then, upon arrival load myself with 2-3 cans of Red Bull and stay awake as long as possible. WESTBOUND: much easier (for me), especially because most flights are daytime ones. I wake up normally, do not sleep on the flight at all, then upon arrival force myself not to sleep at least until 8PM or so (local time of arrival). But that is me: I have much more of an easy time "extending" a day from 24h to - say - 30h or 32h than "shortening" one to 18h.

I only have a 6 hour time difference but I start adjusting my time while at home. I start getting up earlier in the morning and going to bed earlier at night. By the time we leave for the trip the difference is usually no more than 2 hours. This works well for me since I'm an early riser anyway. It's harder on my husband who likes to sleep in. By day 2 I'm usually fine. Donna

I am similar to Laurel in my approach. My last flight is always from the east coast. Upon take off I change my watch to 'local' time in my destination city and just tell myself that is what time it is. If you have a direct flight from SFO, do the same at take off. I try to sleep as much as possible on the flight. Sometimes I can't sleep at all, but I rest. Upon arrival, typically early a.m., I just keep on moving. I try to do things that keep me outdoors, like a walking tour. I stay awake as late as possible that first night, and by the next say I am pretty well adjusted. Unfortunately, I can't say the same when I return home. it usually takes me a week to adjust back to Pacific time.

Yeah I did all those things (except the watch - I don't ever wear one), but still have that issue with waking up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep. Guess I'll just hope it goes better this time. Adjusting my schedule here and ambien aren't options for me. Think I'll take melatonin because it puts me back to sleep ASAP. I just thought there might be something I was missing. Thanks all!

Everyone reacts differently to jetlag - the more trips you take, the more you'll figure out what's best to do. For me it helps if I can sleep on the plane to Europe, even if it's only for a couple hours. But it doesn't seem to matter if I take a nap in the middle of the first day or not - I always fall asleep early and wake up in the middle of the night for a couple hours. The next morning I'm tired but firmly on European time. It's much worse when I get home - jetlag lasts for at least a week and I fall asleep early (around 10:00) and wake up early (around 5:00), which I hate because I'm a night person.

For anyone who's considering Ambien or some other drug, do try it at home before you go. Some people have very weird reactions to those drugs. You don't want to have that happen on the airplane.

Well I had no problem once I was home, but I guess bc I never fully adjusted there.

Have posted long responses on this question before so this is the bullet point editions. We have to shift eights. 1. Two weeks prior begin to shift daily functions by one hour every three or four days. Try to time shift 3 to 4 hours if practical. 2. Night/day of flight - operate on European time. Eat all meals, etc. at the same time as it would be at the arrival city. 3. 30 minutes after wheels up, complete settled in, shoes off, ear plugs, eye shades and IGNORE everything on the plane. I use a sleeping pill. She does not. 4. When they wake up the plane about an hour prior to landing, we participate - breakfast, coffee, etc. 5. On the ground, check-in, walk the streets, stay in the sun as much as possible and do not do anything that encourages sitting for a while. 6. Here is where we deviate from a lot of recommendations. We take a nap from 2-4. 3-5, NO MORE than two hours and we normally wake up around 90 minutes but always set an alarm to insure we don't over sleep. We used to gut it out till 8 or 9 pm but we so exhausted that we didn't sleep well that night. 7. Have dinner on local time, and to bed around 10. 8. Maybe a slight touch of jet lag the next day but by the second no problems. 9. For us the key is the time shifting, ignoring the plane, and the nap.

Frank - when we got on our 2:30pm flight (San Fran to Rome) last year they served us dinner within an hour and a half or so. How do you eat at Italy time if that is the case (that would be 12:30am). This year I leave at 6am, fly to JFK, and leave there at 3:05pm. Either way I don't see being able to eat at Italy times. Also, has anyone else read you shouldn't take sleeping pills on planes due to increased risk of blood clots? I wouldn't mind taking an OTC drug, but I read that before I went last year...

We used to use the no jetlag pills, but eventually found them to not be worth the cost. As we take off I set my watch to the local time at our arrival city. Upon checking in to the hotel we unpack and go out for some food and alcohol. We'll be in bed by ten or eleven, and then up for breakfast, and all is fine. Coming home is more of a problem. We were gone for forty-six days in the Fall, and once home it took us about a month to readjust. Everyone handles the problem of time zone change differently. Accumulating your own experience is probably the best source of advice.

