Hey, I was wondering if anyone had any good tips for overcoming jetag after long haul flights? I've done a lot of flying and I thought that it would be something that I would just get used to, but nothing seems to work. I always end up feeling really tired with an upset stomach and disorganised sleep patterns for days afterwards. I'm probably going to have to make several trips between Australia and the UK over the next few months, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.
Given I am actually recovering myself, here are my tips: 1. Do not eat heavy food before the flight or in the plane. Stick to light meals, no carbs, no alcohol while flying. Drink plenty of water; keep yourself hydrated. 2. If an overnight flight, consider taking some light sleeping aids to help you sleep. Getting rest makes the jet lag easier to overcome. 3. Change the time on your watch as soon as you get on the plane. It's a psychological trick, but it helps. 4. Before landing, do some stretching, and maybe even some leg exercises to get the blood circulating. 5. If flying east to west, drink coffee before you land and stay up the entire day. Go to bed at an ordinary hour, try not to sleep during the day even if your tired. In the morning, even if you wake up early, stay in bed and try and sleep until a normal hour. 6. Traveling west to east is harder. I usually sleep a few hours right after I land. Then I do the same as above in regards to sleeping and waking up. Hope this helps
Joanie and TraceElement: Thanks for the advice about Melatonin. I will definitely try that next time as I find it hard to sleep on planes. UsxUK: Those all sound like good tips, thanks. I'm sure dehydration is definitely a factor as I never drink enough water on flights and generally have wine with the meals. I'm actually the opposite to you though, as I find the jetlag much worse when flying east to west. I find it really difficult to stay awake/alert no matter how much coffee I drink and by mid afternoon I'm basically a zombie.
