Help with jet lag and travel fatigue

Re: Help with jet lag and travel fatigue

• JoanE2012 member

  

  January 2015

  We flew to hawaii in November from NJ. Direct flight arriving around 3pm hawaii time. I honestly had no problem once I got there. I remember going to bed a little earlier, maybe around 9 or so, but we were up early the next morning with no issues.
  
  We also flew to Tahiti a couple years ago (same time zone I think) and also had no issues. Both times though, I felt sluggish for a few days after coming home.
  
  Whenever I fly anywhere, I make sure I stay awake until a reasonable time at night. I never nap when I get somewhere....it makes it worse for me.
  
  I rarely sleep on planes, so I make sure to load my kindle up with books and enjoy some movies (hopefully you'll have individual TVs!). Oh, and not sure about other airlines, but united only gives meals if you pay. May want to bring some snacks.

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• hellosweetie1015 member

  

  January 2015

  Well, I will say that it's much easier for me to go "back in time" than it is to go "forward". 

  
  

  We went to Hawaii a couple years ago from ATL, left early in the morning and landed about 2 PM. We were tired, but we stayed up until a reasonable bedtime and were fine the rest of the trip. Coming back, we slept because it was an overnight flight, I think. I think we landed early the next morning. It wasn't the best flight cycle ever, but it wasn't terrible.

  
  

  When we went to London at Christmas, we did an overnight flight in a horribly uncomfortable (albeit somewhat empty) plane, and landed at 6:30 AM, then took the Tube to the hotel. I think my siblings and my mom went out for a little bit after we got to the hotel, but we all slept most of that day away. It also took me a week to really reset my clock when we got back. I loved the trip, but I'm not sure I'd want to do another flight cycle like that anytime soon.

  
  

  I dunno what airline you're flying, but bring snacks. Those little single-serving packs of things are allowed. They're heavily processed foods, obviously, but I think the TSA is cool with them because they're sealed. An hour layover isn't nearly enough time (in my mind) to grab airport food, and the plane food we had on the way to Hawaii was outrageously expensive and not very good. 

  

  
  

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• cupcait927 member

  

  January 2015

  I've been to Hawaii twice (coming from NY) and never had a problem with the jetlag when I got there. Granted, both times I went we landed in the evening so after checking a couple things out and getting dinner, it was time to wind down anyway and sleep. My biggest issue was coming back. Both times I slept for like 10 hours. I would definitely suggest just making sure you stay awake until bedtime there and you should be fine. No naps!

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• climbingsingle member

  

  January 2015

  I always find it incredibly hard to sleep on a plane. I usually pop an anti-anxiety med and read. I also bring my eye shade with me, because it does make falling asleep easier. 

  I fly out out the west coast once a year. I try to stay up as late as I can to try to adjust, but mostly I find myself exhausted by 10pm and waking up at 5am. I have yet to figure out a way to change this, so I just roll with it. 

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• kat1114 member

  

  January 2015

  H and I flew to South Africa a few weeks ago. It was a 9 hour time change combined with 25 hours of travel (21 hours flying, 4 hour layover).
  
  Our flight arrived in Cape Town at 7am. We tried to avoid sleep on the first leg and sleep on the second leg so we would be waking up at a natural Cape Town time. I had a hard time sleeping on the plane, but the little sleep I got helped. Once we arrived, we walked around until around noon, napped a few hours, then we were fine the rest of the trip.
  
  I also recommend packing some melatonin and an eye shade.
  
  But that's traveling west to east, which is the opposite of what you're doing. Coming back was rough for me, but I think mostly because the excitement of our trip was gone.
  
  If you google "avoiding jet lag" there are quite a few good articles about dealing with it.
  
  Also even if you're airline serves free food, bring your own snacks and water bottle. We got two meals on each flight, and they were awful.

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• LondonLisa member

  

  January 2015 edited January 2015

  I travel internationally a lot for work so I have a few things that really work for me:

  
  

  1.) Drink water! Have a giant bottle before you get on the plane and force yourself to try to drink water every hour even if you aren't thirsty. A lot of  travel sickness is due to dehydration. 

  
  

  2.) If I am making a  big timezone shift, I try to go to sleep an hour earlier/later (depending on the direction) and wake up an hour earlier later. Ideally this is done 3 nights in a row with adding or subtracting 1 hour each night but this depends hugely on your schedule/ if you can. I know it is annoying to go to sleep at 9 and wake up at 5 but your body will thank you for it. 

