Melb to New York via LAX, when to sleep on plane?

[PLANT]

How do you guys work out when to sleep.....when the plane lights go down to LAX leg?
When you feel tired?
When on the NY leg?

I'm leaving around midday.
LAX 0900 time in
LAX leave 1600
NY in 2300hr

 

[ReLoad]

How do you guys work out when to sleep.....when the plane lights go down to LAX leg?
When you feel tired?
When on the NY leg?

I'm leaving around midday.
LAX 0900 time in
LAX leave 1600
NY in 2300hr

A few questions back in return;
What class of travel?
Do you medicate?

Personally no matter where I am travelling to as soon as I get on the plane I set my watch and devices to destination time.

LAX is an easy one I split it in half with the first half wide awake watching movies, reading books enjoying the dinner etc , then the next 6 hours is sleep. A quick bite of breakfast as late as possible ( forget the breakfast with. 2 hours to go - that's a bad move)

On to NYC I'll usually try to do things like some work , reading etc, try and do as much as possible so that it feels like a day worth of effort, then by the time I get to the hotel in NYC I'm spent and a good sleep awaits!

 

[seritonin]

Every time I fly to The Americas, I always find that minimal or not sleeping the night before the trip (great if you have super early flight) helps a lot to adjust to the time difference..

 

[PLANT]

Pointy End
No drugs but probably have a few drinks..open bar(Only time I drink alcohol is twice a year on this flight/return)...breaks all the rules in flight but I put down at least 2 litres of water on top of it and plan to EAT the plane out of food..
Last time I ate the whole menu offered(Yes I asked for everything listed...extra rolls and went walk about to discover a lolly trolley and ask to eat the candy off that which I was given access too.

Then LAX-NY I'm probably in the toilet seat(baggage class).

 

[RooFlyer]

I'm a light sleeper, so always try to sleep either before or after the equatorial crossing, where there are almost always some turbulence. Then main criteria for sleep time then is if I feel sleepy - usually after a meal with a few drinks.

Then, NOT sleeping on the next leg on from LAX (I usually am heading north to Canada) I find helps me go out like a light that night when I'm finally in a proper bed, helping to get me into the local time groove much better.

 

[Milboo]

I aim for a 2-3pm departure. I am awake the first few hours - eat and TV then sleep. I only sleep lightly so when I wake I get up and move about and watch more TV until sleepy again. Awake the last 90-120 minutes to eat and refresh etc.

By the time I get through LAX etc and on to connecting flight (to land around 8pm NYC time), I am ready to sleep again and usually sleep half the flight (best you can when packed like sardines).

I then get a good night's sleep and bounce out of bed around 8am completely refreshed.

However I HATE doing the back to back and the last couple of trips I arrange things to avoid this e.g. In December I am electing to depart NYC around 8pm (land 11.30 LAX), spend the night and day there and then fly out around 10pm.

 

[serfty]

This is what I do:

- stay awake for ~4 hours, having the meal and watching a couple of movies.

- then endeavor to go to sleep with about 10 hours remaining for the flight (you will be woken ~2 hours before arrival for breakfast)

- try to watch a final movie leading up to landing (make this one of a short running time - you won't get to watch much in the last thirty minutes, even with gate to gate IFE as it is repeated paused for announcements.

FWIW, The 10 hours is important - in any class, and in either direction.

On arrival, it will be early morning, do customs/immigration, head up to the lounge and have a shower.

I try to stay awake on the leg to JFK ( never succeeded with this - my body sneaks in a 30 minute nap here and there ) - it will be evening on arrival into New York.

 

[PLANT]

Can you and has anyone done a walk thru the curtains to the cough cough lower class back of the plane to stretch the legs...or is that like creating a scene from Resident evil?
There is still no TRS for LAX and does Duty Free actually exist yet or is it still that 2metre by 2 metre store?

 

[LACE]

Can you and has anyone done a walk thru the curtains to the cough cough lower class back of the plane to stretch the legs...or is that like creating a scene from Resident evil?

I've done it long haul to Europe, usually wait until most of whY are sleeping (or tying to). Usually get a few stares from the first rows but after that no one cares. Not sure if it's bad form though?

 

[QF029]

I've done it long haul to Europe, usually wait until most of whY are sleeping (or tying to). Usually get a few stares from the first rows but after that no one cares. Not sure if it's bad form though?

If you're worried about people staring, walk through business and walk from the back in the lower deck.

