Overcoming Jet Lag

[CruiseDaydreamer]

We are arriving in BCN on Friday morning for a Sunday cruise.

 

How do you plan your first day after an overnight flight?

 

Arriving at BCN at 8:30, our bodies will think it is 2:30 am! Do you just keep going until bedtime. Do you crash upon arrival, or take a nap in the afternoon?

 

With restaurants serving dinner at 9pm, it seems like a VERY long day.

[ab0si]

While the locals will eat dinner late (2100 would be an EARLY dinner), there are plenty of places to eat before then. Tapas, for example. I doubt you will really want a heavy dinner on your first day there.

 

My routine for traveling East ...

 

1) I adjust my schedule, as much as I can, a few days before the flight.

 

2) On the day of the flight, and on board, I am on the destination's time. If the flight leaves at 8 p.m. EST, I have convinced myself that it is 2 a.m. Since I don't eat dinner at 2 a.m., I don't eat on the plane. No booze either, but lots and lots of water.

 

3) Upon arrival, I make very effort to take a shower and change clothes (even if you can not get into your hotel room, many places have facilities for arriving guests to shower, change and store their luggage).

 

4) I get as much sunshine as possible. A walk really helps me and the sunshine seems to help reset my internal clock.

 

5) I do not nap. I've learned that this makes me feel worse, not better.

 

6) I get to bed early, but not so early that I wake up at 4 a.m. Usually about 9 p.m.

 

Your milage might vary, of course. The above is simply what seems to work best for me after way too many overseas flights <grin>. There is actually one more item which would work better than all six of the above combined:

 

7) Become young again. Age does not help recover from a time zone changes at all!

[WesW]

We also arrive in BCN at 8 am on Saturday for a Monday am embarkation.

 

We usually remain active until early evening, have a light supper and then

retire. This November we are taking a half day BCN tour immediately on arrival (after dropping our bags/valuables off at our hotel).

 

Believe in the Magellan homeopathic remedy; no jet lag. link below:

 

http://www.magellans.com/store/Health___Hygiene___Jet_Lag_PreventionIF398?Args=

 

In January, we arrived in Lisbon (another TA) early afternoon, I took the No Jet

Lag pill regimen...we were active until about 7 pm; then retired (easily)

 

hope this helps

[chipmaster]

Everyone reacts/recovers differently, so YMMV.

 

I'd say first coming from US would be drink lots of water and try to sleep on the plane as best you can the minute the thing takes off or even before it takes off. If you are the kind that can't sleep, don't know what to tell you, try and do 36 hours straight?

 

You probably won't get to the city/hotel till 11:00 or so. I'd say its middle of the day, have a light lunch, walk Las Ramblas, try and visit a Gaudi site or two, early dinner than to bed!

 

Two years ago those in are party that chose to nap really screwed up their time adjustment for a few more days. If one goes down in the afternoon trying to wake up an hour later is very very hard. If you don't wake up, forget it you won't be any closer to adjustment when you wake up again 6 hours later and its 2am local time. The sooner you can go cold turkey and change the better. IMHO if you take a long nap you will make your Saturday a dreamy fog filled day.

 

Good luck!

 

We are arriving in BCN on Friday morning for a Sunday cruise.

 

How do you plan your first day after an overnight flight?

 

Arriving at BCN at 8:30, our bodies will think it is 2:30 am! Do you just keep going until bedtime. Do you crash upon arrival, or take a nap in the afternoon?

 

With restaurants serving dinner at 9pm, it seems like a VERY long day.

[hubofhockey]

I agree that there are differences in how people handle it. I think six to eight hour flights can be the toughest, especially handling the time changes from EST to Europe. We have a 6:30 pm flight which arrives in Europe at 5:15 the next day. The sleep has to happen at some point. We may stay up very late the day before we leave and put ourselves on Europe time a day early. I am at a loss to figure out a better way.

[Keith1010]

On the airplane we drink plenty of water. We do get a few hours of sleep if possible on the plane.

 

When we arrive we push ourselves to stay up as long as we can. We find getting outside and walking around is key for us.

 

We have an early dinner and by the time we are ready to get to sleep we are fairly tired and usually have no problem getting to sleep.

 

Each person is different as to what works best for them.

 

Keith

[Wendy The Wanderer]

The two big issues are sleeping on the plane, and napping after you arrive.

 

I tend not to sleep well on planes, although I sometimes will take a muscle relaxant or two and a glass of wine to get me a couple of hours (I know, I know.) You're not supposed to eat, but given the time of day, I usually eat dinner.

 

So a nap becomes an imperative. It's brutal, because you must then *force yourself* to get up before dinner. That is very hard, you need an alarm of some kind, but then once you have a shower, you're ready for a nice evening with dinner, etc.

 

The problem then becomes sleeping thru the night--you will no doubt wake up about 3 a.m.--try to go back to sleep for a while.

 

"No-Jet-Lag" helps, and is available in lots of places, not just Magellan.

