AndFinally

I still end up going back to the UK at least once a month and in 4 years of doing so I really haven't found a good way to deal with jetlag. The only major discovery I found was not doing the red eye back to the UK and do the day flight. I tend to find that it takes a week or so for me to get back to normal. Even if I fly to the West Coast from NYC (that's only a 3 hour difference) I feel like crap.

Any sage travellers out there with advice or tips?

WEBlue

Afraid I have no tips, but I'll be following this thread. I have a trip back to the UK coming soon and I dread the jetlag, which always hits me hard.

I usually feel like (British) ground is shifting under my feel for about the first 3 days... Also feel like my vision & hearing are affected for at least the first day and a half, so everything seems underwater. This all gradually fades but it's annoying.

This visit I unfortunately have to hit the ground running, and have no spare time whatsoever to rest up or acclimate.

AndFinally

If you have the option then take a day flight!

WEBlue

Unfortunately, the tix were purchased months ago and are overnight. I have a short stopover too. We always seem to get these kinds of flights, probably because they're the cheapest option....

What I usually do is give up on sleep during the flight, and end up watching as many films as I can... during the really boring ones I can nod off into a doze of an hour or two at most. Then post arrival I try not to let myself nap, but gut it through until around 18:00 or so, then crash into bed.

Have never used sleeping supplements, and don't drink alcohol. So the usual remedies are no-gos.... I don't think I could handle doing the round-trip once a month!

rpjs

Melatonin works for some people, although not for me.

I agree about taking a daytime flight eastbound if you can. I did a red-eye for the first time in ages a few weeks ago and it was awful.

DebzinUS

I booked a BA 8 am flight from Boston (by mistake) the last time I flew home. It was the best mistake I have ever made! The problem is that there doesn't seem to be as many options for day flights to the UK.

robin1234

I've taken a day flight twice, and it was a pleasant change. Once from Boston and once from JFK. Had to stay in an airport hotel to check in on time, since I don't do early mornings, but apart from that, no problem. My regular flight is from Ottawa, and there's no choice there - just one flight to London each day. Why the heck they insist on serving a dinner I can't imagine. The smell of that hot food at about midnight, I find nauseating.

And I can't watch a movie at night either, just makes my headache even worse.

Still, it's nice to get to London.. and sit on the Piccadilly Line for an hour!!

kodokan

During his frequent transatlantic days, hubby swore by eating dinner, taking two Tylenol PM, and settling down to sleep for a few hours. The PM apparently helps with making you a bit drowsy, and the painkiller element makes you less stiff upon waking in a weird position.

lansbury

Lie flat beds, they work wonders.

AndFinally

They work wonders if you are of a height where you can actually lie flat! I fly United and on the occasions I've been upgraded to BusinessFirst I can never get comfortable. On two occasions I have been upgraded from BusinessFirst to GlobalFirst (on the 3 class 767s) where I can actually lie flat!

retzie

I'm terrible at sleeping on planes, so I usually arrive without having slept for more than a couple of hours in the last 36 (trips to Oz from the East Coast). Generally, said arrival is around 9am and I make a point of keeping busy that whole day - eating when everyone else eats, staying in daylight, NOT LYING DOWN - then crash out around 9pm. Also, staying hydrated on the plane helps with the physical impact.

No jetlag for me; works both directions

scrubbedexpat091

True they do, but only a small % of passengers get to have one..



I don't think I have ever been jetlagged.

AndFinally

I feel for you, that trip down to Oz is brutal from the East Coast! I did it twice last September, EWR to LAX to MEL, I was in a whole new world of pain. When I flew to Australia from LHR it was nice to have a few hours in the transit hotel in SIN.

yellowroom

As soon as I get on the plane, I put my watch to the time zone of my ultimate destination and start trying to think on that time zone. I eat lightly on a plane, drink lots of water and sleep as much as possible, regardless of whether it's a day/night flight. Even on day flights I've usually got up very early so am operating on a sleep deficit. I'm fortunate in that I find it easy to sleep virtually anywhere, and usually manage 3-4 hours on transatlantic flights, which will usually see me through the following day ok.

On red-eye flights to the UK - if I get home and it's still morning, I may allow myself a 90 minute nap. Otherwise, have a shower and keep active/busy as long as possible and stay up until 9pm/I'm so tired I'm hallucinating, whichever comes first.

Seems to work for me whether I'm up the front or the back of the plane. I can adjust to the time zone switch ok, but I can guarantee for a couple of days after arrival I will hit a metaphorical brick wall about 3pm and have to power on through work until hometime.

lansbury

I switched from United to Delta a few years back. United started to become bad with reliability and we missed connections. Did fly on a Delta A332 which had the old 170 degree beds (ATL-MAN) but slept ok on those.