 

[AndyGoodyear]

This is what I do:

- stay awake for ~4 hours, having the meal and watching a couple of movies.

- then endeavor to go to sleep with about 10 hours remaining for the flight (you will be woken ~2 hours before arrival for breakfast)

- try to watch a final movie leading up to landing (make this one of a short running time - you won't get to watch much in the last thirty minutes, even with gate to gate IFE as it is repeated paused for announcements.

FWIW, The 10 hours is important - in any class, and in either direction.

On arrival, it will be early morning, do customs/immigration, head up to the lounge and have a shower.

I try to stay awake on the leg to JFK ( never succeeded with this - my body sneaks in a 30 minute nap here and there ) - it will be evening on arrival into New York.

Hi Serfty

Just out of interest - when you pop up to the lounge to shower, what do you do about your bags? I am flying into LAX and then on to SFO and was going to shower at SFO (I purchased an AA Admirals Pass for one month), but was advised against it as your bag will be going round on the carousel and may cause issues?

 

[AndyGoodyear]

How do you guys work out when to sleep.....when the plane lights go down to LAX leg?
When you feel tired?
When on the NY leg?

I'm leaving around midday.
LAX 0900 time in
LAX leave 1600
NY in 2300hr

Like others here I do the same. I have downloaded apps for the iphone in the past and someone pointed me to online resources such as 'jet lag rooster' - but the sleeping plans they give you are quite complex. As long as you get at least 6-7 hours sleep on the flight and then sleep again on the LAX-NYC leg, you should be ready to sleep once more when you get to your hotel.

 

[serfty]

Hi Serfty

Just out of interest - when you pop up to the lounge to shower, what do you do about your bags? I am flying into LAX and then on to SFO and was going to shower at SFO (I purchased an AA Admirals Pass for one month), but was advised against it as your bag will be going round on the carousel and may cause issues?

On arrival into the USA on QF107, you have to collect your bags after immigration, pass through customs and then you immediately redeposit your bags before heading though security.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I usually stay awake while it's light eg if you're on QF15 BNE/LAX departing at 1130 you'll get a meal about 1-2 hours after take-off which (1300 BNE time = 1900 LAX time day prior) so it's like your evening meal.

As you're flying eastbound the sun sets wherever you are over the Pacific at 1630 BNE time (5 hours after take-off) so the cabin lights are dimmed and it's easier to replicate night time & sleeping habits.

I don't usually sleep much in that direction so I listen to music while SO watches movies. When you arrive at LAX at 0630 it's really 0030 in Oz when you would've been going to bed.

I know there are people who will say to not go so sleep on arrival but I think if you're body is tired have a few hours sleep & get up at lunch time. It doesn't make any sense to me to walk around like a zombie all day.

We're currently in Vegas so yesterday when we arrived had a few hours sleep in the pm, went out & had dinner with friends then bed at midnight & woke up 0900 without setting an alarm. The main hurdle is not to stay up until 0400 when it's about 2200 back home otherwise you'll end up in the cycle of sleeping until noon.

I never medicate so can't comment on the positives or negatives of that.

 

[Duffa]

How do you guys work out when to sleep.....when the plane lights go down to LAX leg?
When you feel tired?
When on the NY leg?

I'm leaving around midday.
LAX 0900 time in
LAX leave 1600
NY in 2300hr

Just arrived in NY 12 hours ago SYD LAX JFK in J on QF 107 the 747 with Skybed II
I ate the the three course lunch, with plenty of red, a sticky, some tokay and a temazepam - laid down at about 5 hour mark and slept for 90 minutes - bummer!!
Dozed for a couple more hours then watched movie.

On LAX JFK, laid down after the lunch and slept until arrival descent. (1 small glass of red)

Last night had dinner with my hosts and plentiful red. Slept like a baby until 7am NY time and feel bright as a button. My best ever result on this trip!

 

[PLANT]

How long you in town Duffa?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

the answer for me is simple. You just sleep when you feel tired. And so what if you wake at 4am in New York? It's a great experience to wander the streets, get some coffee and a bagel and enjoy the city waking up.

Stressing about eating and sleeping times or trying to adjust my body clock to the time at the destination doesn't work for me. But if I am having trouble sleeping at my destination at a reasonable time I'll take a sleeping tablet.

 

[Duffa]

How long you in town Duffa?

Until Sunday morning, then off to Washington for the first time to do the tourist thing.
Pity my itinerary is full or we could have had an NYC AFF drinks meeting!