What can I do to minimise jetlag?

[Guest]

hey..250! woohoo

 

[Warks]

ok this is going to sound really dumb......

what is jetlag exactly and how does it affect you?

I've always passed it off as some lame excuse old people use to get out of work..... personally Ive never had any problems after flying except for the desire for some real food and clean air at the destination.

When I was in my early 20s and backpacking around the world I had the same view. I think I normally stayed up so late that I took sleep whenever I could so I didn't understand jetlag.

It first hit me when I was a bit older. Flew to England and went to bed at the normal time there but found I was waking up at 4am local time and could not go back to sleep. Took a few days to come right.

Flying to the USA a few years ago, I was going all the way to the east coast so the time difference was about 12 hours - in effect day was night. Had hell's own trouble getting to sleep and then wanted to sleep all day. then discovered melatonin which set the body clock right. Got to get out in the sunshine if you can - hard to do when stuck in meetings all day.

Anyway I'm sure others have their own take on this.

 

[JenC]

Thanks everyone. You have all provided me with some great ideas to combat jetlag. I'll be on leave for the few days before I leave, so that could be a good opportunity to adjust my patterns closer to those of Egypt. :wink:

I'll be sure to arm myself with Stilnox, Melatonin, scotch, water and change my watch when I get on the plane. :wink:

To d00t:

"Jet lag (or "jetlag"), also jet syndrome, is a physical condition caused by crossing time zones during flight. The condition is generally believed to be the result of disruption to the circadian rhythms (i.e. the "light/dark" cycle) of the body. It can also be exacerbated by experiencing sudden changes in climate or seasonal conditions, as well as the reduced oxygen, partial pressure, excess noise and low humidity commonly experienced in the cabin of an aircraft." :wink:

 

[Guest]

To d00t:

"Jet lag (or "jetlag"), also jet syndrome, is a physical condition caused by crossing time zones during flight. The condition is generally believed to be the result of disruption to the circadian rhythms (i.e. the "light/dark" cycle) of the body. It can also be exacerbated by experiencing sudden changes in climate or seasonal conditions, as well as the reduced oxygen, partial pressure, excess noise and low humidity commonly experienced in the cabin of an aircraft." :wink:

ok cool, so it does only affect you oldies

 

[acampbel]

Jetlag affects different people to a greater or lessor extent. In general the very young and very old find it hardest to cope (I discovered the truth of this travelling to the UK last year with Master 4 and Missy 2. He was OK but she was a horror). Also your own ability to cope with minimal or disrupted sleep is a good guide to whether you will shrug jet-lag off or have a bad couple of days

The advice about adjusting to the destination time zone from the time you board (or even before) is fine, but I find sleep whilst sitting up very elusive and spending a couple of extra $K to get 8 hours sleep a very poor return. My technique for long haul is to book a flight that arrives early morning at the destination (QF1 is a perfect example) and simply stay awake for as long as possible on the plane. About half the time I finally doze off whilst crossing Western Europe, but regardless the main point is to spend your first day out and about and eating at the right times.

I collapse into bed between 7-10pm and usually wake up reasonably adjusted .... except for the last trip when Missy 2 (see above) fell into a coma at 10am on the first day and then woke us at 2am demanding breakfast. Unnngggghhh!

Cheers,

AC