Feeling Lousy After a long flight

[grace78]

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt the long-haul hangover. I know the feeling after spending several hours on the plane, you pull yourself onto the jetway tired and queasy, with a foggy head and slight headache. and it's like gross and not just because i need a shower. While some might blame this general state of ickiness on jet lag, germs or recycled air, the reason we feel so lousy after a long flight actually has more to do with chemistry specifically, how our bodies react to the change in chemistry that happens miles above the ground.

 

[Renato1]

What you describe is pretty much is what my wife feels like after every flight, despite her getting far more sleep than I do during the flight.

In sharp contrast, despite only ever sleeping maybe an hour during a 22 hour flight, I'm usually quite pumped after reaching the destination - be it a hotel or home - and stay up for many more hours later, while my wife passes out almost straight away after having a shower.
Regards,
Renato

 

[dajop]

I suspect, like altitude sickness, different people have different reactions to moving around the world at almost 900 km/h.

But I wouldn’t underestimate the power of stuffing around your body clock of affecting chemistry and contributing too a feeling of lousiness.

If you were to experiment on whether it is jet lag or something else , you could perhaps leave Tokyo at 10:30 am (so not tired) and arrive in MEL 10.5 hrs later at 10pm, with only 1 hr time difference, compared to flying to Moscow and arriving 10 hrs later at 3pm. Not sure if you could do equivalent experiment from Australia though.

 

[RooFlyer]

the reason we feel so lousy after a long flight actually has more to do with chemistry specifically, how our bodies react to the change in chemistry that happens miles above the ground.

Given life, breathing, digestion & thought are just a series of chemical reactions, I don't think there is a difference between being tired and queasy, with a foggy head and slight headache and a 'change in chemistry'. Is there a study about this you can share with us, or just putting it out there?

 

[Berlin]

Definitely know the feeling and I fly A LOT. Unfortunately most of the usual recommended tips don't work for me- but I know everyone is different. That's what I've tried:

• Getting a good night sleep beforehand (doesn't make a difference plus, if it's a holiday I am far too excited the night before so can only accomplish this via sleeping tablets)
• Getting a good sleep on the airplane (it's helpful but that yuck feeling you describe still stays with you)
• Not drinking any alcohol (doesn't make a difference to me and is such a terrible waste in my eyes)
• Flying in so called lower altitude cabin pressure planes (total humbug in my personal experience- I can feel zero difference whether it's on the A380, 787 or A350)
• Getting tortured with so called "mood lighting", the biggest non-sense in the history of aircraft design (and frigging annoying if you want to take pictures or read a book)
• Getting forced to fly longhaul in a metal grave where crew forces you to keep the shades closed (that actually makes it worse and is in my opinion only used by crew who prefer to chit chat rather than work)

The things that at least slightly assist for me are:

• Flying up the front, the better the airline the better
• Not to listen to advice aka "Make sure you force yourself awake at your destination to re-set your body clock)- best thing I can do is planning my flights in a way that I can just crash into a comfortable hotel bed after arrival, no matter what time
• If I am unlucky enough to be stuck on one of the cheap seats or have a constantly screaming baby behind me or anything else that keeps me from sleeping on the plane: Knock myself out with a proved mix of Stilnox and alcohol (though I've been found sleep walking through the cabin at the odd occasion so this one is dangerous)
• Melatonin (the American stuff, not the pseud-Melatonin that turns out to be nothing but water that you get in Australian 'homeopathic' products)- not perfect but it does tend to help me a bit if a large time difference is involved and I've already taken it the night before in my 'old' time zone
• An finally, the showers on board (far too) few airlines. Shortly before landing, this is probably only thing that really alleviates the sticky yuckie feeling a little bit

 

[mrsterryn]

I feel not too bad going over however coming home usually takes quite a few days to feel well again.

@Berlin interestingly enough I found the USA melatonin not very good. Husband swears by it
However have the script aussie version which works wonders for me. Didn't know there was as non script version in aust

 

[Ewing]

For me I find it's alcohol and over-indulging related.

On long haul flights back to Australia where I usually have a shower and go to the office I usually don't drink beyond a glass of boarding champagne and maybe a glass with dinner. When I stick to that that I'm fine - if I drink then I have that foggy feeling.

 

[marki]

Definitely know the feeling and I fly A LOT. Unfortunately most of the usual recommended tips don't work for me- but I know everyone is different. That's what I've tried:

• Getting a good night sleep beforehand (doesn't make a difference plus, if it's a holiday I am far too excited the night before so can only accomplish this via sleeping tablets)
• Getting a good sleep on the airplane (it's helpful but that yuck feeling you describe still stays with you)
• Not drinking any alcohol (doesn't make a difference to me and is such a terrible waste in my eyes)
• Flying in so called lower altitude cabin pressure planes (total humbug in my personal experience- I can feel zero difference whether it's on the A380, 787 or A350)
• Getting tortured with so called "mood lighting", the biggest non-sense in the history of aircraft design (and frigging annoying if you want to take pictures or read a book)
• Getting forced to fly longhaul in a metal grave where crew forces you to keep the shades closed (that actually makes it worse and is in my opinion only used by crew who prefer to chit chat rather than work)