[CruiseDaydreamer]

Thanks for all of the advice. The idea aboout adjusting to the destination time Before the trip makes alot of sense. I think we will try that.

 

What is the big deal about drinking alot of water? I saw this stressed on the Cruise Air board as a tip for enduring the long flight.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for all of the advice. The idea aboout adjusting to the destination time Before the trip makes alot of sense. I think we will try that.

 

What is the big deal about drinking alot of water? I saw this stressed on the Cruise Air board as a tip for enduring the long flight.

 

It's a good idea to drink plenty of water during your flight. A long flight can contibute to dehydration incuding the fact that the humidity in the cabin is kep ver low which causes the air to be very dry. On top of this the overall crampted environement and the overall cabin pressure and the constant noise can cause the body to compenste all of this. By staying hydrated this will help to alleviate various symptems and will assist in moistening the eyes, nose and sinuses along with helping to prevent headaches , earaches and other problems and it is believed that drinking a lot of water is one way of avoiding jet lag.

 

Keith

[WesW]

fyi, article published on Wednesday discussing Jet Lag/solutions:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20100526/ap_tr_ge/us_travel_jet_lag

[Joy Scott]

My dh and I flew into Rome from the eastern US (6 hour diff). We took the evening flight out to arrive in Rome in AM so that we could sleep on the way and hit the ground running. I too have trouble sleeping on a plane and hate to admit it but a took a muscle relaxer too which helped some. We got to the hotel, took off saw as many sights as we could without stopping until about 10pm slept till 8am the next morning and ran as much as we could again until getting on our 10 day cruise. We never felt the jet lag through our entire trip. I don't know if it was the excitement and not wanting to miss anything as that it was our first trip over seas but what worked for us was to just keep going and getting to bed at a reasonable hour each night. Planning another trip this July with our daughter, hope we fair as well this time.

[eyeore1631]

Just got back on Sunday from Barcelona ( 6 hr time difference). My family use a produvt called "No Jet Lag" ( homopathic). Two of us could not sleep on the plane over and two did. You chew a pill evey two hours ( if not sleeping). Tasted like a little mint

 

When we arrived we took a tour and then boarded the ship at 5pm. We stayed up as late as we could ( 10pm) and then slept until 9am next moring. From then on no problem with time change.

 

We did the same thing coming home and have had no problem, except I now get up at 5am without an alarm clock.

[KirkNC]

We take an Ambien, out like a light. We wake up rested and ready to go. I take it as soon as the plane gets in the air and sleep the whole way there. I usually wake up about a hour before we land. Once up, I am fine for the day.

 

Kirk

[Lsimon]

Just got back on Sunday from Barcelona ( 6 hr time difference). My family use a produvt called "No Jet Lag" ( homopathic). Two of us could not sleep on the plane over and two did. You chew a pill evey two hours ( if not sleeping). Tasted like a little mint

 

When we arrived we took a tour and then boarded the ship at 5pm. We stayed up as late as we could ( 10pm) and then slept until 9am next moring. From then on no problem with time change.

 

We did the same thing coming home and have had no problem, except I now get up at 5am without an alarm clock.

 

 

Same approach always works for us.

[Jolimont]

What works for me is this:

 

-no napping after the plane

-lots of time outside (in the sunlight!)

-eat and drink on local time

-bed as soon as the sun sets

 

There are food options in Barcelona all day long, but locals eat around 9pm and the sun doesn't set until 11pm in the summer, so maybe you'd be better off putting off your dinner as late as you can stand and staying up until 10pm at least.

[texancruzer]

I agree with most of the above.

 

We live in So. Texas (end of the road S. Texas) so usually involves more flights than those leaving say from......NY or any other hub area...... such a hassle but well worth it. But involves alot more time (layovers are the worst) and to top it off - I cannot sleep on a plane.

 

Our first trip we lucked out and arrived at 6:00pm....so check in at hotel, dinner and a short walk and bed. Woke up fine the next morning.

 

Due to plane delays we also arrived in the afternoon....... so same as above.

 

I always eat on the plane..... especially when I'm hungry. Do drink water. And stretch and walk during the flight. DVT (deep vein thrombosis) or just plain kinks need to be avoided.

Once there - do not nap......walk. Avoid tours that are mostly riding around. Walk. Then sleep when its time.

[slidergirl]

I'm a No Jet Lag person, also. I've been using that product for years now. Now, I do one thing different from everyone else here. If I start feeling totally out, I'll take a short 30 minute "power nap" around 3:30pm. If I do that, I'm good for the rest of the day. I don't feel any ill effects of my little nap. I'm still good to go the next day.

Another thing to do: fly business class. You can stretch out in those lay-flat seats, have an actually good meal, have a nice real pillow and blanket (in some cases, a duvet), and no one to bump you constantly. Works every time for me :-) (I'll admit that I use my FF miles to do this.)

