Jet lag-----need help

[weimluvr]

If there is anyone out there that can help with this I would really appreciate it. I have tried Melatonin tablets, didn't work. I have heard of a product called "No Jet Lag" and may try it if people think it might help. Thoughts anyone?????

[HeinBloed]

If there is anyone out there that can help with this I would really appreciate it. I have tried Melatonin tablets, didn't work. I have heard of a product called "No Jet Lag" and may try it if people think it might help. Thoughts anyone?????

 

I bought them last time at VITAMINE SHOPPERS...

 

Frankly spoken...

 

The good: all natural ingredients...

The bad: it was so complicated to take (depending to meal, sleep, flight time) that I totally forgot to take them...

 

They are very inexpensive. So try them yourself. Due to the natural ingredients: they cannot make anything worse...

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

[cruzcat]

If there is anyone out there that can help with this I would really appreciate it. I have tried Melatonin tablets, didn't work. I have heard of a product called "No Jet Lag" and may try it if people think it might help. Thoughts anyone?????

 

I tried them on my flights to/from Barcelona last year. I think they helped somewhat. You do have to take them every two hours starting before you board your flight. I felt pretty good when I got to Barcelona at 7 am and during the day. The key going west to east is to try to stay up until your normal bedtime in the country you are in. We crashed at 10 pm Barcelona time and had a good nights sleep. Felt great after that. Coming back was a different story! Even with the No Jet Lag tablets, I was in a fog for three days! Try to schedule some time at the end of your vacation to recuperate. At least two days should do it. Good luck!

[Hlitner]

We had a long discussion on this topic, with a few physicans. The bottom line agreement was that none of these products work, although if you think they work, than that's fine. After all, the "placebo effect" can be very effective.

 

After doing long trips for over 40 years, we have come up with a pretty good formula for going to Europe. We stay awake the first day until about 3 pm, by which time we can usually get into our hotel. We than take a nap, but keep it to no more than 3 hours. After waking, we take showers and than head off to dinner. The short nap really does work (although we feel lousy when we first wake-up) and we are able to usually enjoy a normal dinner without falling asleep in our soup. We than go to bed at the normal time, and usually we are fine the next day.

 

Hank

[Pat.bz]

Last summer skeptical DH and I took these pills at the insistence of a friend who is a frequent traveller for business. We left Frankfurt and arrived in Orlando with no jet lag: I'll take them forever more.

[Baseball fan]

I love "no Jet Lag". I initially found it at Trader Joes but they no longer carry it. Last time, I bought it at REI. The first time I used it was on a flight from Singapore to LAX. I came home and wasn't tired at all (usually I am messed up for a week). I have since used it on flights to and from China and Australia. I am going to Europe in the fall and just checked my supply to make sure I have enough.

 

I know Magellan's carries it and I believe Travelsmith might too.

 

Enjoy!

[andynapril]

What are these pill supposed to do, does anyone know? I am very worried since I can't normally sleep on planes. I was planning on just taking something like Tylenol PM to make me fall asleep. Is that what these pills do? Just wondering why they would be different. Thanks.

[weimluvr]

What are these pill supposed to do, does anyone know? I am very worried since I can't normally sleep on planes. I was planning on just taking something like Tylenol PM to make me fall asleep. Is that what these pills do? Just wondering why they would be different. Thanks.

 

Go to http://www.nojetlag.com and you will get alot of info on this homeopathic product. Hope this helps----I am going to REI tomorrow to get some. I can't sleep on planes either and am willing to try this after reading the responses to this post. Thanks everyone who replied, I'll be trying this product in about 3 weeks. :D

[andynapril]

Sounds like it couldn't hurt. Has alot of herbs that relax and help with anxiety, etc. According to this website I'm wondering if it's a good idea to take something to help me sleep, especially WITH this product. Hmmm. Thanks for the info.

[gordiej]

I travel a fair amount for Business. I can do 6-7hr time changes with minimal jet lag.

