I’m travelling on business (from Boston) to China next month, and need some tips to help me deal with jet lag.
Anyone? (Google reveals several thousand potential ‘cures’ of unknown efficacy.
I’m interested in what has worked for you.
Thanks
I usually get slammed the hardest going in the other direction. Works (or mitigates things) for me: Whatever time you arrive, resist sleeping/napping until local bedtime (this may mean wandering around in a pathetic zombie haze for a good portion of a day). Get lots of sunlight. Then pop a melatonin to help kick the internal clock into gear and find a dark place for local night and hope you don’t wake up at 3 AM.
I usually don’t travel far enough for this to be an issue, but have done a few United States to Europe trips. I can’t sleep on planes, so I’m usually completely worn out when I arrive.
The only thing I can recommend is attempting to adjust to the local meal and sleeping times as soon as possible. If you arrive in the afternoon, try to have a normal dinner and go to bed at a normal local time, rather then crashing right away, even if you feel tired. When I arrive during the day I try to do this, and even though that day is really unpleasant, I’m usually completely fine the next day.
It’s usually easier going west. Driver is right: when you get there, go to sleep using the local time. You’ll probably wake up very early the first day, but if you stay in bed, you’ll adjust quickly.
Going east, take a nap for a couple of hours your first day back. Then go to sleep at the regular local time.
“Make fists with your toes in the carpet”’
Just make sure to grab your shoes if you hear gunfire.
I don’t know if Shanghai is east or west - it seems like it’s exactly opposite, and the time difference is 12 hours. My only frame of reference is travelling to London a few years ago. And, so, I herein relate that experience…
I can’t sleep on planes, either. I took the red-eye to London, was up all night, and went straight to the office from the airport. I managed to hang in there till 5 or 6 (local time) and thought it would be a good idea to take a cat nap, then have supper and go to bed at a relatively normal local time (i.e. 11 or so). I ended up sleeping for 3 hours, then I was awake the rest of the night. I seemed to gain a 30 minutes of sleep a night, so that by the end of my 7-day trip I was actually getting about 6 hours of restless shuteye. Then I came home and was a complete train wreck for a week or two. I honestly don’t even remember the two weeks or so following my trip.
people get affected by and deal with jet lag different.y. for me, ambien is your friend. IMHO being rested is the most important. So, I’ll do ambiian on the plane even if landing time is early evening, and then ambian that first night. Too many bad experiences with powering thru and ending up with 6 hours sleep out of 72.
I take ambien on the plane. Shoot for the local sleep time. If you can fall asleep naturally then do so. if wake up at 2.00 am take HALF an ambien. sunlight helps. exercise helps.
Schedule key meetings during normal wake times back home (don’t schedule a key meeting at 2.00am).
I find that I stay awake and can productive take part in meetings if I stand up and/or pace. I apaologize in advance and then stand.
From what I understand, going either way it’s best if you get a lot of sun in the afternoon.
I don’t know how much sun I’m going to get. I’m implementing some IT-related stuff in a datacenter over there.
I’ve never tried Ambien. Maybe I’ll ask my doc.
My recommendations: Try to sleep on the plane as much as you can. Don’t drink more than one glass of alcohol during the flight. It really screws with the body clock.
Can I hijack slightly?
Does anyone have any advice for taking a 1-year-old from the east coast to the west coast? (3 hour time difference)
I’m traveling to San Francisco with some friends and their kid next week, and I’ve been wondering how they’re suppose to adjust - or not adjust - his sleep schedule.
Here is what worked for me.
A few days before you leave, begin to turn lights in your environment on and off, as if you were already at your destination. So if it’s daytime where you’re going, the lights should all be on, leave a small light on while you sleep if necessary. When it gets to be nightime, at your destination, turn your lights all out, close any curtains and live in the dim. Otherwise go entirely about your business, doing your, ‘getting ready’ stuff. Secondly, get a mild sedative to take on the plane, if it’s a long flight, to ensure a solid few hours of sleep. Being excited, to go away, can keep you awake even when you’re physically weary, add a long flight and you’re a mess when you arrive.
I usually take clothes, to change into, once the plane is in the air, take off anything restrictive, etc. Then, just before landing, after a night sleeping, I change back into my ‘getting on and off the plane’ clothes. You feel much fresher, you appear less crumpled and you’ll sleep more soundly. All of which will ease your jet lag. Drinking a lot of liquid, on the flight, is sound advice. There is a reason they are constantly pushing liquids on you, take a drink already!
Once you reach your destination, stay close to your rooms. Need a snack, feel to look around, or a take a walk, do whatever you feel, but don’t stray far from your rooms. When the tired comes it will be sudden and mighty, at least for me. Crash, sleep as long as you can. And don’t schedule too much for that first day, don’t overdo it, and, again, stay relatively close to your rooms, don’t head up country or across the city, look for amusement nearby instead.
These simple things made a very big difference for me and I encourage you to give them a try.