[cruisemom42]

I've accustomed myself to getting as much sleep as I can on the plane (every bit helps). Generally I try to avoid airplane food; I eat before boarding. After a glass of wine (or two) I put on my warm socks, pull out my blanket and eyeshade and go to sleep. No watching the movie or other distractions.

 

I am one that can't nap on the arrival day without feeling horribly groggy and out of it for the rest of the day. Usually I just "power through" that first day -- I'm often so excited to reach my destination that I can go all day until I hit a wall around 8 or 9 pm local time.

 

(P.S. I never drink a lot of water on planes; I don't want to have to wake up to go to the bathroom! And I've never suffered any ill effects...... Sometimes I think the whole hydration thing is a little overblown. It's not like I'm out hiking in 90 degree weather.)

[MaryPoppinz]

I have a lot of trouble with jet lag, and it's one of the reasons I tend to try to travel north and south instead of east and west. Even a trip to California sets me back for a day or two.

 

We try to use miles to upgrade on at least the outbound flight. Then I take a prescription medication (usually Sonata) when the plane is rolling out for take-off for the longest flight segment. If I'm lucky, that will be enough for me to get a few hours of sleep on the plane, and even a few hours of sleep will carry me through the arrival day. I don't plan to eat or drink on that leg of the flight; it's all about sleep.

 

Arriving in the morning, we plan something relatively active. A walking tour, for instance. Try to stay busy as we can, and if I absolutely need it, a few ounces of diet caffeinated soda at noon. Then, I take the same medication around 6 or 7 pm, along with some melatonin. Usually, I sleep very well that night.

 

Then I do that again the next day, which is usually my most difficult day. I try to power through it with active touring and usually need a diet caffeinated soda again at mid-day. I continue the melatonin at night for the next night or two and only take the Sonata if I wake up in the night before 3 a.m.

 

After that, if it's possible, I try to take a short nap or rest in the late afternoon each day.

 

About the time it's time to return...I feel great. So I reverse the process on the way home.

[lanikeekee]

I cannot reply on the flight from the US to Europe...but I have done a direct flight from Australia to US...I found I arrived a messas I coudl not sleep and I felt ill by the time I arrived...we went straight to the hotel and I tried so hard to stay awake...to no avail it was a waste..once I slept I was fine but I did wake up at about 4 in the morning...but exhaustion took over.:eek:

The flight back was empty so I slept most of the way...I arrived home refreshed and ready to go...the complete reverse of what I had benn told in jet lag!!

To me the key is sleep..get as much as you can on the flight and you will survive :D

[caripoo]

Splash your face with fresh water, change your shirt, get something to eat and go, go, go. You will sleep well that night. Do a reasonable amount of sightseeing for the day, don't overdue, but do not take a nap. Good thing is in Barcelona nobody will eat dinner until 8/830.

 

Enjoy!!!:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[tasha4860]

we are arriving at 11am in Barcelona on a Friday, and are facing the same issue - our cruise leaves on a Sunday. We decided to book a 4-hour-tour that day, they will pick us up from the airport and keep our luggage in the van while they drive us around the sights and then deliver us to our hotel in time for a shower and early dinner. I figured this would be the easiest way to spend the day and keep us awake (3 children with us, aged 10-16).... and not have to try to explore on our own when everyone's tired.

[The Scotsman]

On our return from vacations in the caribbean or US our preferred routine is to have a nap late afternoon but restrict it to no more than 2 hours. Yes you will feel a bit groggy for a few minutes but a refreshing shower takes that away. Then it is business as usual until normal bedtime and we are straight back into UK time - no problem. Done this for many years now and it works well for us.

 

I can see it might be different for people coming this direction for vacation when excitement new experiences and unfamiliar surroundings will be to the fore.

[donnasperls]

Lanikee I agree with you. When you arrive at about the same time as you leave..and you have been travelling for 30 hours...then you know that you have jet lag. I also cannot sleep on a plane and do not have enough money or FF points for business class.

 

Any suggestions for MASSIVE jet lag? That last time I did a 30 hour flight I was seeing double by the time I got the airport and cannot remember the first day of my destination. I think I slept through it. :(

[graceinmelbourne]

Lanikee I agree with you. When you arrive at about the same time as you leave..and you have been travelling for 30 hours...then you know that you have jet lag. I also cannot sleep on a plane and do not have enough money or FF points for business class.

 

Any suggestions for MASSIVE jet lag? That last time I did a 30 hour flight I was seeing double by the time I got the airport and cannot remember the first day of my destination. I think I slept through it. :(

 

 

We will be arriving in Barcelona on the day before our cruise departs. We are flying from Melbourne to Singapore staying a night in Singapore and then flying to Barcelona. The first leg should be fine as it during the day but we are hoping that on the second leg we get some sleep on the plane. We arrive in Barcelona at about 9.00am and according to suggestions need to stay awake for the rest of the day. This is not going to be easy. How important is it not to nap during the day??