Jet Lag Strategies

Only solution is to just suck it up and not sleep once you land until it’s a normal time to go to bed in that time zone.

The best remedy I’ve discovered and used successfully is to fly business class if possible, consider yourself to be in the time zone of your destination when you step on the plane, take sleeping medication ( I used 10 mg Ambien) right before the meal, have a couple of drinks during that time, then fully recline and sleep. If flying west you will need to wake up during the flight because you will arrive at night. If flying east you will arrive in the morning so sleep as long as you can because you have to stay awake all day. Also take sleeping medication while on your stay there when it’s time to sleep

Prayers for you brother. I have a hard time sleeping on planes and I’m lucky if I can get an hour or so of sleep on a plane. And pills that make most people sleep make me stay awake and give me weird dreams.

If it’s a night flight to Europe, my best strategy is to wake up early the day before and work out. Go to bed early the night before and wake up early that day and have a really hard workout. That usually lets me get in a good hour or two of sleep. I’ll be a little groggy that first day, but functional.

I took 150 mg of trazadone on my direct flight to London and that def did the trick.

1. The biggest thing that screws most people up is having your flight land at the destination at the wrong time. For instance, when flying to Tokyo, I can select a flight that lands nearly in Tokyo (Haneda) at around 8AM. This means I have to force myself to stay awake until at least 6 or 7PM to have a chance at normalization. Chances are not great at pulling that off.

However, I can also book a direct flight that lands at Narita at about 3PM. Then, I take the bus to the hotel, about 90 minutes. By the time I've unpacked, grabbed "dinner" it's nearly 7PM. The first morning, I'll always wake up at 3 or 4AM, but I'm adjusted within 12-18 hours of landing.

2. Once you board, set your watch to destination time. The only time I allow myself to sleep (in coach, of course) until it's about 9AM at my destination. After that, I stay awake for the rest of the flight.

3. I use booze to sleep. Always been skeptical of pills, because I don't want to come to while I have no pants and I'm being frog-marched off the plane after my drugged behavior forces a diversion to Boise.

Adjust your sleeping regimen to whatever timezone you're going to a couple days before you fly out.

There's a fair amount of research that shows fasting helps. I've used the protocol several times now and it really does work, plus airline food sucks.

Harvard Article

Stay active when you land. As soon as you land eat a small meal and walk a good bit. Then nap. But if you go straight to bed it'll throw you off.