  
  

  3.) As soon as you get on the plane act as if you are on Hawaii time. If it is the middle of the night local time, try to sleep. If it is lunch, try to eat. As soon as you start "tricking" yourself into being on that time zone, the better.

  
  

  4.) Use hand sanitiser and wash your hands regularly at the airport/in flight, especially before you eat. Planes are germ magnets.

  
  

  5.) If you land at 4, go to the hotel, unpack, go for a nice walk, have dinner and force yourself to stay up until at least 9pm Hawaii time. It will be hard- your bed will be so tempting. Get fresh air, maybe sit out by the pool where it is lively or go to a restaurant with a band. Do not let yourself even sit on your bed before 9PM. I find if you don't force yourself on the local sleeping patterns the first night, it will take the whole week to do it. Try to avoid alcohol that first night as it messes with your sleep patterns anyway. You don't need to fight this on 2 fronts.

  
  

  6.) If you wake up at 3 am wide awake, don't turn on the light or do anything with a screen. Yes it is annoying but just try to lay in the dark quietly meditating or listening to relaxing music. Even if you aren't sleeping, your body will feel better for being rested come 7 am. And frankly, everytime I do this, I end up falling back asleep within an hour anyway. 

  
  

  Things to bring on the plane:

  - Lip Balm, Face moisturiser, hand cream

  - Neck pillow, eye shades, ear plugs

  (Bose noise cancelling headphones are the greatest invention! If you have a friend that has a pair, see if you can borrow them. I haven't heard a crying baby on a plane in 5 years.)

  - Anything that relaxes you. I like to read crappy magazines and listen to podcasts. Fi likes to save episodes of telly programmes and watch them on his ipad. You aren't going to get anything done that requires brain power, so it is easier just to switch off. 

  - A very soft pashmina- so nice to have when cold or to use as a pillow. Some planes are freezing and others boiling.

  - An empty but refilable bottle of water. You can take an empty one through security and then fill it up on the other side. Saves on those exorbitant airport prices.

  
  

  Have fun!

  
  

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• CMGragain member

  

  January 2015

  dolewhipper said:

  Fi and I are traveling from South Florida to Hawaii in a month an a half. I've traveled to Europe a few times but the furthest Fi has gone is the west coast (Cali/Washington). I remember the first time I went to Europe I got very sick, and my dad attributed it to jet lag and travel fatigue. I don't want that to happen again to either of us.

  
  

  As a planner, I am in the process of trying to get a basic itinerary for our honeymoon. We only have 7 days on the Big Island so I really want to make them count. We leave South Florida at 7AM on a Monday, have a 1 hour layover in Phoenix, and land in Kona around 4pm. Neither of us are looking forward to the 14 hour flight but sucking it up. Since we are probably going to wake up super early the first full day there, I was thinking we should plan to drive out to Volcanoes National Park (it's about a 2.5 hour drive if you take the coastal highway HI-11) but I'm not sure if it's a better idea to just take it easy. 

  
  

  It's been awhile since I've traveled that far and was hoping for whatever tips you knotties can give us. Whether it be how to sleep on the plane (if we should even do this), if we should try and acclimate ourselves to the time difference quickly or not (for example not going to bed immediately after checking into the hotel, we should instead try and stay awake as long as we can), and your favorite things to bring with you on the plane (I have nothing!). I know some of you knotties have been to some amazing places!

  I am facing a 26 hour flight back from Singapore next week.

  
  

  You don't get sick from jet lag.  You get sick from being confined in a small space (the airplane) with other people who may be carrying a virus.  Wash your hands often and thouroughly.  Carry hand sanitizer.  Cross your fingers.  That is about all you can do to keep from getting sick while traveling.

  
  

  You will need extra sleep to adjust to the new time schedule, and Hawaii is ther perfect place to do this!  Have a wonderful trip, and don't worry so much.

  

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• vikinganna87 member

  

  January 2015

  Like @kat1114 I second the melatonin.  Take it before you need to fall asleep once you've reached your destination; it naturally regulates your sleep patterns.

  Drink lots of water, avoid alcohol and try to move around every couple of hours on the plane.  Even doing moving your lower legs in a circular pattern helps blood flow.

  I like to bring a scarf or pashmina on the plane.  Another layer helps considering extreme air-conditioned planes.  I put the scarf over my head to make it dark so I can fall asleep more easily.

  You're going to have a great time; I'm very excited for you!