The heavy-duty sleeping pill+airplane suggestions really frighten me; I've seen people on international flights that could not be roused at all. No way could some other passenger drag their (soon-to-be) dead weight off of that airplane...I have used Tylenol PM (not sure how much difference that made), but that's another animal. My biggies, after much experimentation and flat-out pain:
1) Get as much rest as possible before your departure. I still suffer a bit in this department...Being physically exhausted doesn't allow you to relax; you're waaaay too tense and keyed-up. Then, your mental exercises kick in - 'did I do this?', 'did I pack that?'. Force yourself to be completely packed two days early. 2) Plan nothing for your arrival day, nor the day after. Certainly no tours you have to be there for. I really need to get my 'sea legs' under me and start my trip well-rested; otherwise, I just fall further and further behind in my rest. Then I get sick, and/or lose my enthusiasm for my itinerary I was so excited about :-( 3) No, or very little, traveling after arrival by airplane. I've learned my lesson - on my last trip, I arrived from a direct West Coast flight into Zurich (approx 425 hours) then after a 2-hour wait, boarded a very nice train for a 5 hour ride to Salzburg. OUCH. Truly fabulous scenery, and we slept/nodded off the whole time and felt absolutely miserable. Next time: putt around Zurich the rest of the day, then take the morning train. 'Waste' a day...for a big payoff later.

(cont.) 4) Similar to #3, split-up your trip - fly West Coast to East Coast and arrive earlyish in the day, then do very little (avoid the temptation to sight-see). Then fly the second half on to Europe and not feel like you've just endured a marathon. 5) Find a drinking establishment and begin your 'cultural research' into that region's fluid offerings. Go on, drink up! Try a little of everything! When will you be here again? Then sleepsleepsleep it off. (did I just type that out loud?) don't go mixing things up; always remember: Wine then whiskey, very risky
Whiskey then wine, very fine

I do wear a watch, and setting it to the arrival time zone as soon as I get to the departure airport is the single most helpful thing I do. Sleep onj the plane - never took a sleeping aid, but always stay hydrated with non-alcoholic or non-caffeinated beverages in flight. Coffee with breakfast before landing is fine for me. I try to take a brief nap in the afternoon on the first day, but after that, I'm fine.

Hubby and I try hard to nap on plane, but hard to get in much more than cat naps, with all the distractions, uncomfortable quarters, crying babies, people pulling on seat backs when they get up, etc. (we don't fly business or first class due to $s). Have tried sleep aids with mild success. Once at hotel, we go outside and do light outside touring (seeing some things while getting oriented), find lunch (outside cafes or at a minimum by a window), try to tour a bit more, but usually body starts crashing around 1 or 2 pm.........nap (with the anticipation of sleeping thru the night), but we then wake up hungry naturally around 7 or 8 pm....go out for a light dinner and then back in bed by 9 or 10 pm. Set alarm for 6:30 or so the next morning. Usually well-adjusted and ready to go. We consider our first day in our fly-in/adjustment day vs. a serious touring day. Coming home...ugh....few days in really groggy, exhausted state.... I always swear it was my last transatlantic flight ever....takes me an entire week to get back to being myself. But, after the first week, especially after we have a chance to look thru photos, then within a month, already thinking about the next place to go. Life in first and business class HAS to be better. Maybe someday we'll splurge.

I must be an oddball but I have never experienced jetlag. It is grueling flying from the west coast where I live to Europe, and I never am able to really sleep on a plane, but I try to schedule my flights so that I arrive in the late afternoon so I can get to my hotel, check in and take a nap (and I am not a napper) for an hour or so, then get up and "accept" whatever time it is. Then go out, have dinner, then to bed . Flying home is easier because you gain time, then once again accept
whatever time the clock says.

Can you take Benadryl? If you don't take drugs very often, and don't drink much, 25 mg should be enough. If you take 50 you'll sleep REALLY well!

PS-Tylenol PM is tylenol with benadryl. One tab should do you. I know people take big time sleeping pills a lot, my concern is if something happens on the flight I would not be fully alert. Not that I'm a nervous flier but....also I'm a nurse and have rendered care on an international flight, I would hate to know that someone needs medical care but I should not be doing it because I'm drowsy.