The things that at least slightly assist for me are:

• Flying up the front, the better the airline the better
• Not to listen to advice aka "Make sure you force yourself awake at your destination to re-set your body clock)- best thing I can do is planning my flights in a way that I can just crash into a comfortable hotel bed after arrival, no matter what time
• If I am unlucky enough to be stuck on one of the cheap seats or have a constantly screaming baby behind me or anything else that keeps me from sleeping on the plane: Knock myself out with a proved mix of Stilnox and alcohol (though I've been found sleep walking through the cabin at the odd occasion so this one is dangerous)
• Melatonin (the American stuff, not the pseud-Melatonin that turns out to be nothing but water that you get in Australian 'homeopathic' products)- not perfect but it does tend to help me a bit if a large time difference is involved and I've already taken it the night before in my 'old' time zone
• An finally, the showers on board (far too) few airlines. Shortly before landing, this is probably only thing that really alleviates the sticky yuckie feeling a little bit

Stilnox and Alcohol mixing is dangerous advice and would not recommend this to anybody as a cure. As to alcohol I would avoid it completely well known to cause AVN. A dangerous disease where the femoral heads or hip joints die out 1:4 ratio i.e.e more men get it.

 

[Berlin]

As to alcohol I would avoid it completely well known to cause AVN.

But that's consumption of alcohol in general though or do you any information that airplane travel and alcohol toghether amplify the risk? I guess there's much more common risks of over-indulging in alcohol...

 

[Anna]

Agree with most of what Berlin says (not the Stilnox bit, sorry).

I particularly hate it when people sanctimoniously say 'stay up till bedtime at your destination to reset your body clock'. 1 it doesn't work, 2 it's torture, and 3 it overlooks that travelling is tiring. I know from long experience that after a journey of 20+ hours, when I finally get into a real bed I am going to sleep for 11-12 hours because of tiredness never mind jet lag.

Sunshine really helps me get over jet lag quickly. That's what 'resets' my body clock better than anything else.

 

[RooFlyer]

Stilnox + alcohol a dreadful combination, in the air or anywhere.

 

[Berlin]

Stilnox + alcohol a dreadful combination, in the air or anywhere.

Only thing that really works on me. All Benzos (like Valium etc.) don’t have much an effect on me and Stilnox alone usually also doesn’t do the trick for me.

I know it’s dangerous and I had some rather risky situations before. I keep it at half a tablet usually and prefer if my partner is there who can look after me.

 

[jb747]

Only thing that really works on me. All Benzos (like Valium etc.) don’t have much an effect on me and Stilnox alone usually also doesn’t do the trick for me.

I know it’s dangerous and I had some rather risky situations before. I keep it at half a tablet usually and prefer if my partner is there who can look after me.

Nothing quite like waking up in handcuffs, and not remembering why you're being met by the boys in blue.

 

[Berlin]

Nothing quite like waking up in handcuffs, and not remembering why you're being met by the boys in blue.

Never had SUCH an issue thankfully.

But I am re-considering my choices there, I get everyone’s message loud and clear

Anyone have some advice how to knock out a brain on constant overdrive otherwise? Seriously? I’ve tried everything. And no, mindfulness and yoga are the last things that work on me. A baseball bat on my hat maybe?

 

[dajop]

Anyone have some advice how to knock out a brain on constant overdrive otherwise? Seriously? I’ve tried everything. And no, mindfulness and yoga are the last things that work on me. A baseball bat on my hat maybe?

I find it best to not even try. The more I try the more difficult it is. When it comes to planes, I find that it’s almost to the point that the best way I find of sleeping is to try and stay awake.

 

[jb747]

Just sit there, and think of all the things that could go wrong. That should bore you to sleep.

 

[RooFlyer]

Anyone have some advice how to knock out a brain on constant overdrive otherwise? Seriously? I’ve tried everything. And no, mindfulness and yoga are the last things that work on me. A baseball bat on my hat maybe?

I feel your pain wakefulness. I'm an awful sleeper on planes. I used to use temazapan for in-flight & jet lag but they were never really effective so I gave them away. Now I just try boredom (not jb747's kind) to drift off (sort of like dajop) and try to fly airlines with a good business seat/bed where I have the best chance of not being bumped, hear the galley etc.

 

[cove]

I know both of us get jetlag when we fly from Australia to the US. I have tried no alcohol and it makes no difference. I either have a long shower or a swim in the pool to get rid of the kinks in the body. I never drive a car from the airport after an international long haul to Los Angeles as they jail drink drivers. I hire the car the next day.

 

[Happy Trails]

I get on board with a headache and a hangover.
That way I don't feel any worse when I arrive.

 

[Forg]

My limited long-haul experiences have me thinking that lack of sleep is my nemesis.
Even on lie-flats, which is uncommon as I've usually been up the back of the bus, I just can't get a lot of sleep - sitting up I barely doze.
The last return from the UK on an A359 in J, I did actually black out for a good 7 hours during the ~13hr leg, and I couldn't believe how much better that made me feel overall!