Jet lag - strategies for dealing with it.

[Butch]

This trip home, I've been hammered by Jet lag. normally I'm over it within 2 days max, but i'm suffering at the moment. Coming from SEA to UK, it's supposed to be slightly easier, but despite using 5mg of melatonin to try and reset my body clock last night, I still feel like crap.

Normally, heading from UK to SEA my strategy is to avoid booze on the flight, hydrate, drop a melatonin on the flight to sleep or a xanax / Diazepam if I've got one, hit pattaya and then go to bed when I stagger in, or around 0200 if in the Philippines and allow myself to sleep until 10:00 am, then my body clock resets itself and even if I've had a skinful the night before in Pattaya, after some food I'm good to go. No ill effects of Jet lag at all.

Coming back, same kind of method but as the flight is longer and normally a day flight, I try to sleep for as long as possible, get home, hydrate, and then get into UK time ASAP. again, maybe 1 day of feeling tired but normally over and done with by day 2.

Working shifts helps, as my default body clock is all over the place anyway, but for some reason despite arriving early Sunday AM, it's now Thursday, 19:15 hours and I'm on my chinstrap typing this. It's as if my body refuses to drop into UK time despite my hardest efforts. Work has been a bit of a trial this week!.

I i9magine for you guys Stateside it's even worse, as the flights are punishing in length and duration.

Any tips gratefully received.

 

 

[Stillearly]

I don't think I've ever suffered from jet lag ... I always change my watch to the time of my destination as soon as we take off ... then I start drinking 🍺🍷🍾

 

[Phantom51red]

It might sound daft and probably the last thing you d want to do after a long flight,dont even know if it helps,anyhow anytime ive arrived in uk ive always jumped on a bus[never taxis] depending on which bus it could be either a 1klm walk or a 3 klm walk to my house,can be a push when feeling lke a zombie,so plenty fresh air and a brisk walk,this would also depend on luggage ive mostly travelled with a small backpack.Drugs wise never took anything for a flight,few beers helps ,sometimes a deep sleep for 2 hours can be more beneficial than 6 hours,but fresh air and a good walk may help.

[Lemondropkid]

1 hour ago, Stillearly said:

I don't think I've ever suffered from jet lag ... I always change my watch to the time of my destination as soon as we take off ... then I start drinking 🍺🍷🍾

 

Do the same, am OK going east but that's probably adreline.

Coming back home I feel like rubbish for about 5 days, seems to get worse with age!!

 

[coxyhog]

I've never taken anything apart from alcohol on flights and apart from Muscat to Houston via a 5hr stopover in Paris I haven't really suffered from jet lag.

[Stillearly]

I think the first day is key , both arriving at your destination and when returning home  ... as Phantom said , okay to have a snooze for a couple of hours if really needed , but no more ....same when returning home , I always travelled on a Saturday, so I had a full day home before work 

 

[Khun Ling]

I get smashed. So it don’t matter the day or the time, a hang over is a hang over

[Derek Dangleberries]

As usual I'm gonna be the only person talking shit!

I always pack 2 x teabags of Fitnee in my carry on bag. The evening of my arrival I drink one cup of a strong brew with one bag left soaking for 15mins then squeezed out. 6 to 8 hours later every last bit of shit just shoots out, maybe 2 or 3 times in quick succession. The following night a much weaker brew then gets your body synchronised.

[Lemondropkid]

4 hours ago, Derek Dangleberries said:

As usual I'm gonna be the only person talking shit!

I always pack 2 x teabags of Fitnee in my carry on bag. The evening of my arrival I drink one cup of a strong brew with one bag left soaking for 15mins then squeezed out. 6 to 8 hours later every last bit of shit just shoots out, maybe 2 or 3 times in quick succession. The following night a much weaker brew then gets your body synchronised.

That sound horrible but I might try it😀. Takes days travelling back to the UK for my guts to return to normal. 

[Butch]

3 minutes ago, Lemondropkid said:

That sound horrible but I might try it😀. Takes days travelling back to the UK for my guts to return to normal. 

Yep, DD as always not afraid to bring up the more, ahem...personal subjects 🙂  I agree, my toilet habits have been literally, all over the place. Waking up at 0400 to use it doesn't help the circadian rhythm at all.

However, I might well give that method a go because even after 5 days now, I'm still waking up at 0300 for a cruncho. While I work shifts, so it's not unheard of, normally I adjust my diet fro more convenient timings.

[Derek Dangleberries]

1 hour ago, Butch said:

Yep, DD as always not afraid to bring up the more, ahem...personal subjects 🙂  I agree, my toilet habits have been literally, all over the place. Waking up at 0400 to use it doesn't help the circadian rhythm at all.

However, I might well give that method a go because even after 5 days now, I'm still waking up at 0300 for a cruncho. While I work shifts, so it's not unheard of, normally I adjust my diet fro more convenient timings.

Try using a carrot!

Eating one a day helps me crap quite regularly!

[Smiler]

Think I've tried just about everything over the years but the truth is I haven't found any surefire way of beating jet lag. 

Oddly enough Butch when I was working shifts 3 years ago I suffered the most. 

[maipenrai]

When I was still working full-time, I spent the last three years in an office position that wasn't usually too busy and coming home to this was dreadful with the jet lag for the first couple of days; after I retired I didn't find it so bad. I also found it helped if I spent a day in Vancouver on the way home - I had to book for at least one night because I couldn't fly straight through to home so I'd just book for an extra night there and wandering around the city for a day seemed to help get my  rhythms back on track again. 

[Glasseye]

 

My sleep has been so f***d up the past couple of years I don't even fret about it anymore.

 

I hope to get back onto a more regular schedule when I get back to CM. I know it will take a few days to adjust, but honestly.... I will be so relieved and happy it won't matter.

 

I also have found that going a night without sleep is much easier for me than it used to be. One thing that helps I suppose is that I just don't need as much sleep. Also... when I can't sleep I just get up and f**k around on the computer... in the past I would have been super depressed because there was nothing to do but just lay there. Now I can occupy my mind with nonsense on the computer until I doze off.  It helps that I don't have to work anymore. A big part of the depression from not being able to sleep was worrying about being able to function at work the next day. Now I don't have to worry about that shit anymore.

[forqalso]

When I was still working, I’d get a midnight flight out of San Francisco try to sleep as much as I could on the plane and arrive around 1030 am. Coming home, I’d fly out 530pm the day before I was due back at work and try not to sleep on the plane.  I’d get home around 11pm and be up at 530 to go to work. I’d be at work fine except I’d keep thinking, “damn I was in Pattaya yesterday and I’m in this refinery now.” 
Both ways, you just have to power through the jet lag. You can’t lose a day or two on both ends of a vacation. 

[Glasseye]

12 hours ago, forqalso said:

When I was still working, I’d get a midnight flight out of San Francisco try to sleep as much as I could on the plane and arrive around 1030 am. Coming home, I’d fly out 530pm the day before I was due back at work and try not to sleep on the plane.  I’d get home around 11pm and be up at 530 to go to work. I’d be at work fine except I’d keep thinking, “damn I was in Pattaya yesterday and I’m in this refinery now.” 
Both ways, you just have to power through the jet lag. You can’t lose a day or two on both ends of a vacation. 

 

I always gave myself two extra days upon return to get reacclimated. The thought of going to work the next day was just too dreadful.

[Sangsom]

Don’t fly.

[Butch]

7 hours ago, Sangsom said:

Don’t fly.

Lol, occupational hazard I'm afraid.

However, you are indeed 100% correct. 😀

[forcebwithu]

16 hours ago, Sangsom said:

Don’t fly.

Don't cross a time zone.