My trick - try to get at least 4-5 hours of sleep on the plane eastbound (i.e., to Europe). Prescription sleep aids are indispensible for me, I use Ambien. Take a shower upon arrival at the arrivals lounge or hotel. The shower is key for me. Then I'm pretty much good to go for the rest of the day. If necessary (and schedule-permitting), take a short nap in the afternoon, I say no more than 60-90 minutes, just to re-charge. Stay awake until your normal bedtime, local time. Drink Red Bull (and vodka!) if you need assistance. :)

 

Of course most of this supposes I'm in Business or First Class. I'm not sure even an Ambien would help much in Coach...

 

On the return (westbound), it can be a little tougher. I think it's helpful to take a brief nap on the plane. Then again, force yourself to stay awake until your normal bedtime. Maybe take a sleeping pill to stay asleep for a full 7-8 hours.

[JudeeJim]

I suffer from flight anxiety so my doctor gives me medication to take before I board the plane. It is alprazolam, generic for Zanax. This relaxes me and I am able to sleep on the airplane. Going east I didn't have jet lag but have to admit I did going west.

 

Judee

[sailingkiwi]

To be honest, if the time change is 6 - 8 hours it isn't really jetlag, it is just sleep deprivation from only getting 1 or 2 hours when you normally have 6 or more.

 

If you have ever travelled from New Zealand or Australia to Europe or the East Coast of the USA - then that is jetlag!

 

If you manage to get 4-5 hours sleep on the plane then you will probably be ok. If not, then my advice is to get outside in the sunlight as soon as possible. If you do have a nap do so mid afternoon (as suggested above) and for no more than 2 hours. Then go to bed at a somewhat normal time. Drink lots of water.

 

For me, the sunlight is the most important thing.

[seapenarth]

Last summer skeptical DH and I took these pills at the insistence of a friend who is a frequent traveller for business. We left Frankfurt and arrived in Orlando with no jet lag: I'll take them forever more.

 

East to West is not a great problem. It`s West to East and flying against the sun that is the killer :(

[Globaliser]

To be honest, if the time change is 6 - 8 hours it isn't really jetlag, it is just sleep deprivation from only getting 1 or 2 hours when you normally have 6 or more.

 

If you have ever travelled from New Zealand or Australia to Europe or the East Coast of the USA - then that is jetlag!

Actually, jet lag is a more complex phenomenon than this. What any individual suffers is a mixture of some or all of the following:-

• Time zone changes, which mean that your body clock makes your body demands things at the time that your body thinks it is, not local time. So you'll be awake when you want to be asleep. You'll feel astonishingly sleepy at times when you want to be awake - including when your body reaches its natural sleep trigger at about 2 pm or 3 pm body clock time. You'll often be hungry at strange times - because it's meal time by your body clock. You'll feel strangely hot, or cold, when you least expect it - the natural daily variations in your body temperature. And perhaps most disrupting of all, your kidneys shut down in the middle of the night - by body clock time - so you often end up having to get up in the middle of the night (local time) to go to the toilet.
• Sleep deprivation, if you take an overnight flight and you don't get some good sleep during the flight. By good sleep, I mean many hours long and uninterrupted, so you get lots of good dream sleep that your brain needs to refresh itself. Fitful dozing, always half aware of everything that's going on in the cabin around you, doesn't do it.
• Dehydration, because the aircraft cabin air is very dry, and many airlines don't do much to make you stay wet inside.
• Hangovers. Yes, seriously - if you drink a lot during the flight, and I have seen many people do this, you are as likely to have a hangover when you get off at your destination as if you'd been partying wildly at home.
• Lack of exercise. Sitting relatively still for many hours on end will always leave you with a blaaah feeling from the lack of movement and circulation. One of the things that can happen is that this may make you feel bloated from whatever you've eaten, even if it's not very much - simply because your insides are not working as hard because you're not moving around much.
• And bloating from the air pressure changes, which do have an effect on your insides anyway!

The length of the flight is only part of the problem. If I fly from Sydney to London, I feel and function much better than if I fly from New York to London.