  
  

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• amelisha member

  

  January 2015

  Lots of good advice here already, but DRINK WATER. As much water as you can handle. I don't care how often you have to climb over people's legs to pee, it's worth it because dehydration + jet lag makes jet lag about ten times worse and it makes it hard for your body to fight off plane germs.

  
  

  Cabin air is pretty well-filtered, actually, but it does recirculate more frequently and not everything gets caught, and every surface of an airplane is pretty much crawling with germs because nothing gets properly cleaned due to how rapidly aircraft are turned around. Wipe down that tray table, your armrest, the windowshade, anything and everything you can that you touch if you're trying to stay healthy. You can do it with hand santizer on a kleenex if necessary. It sounds totally germaphobe but I think it's important if you want to not get sick.

  
  

  Don't use the provided blankets or pillows. Bring a sweater or pashmina or whatever for if the plane is cold.

  
  

  I pack light and rarely check luggage unless I'm travelling more than a week (not even checking bags for my Vegas wedding, actually) so I don't bring much in my "personal item" carry-on (a largish Lacoste purse/tote) - lip balm, hand cream, headphones, wallet, water bottle (either brought empty through security and filled by the gate or just purchased), book, magazine from duty-free, iPad or Kobo, phone and charger, and sometimes a granola bar or something. That's usually plenty. I hate dragging a twenty-pound purse around.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• classicalandedgy member

  

  January 2015

  I've traveled quite a bit, and usually my go to plan is to try and sleep on the plane (unless it's already bedtime when I arrive), and when I land to immediately get on to local time.  So no matter how many hours I've been up, I stay up and stay up until it is bedtime local time.  Granted sometimes that has led to 24-36 hours up, but after that first night of sleep on local time I'm usually good, so I try to establish sleeping on local time ASAP. 

   

  Ditto to pp about staying hydrated on the plane, hand sanitizer, a scarf or pashmina is always great to have on the plane it has so many uses, really comfortable shoes that are easily slipped off (if your feet tend to swell like mine on long flights),  I also carry facial wipes and moisturizer airplane air is so dry.

  Plus, you're going to have such a great time, you probably won't notice how tired you are because Hawaii is gorgeous with so many things to see and do!  It will be great no matter what.  

  

   

   

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• levioosa member

  

  January 2015

  Drink a lot of water.  Londonlisa had great advice about gradually changing your time zone before you leave too.  Getting plenty of rest before you go is also helpful.  Making sure you've treated your body well before you leave is key to doing well on a flight.  If you are run down before you leave, you'll be more susceptible to getting sick. 
  
  Bring hand sanitizer, and use it frequently.  In that same vein, keep washing your hands and try not to touch your mouth or face. 
  
  Don't drink coffee on your flight, or immediately upon arrival.  It dehydrates you and will keep you up when you actually do need to sleep.
  
  Bring good quality snacks for the flight.  Most airplane food sucks and airport food usually isn't great either.  I also second bringing some kind of neck pillow or blanket for yourself.  If you can, try to rest during the flight. 
  
  Even if you are exhausted, keep up with the time zone you are in and go to bed at it's normal time.  It will be extra hard to adjust if you fly in at five pm and then take a three hour nap. 
  
  Even though it may be a placebo effect, I always take Airborne or Emergen-C a few days before and during my trip, and it's seemed to help a lot.  I used to always get sick after a flight (low immune system + lots of people in a confined space) but I haven't gotten sick after I started doing the Airborne thing.  I've never worn a full on mask to prevent getting sick, but I suppose that would probably help as well.  I'm not going to lie, I've done it before in our office when people start dropping like flies, and I usually escape whatever plague is happening at the time.  So if you were really worried, you could always go buy some earloop masks for the plane ride.  I think if you do every thing else though, you should be just fine without them.
  
  Melatonin can help you get to sleep if you feel awake at normal bed time hours. 
  

  
  

  
  

  

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• dolewhipper member

  

  January 2015

  Thanks everyone for all the tips!

  
  

  I don't think I will be able to adjust to local time as we will be getting married that Saturday night and partying till wee hours. I could potentially sleep in Sunday to whatever local time HI is, but then I just have to wake up super early on Monday for the flight. (So then should I try and nap on the first leg of the flight as it'll be early AM in HI??)

  
  

  Drink lots of water. Check. Need to get some airborne (I always seems to get sick after being on flights), a pashmina, neck pillow, eye mask and melatonin!

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• kat1114 member

  

  January 2015

  dolewhipper said:

  Thanks everyone for all the tips!