[cruisemom42]

I travel a fair amount for Business. I can do 6-7hr time changes with minimal jet lag.

My trick - try to get at least 4-5 hours of sleep on the plane eastbound (i.e., to Europe). Prescription sleep aids are indispensible for me, I use Ambien. Take a shower upon arrival at the arrivals lounge or hotel. The shower is key for me. Then I'm pretty much good to go for the rest of the day. If necessary (and schedule-permitting), take a short nap in the afternoon, I say no more than 60-90 minutes, just to re-charge. Stay awake until your normal bedtime, local time. Drink Red Bull (and vodka!) if you need assistance. :)

 

Of course most of this supposes I'm in Business or First Class. I'm not sure even an Ambien would help much in Coach...

 

On the return (westbound), it can be a little tougher. I think it's helpful to take a brief nap on the plane. Then again, force yourself to stay awake until your normal bedtime. Maybe take a sleeping pill to stay asleep for a full 7-8 hours.

 

This works well for me too, except that I am able to sleep just using Tylenol PM or Advil PM.

 

I'm just dreading the Atlanta-Tokyo flight next year.....:cool:

[sailingkiwi]

Actually, jet lag is a more complex phenomenon than this. What any individual suffers is a mixture of some or all of the following:-

• Time zone changes, which mean that your body clock makes your body demands things at the time that your body thinks it is, not local time. So you'll be awake when you want to be asleep. You'll feel astonishingly sleepy at times when you want to be awake - including when your body reaches its natural sleep trigger at about 2 pm or 3 pm body clock time. You'll often be hungry at strange times - because it's meal time by your body clock. You'll feel strangely hot, or cold, when you least expect it - the natural daily variations in your body temperature. And perhaps most disrupting of all, your kidneys shut down in the middle of the night - by body clock time - so you often end up having to get up in the middle of the night (local time) to go to the toilet.
  
• Sleep deprivation, if you take an overnight flight and you don't get some good sleep during the flight. By good sleep, I mean many hours long and uninterrupted, so you get lots of good dream sleep that your brain needs to refresh itself. Fitful dozing, always half aware of everything that's going on in the cabin around you, doesn't do it.
  
• Dehydration, because the aircraft cabin air is very dry, and many airlines don't do much to make you stay wet inside.
  
• Hangovers. Yes, seriously - if you drink a lot during the flight, and I have seen many people do this, you are as likely to have a hangover when you get off at your destination as if you'd been partying wildly at home.
  
• Lack of exercise. Sitting relatively still for many hours on end will always leave you with a blaaah feeling from the lack of movement and circulation. One of the things that can happen is that this may make you feel bloated from whatever you've eaten, even if it's not very much - simply because your insides are not working as hard because you're not moving around much.
  
• And bloating from the air pressure changes, which do have an effect on your insides anyway!

The length of the flight is only part of the problem. If I fly from Sydney to London, I feel and function much better than if I fly from New York to London.

 

Yes, I totally agree with all this. I actually didn't mention the length of the flight at all. I just think that adjusting to a 6-8 hour (what most East Coast Americans have when flying to Europe) time difference in the long term is a lot easier than adjusting to a 8 hour plus time difference (what most New Zealanders have when flying to Europe).

 

It takes me a day to adjust when doing a transatlantic flight (overnight) and that is mostly just catching up on one nights lost sleep. It takes me 2 or 3 when doing the flight from NZ to London - in this case I have normally lost 2 nights sleep, plus my body at 10am thinks that I should be asleep.

 

What I suggested for helping with the jet lag - a nap, lots of water and being outside all help conbat the points that you made above, I just wasn't so explicit in why I suggested them.

 

All I am trying to point out is that there is no point getting stressed out about jetlag, which so many people on this forum seem to do!:D

[marci22]

We had a long discussion on this topic, with a few physicans. The bottom line agreement was that none of these products work, although if you think they work, than that's fine. After all, the "placebo effect" can be very effective.

 

After doing long trips for over 40 years, we have come up with a pretty good formula for going to Europe. We stay awake the first day until about 3 pm, by which time we can usually get into our hotel. We than take a nap, but keep it to no more than 3 hours. After waking, we take showers and than head off to dinner. The short nap really does work (although we feel lousy when we first wake-up) and we are able to usually enjoy a normal dinner without falling asleep in our soup. We than go to bed at the normal time, and usually we are fine the next day.

 

Hank

 

I will try this in two weeks, and let you know how it goes :)

[Globaliser]

All I am trying to point out is that there is no point getting stressed out about jetlag ...

Totally agree! And no point trying to avoid it completely - you can't!

 

Actually, personally I learn to live with the jet lag and make it work. For example, for at least two or three days after I get back from Sydney, I find myself waking up at 3 am or 4 am. It's great to get up, get dressed and go to the office, because I can get hours of good work done before the phone starts ringing!

[mochuck]

They are very inexpensive. So try them yourself. Due to the natural ingredients: they cannot make anything worse...

 

That is entirely untrue. Most poisons are natural. It is one of the biggest furphies - that natural products are safe. They have nowhere near the quality control that registered products do. Very few if any clinical trials. Just as many side effects.

[Globaliser]

East to West is not a great problem. It`s West to East and flying against the sun that is the killer

It's got nothing directly to do with which direction you fly in. It is all to do with the difference between the time zone in the place you leave and the time zone in the place you arrive, and the duration of the journey in between.

 

For example, if you fly from Auckland to London via Hong Kong, you'll be about as jet lagged as if you fly from Auckland to London via Los Angeles. (Although you'd be much less stressed by the transit in Hong Kong compared to the transit in LA.)

[Globaliser]

That is entirely untrue. Most poisons are natural. It is one of the biggest furphies - that natural products are safe.

Quite right! As someone wise once said, the hemlock that Socrates drank was a 100% natural product!

[marci22]

Totally agree! And no point trying to avoid it completely - you can't!

 

Actually, personally I learn to live with the jet lag and make it work. For example, for at least two or three days after I get back from Sydney, I find myself waking up at 3 am or 4 am. It's great to get up, get dressed and go to the office, because I can get hours of good work done before the phone starts ringing!

 

That's a positive way of looking at things, lol.

 

I think I'll be disappointed if I don't return jet lagged; think of all I could get done! :)

 

ps I agree re: natural products; I'm a pharmacist and one needs to exercise caution when taking/mixing any drug, natural or not.

[gmadvm]

If you want to use an over the counter sleep aid, just be aware that the sleeping aid ingredient is plain old diphenhydramine (benadryl).

Tylenol PM is acetaminophen and benadryl.

Advil PM is ibuprofen and benadryl.

Might as well save yourself the money and just take the benadryl.

Of course if you need the combination of an anti-inflammatory or pain reliever, go right ahead.

[gordiej]

Yes, I totally agree with all this. I actually didn't mention the length of the flight at all. I just think that adjusting to a 6-8 hour (what most East Coast Americans have when flying to Europe) time difference in the long term is a lot easier than adjusting to a 8 hour plus time difference (what most New Zealanders have when flying to Europe).

Oh, I agree too. I posted above about not having problems with 6-7 hour time changes. However, I do go to Asia several times per year on business -- Hong Kong is a 12 hour time change from New York (during DST). It doesn't get any worse than that, IMHO. This time change can be brutal. Funny enough, I think it's a function of what flights you take. The nonstop day flights to HKG have always caused me problems, and the jet lag lasts up to 4-5 days. My last trip I took the late-night 1-stop via Vancouver and it seemed to work much better, because I think it is easier to sleep on an overnight flight. Also, a few years ago I did New York-Sydney (1-stop via LAX) and because of the way the flights are timed was able to get good sleep and had little problem adjusting.

[Karynanne]

I used No Jet Lag on a flight from San Francisco to Sydney, Australia, this past Feb. I didn't have that "foggy" feeling at all. We walked around Sydney for a couple of hours...took a nap, showered, and we were off to dinner with friends that evening.

 

I felt it was a safe, homeopathic tablet to use.