  
  

  I don't think I will be able to adjust to local time as we will be getting married that Saturday night and partying till wee hours. I could potentially sleep in Sunday to whatever local time HI is, but then I just have to wake up super early on Monday for the flight. (So then should I try and nap on the first leg of the flight as it'll be early AM in HI??)

  
  

  Drink lots of water. Check. Need to get some airborne (I always seems to get sick after being on flights), a pashmina, neck pillow, eye mask and melatonin!

  I would try to sleep on the plane to mirror Hawaii time. When you leave FL it will be 2 am in HI, so I would definitely try to get some sleep on the first flight. 

  
  

  I'm guessing it's 4-4.5 hours to Phoenix, plus the 1 hour layover, means when you depart to HI it will be about 7 am HI time. I would maybe sleep a few hours on that flight, then stay awake.

  
  

  Also, if you haven't picked your seats yet, try to get a 2 seater-row, even if you have to pay a little extra. 

  
  

  What airline are you flying? Depending which one, the Phoenix airport has some really good quick food options you can grab before boarding your second flight.

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• dolewhipper member

  

  January 2015

  kat1114 said:

  dolewhipper said:

  Thanks everyone for all the tips!

  
  

  I don't think I will be able to adjust to local time as we will be getting married that Saturday night and partying till wee hours. I could potentially sleep in Sunday to whatever local time HI is, but then I just have to wake up super early on Monday for the flight. (So then should I try and nap on the first leg of the flight as it'll be early AM in HI??)

  
  

  Drink lots of water. Check. Need to get some airborne (I always seems to get sick after being on flights), a pashmina, neck pillow, eye mask and melatonin!

  I would try to sleep on the plane to mirror Hawaii time. When you leave FL it will be 2 am in HI, so I would definitely try to get some sleep on the first flight. 

  
  

  I'm guessing it's 4-4.5 hours to Phoenix, plus the 1 hour layover, means when you depart to HI it will be about 7 am HI time. I would maybe sleep a few hours on that flight, then stay awake.

  
  

  Also, if you haven't picked your seats yet, try to get a 2 seater-row, even if you have to pay a little extra. 

  
  

  What airline are you flying? Depending which one, the Phoenix airport has some really good quick food options you can grab before boarding your second flight.

  US Airways; not my favorite but had the shortest flight time (all the others were 18hrs+). We chose the aisle and middle seat bc Fi needs the aisle for his long legs.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• lovemesomemonster member

  

  January 2015

  In the last 6 months I have done Singapore, Taiwan, UK, and Hawaii (based on PST) and seemed to tackle the jet lag well.. I agree with everyone else, get on their time zone as soon as you get on the first flight, for Singapore that was staying up for 24hrs. Drink lots of water and no alcohol on the flights, they dehydrate you and mess with sleep. I dress for comfort, I even bring a throw blanket, noise cancelling headphones, neck pillow, and slippers for the flight. Bring snacks and things to do.. read, watch movies etc. so you don't feel like you want to fall asleep to make time go faster. If you are getting there at 4pm do NOT take a nap.. try everything you can to stay awake until a normal bed time and don't let yourself out of bed until a normal wake up time. You might be a little off the next day but if you stay on their time zone with your activities you should be good to go for the week.

  Good luck and have fun!

  
  

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• kat1114 member

  

  January 2015

  dolewhipper said:

  kat1114 said:

  I would try to sleep on the plane to mirror Hawaii time. When you leave FL it will be 2 am in HI, so I would definitely try to get some sleep on the first flight. 

  
  

  I'm guessing it's 4-4.5 hours to Phoenix, plus the 1 hour layover, means when you depart to HI it will be about 7 am HI time. I would maybe sleep a few hours on that flight, then stay awake.

  
  

  Also, if you haven't picked your seats yet, try to get a 2 seater-row, even if you have to pay a little extra. 

  
  

  What airline are you flying? Depending which one, the Phoenix airport has some really good quick food options you can grab before boarding your second flight.

  US Airways; not my favorite but had the shortest flight time (all the others were 18hrs+). We chose the aisle and middle seat bc Fi needs the aisle for his long legs.

  I only recommended the two-seater for the bonus of not having to get up to let someone out, while still having the aisle. I think the aisle is the way to go long-haul because I hate having to climb over people to use the bathroom, especially since I'll go a few times on a long flight.

  
  

  Flying US Airways means you will fly into Terminal 4 in Phoenix, which is good because the other terminals suck. There are tons of food options, even if you less than an hour. 

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