Jet lag

as most of you know i'm off to Japan v soon and as it's my first long haul flight I'm wondering about jet lag. Is it worse going West to East or vice versa?

Japan is 8 hours ahead of us, so is it best to sleep on the plane, when i get there, or not at all? My flight is direct and lasts 12 hours, leaving the Uk at 19:45.

The experience is gonna be emotionally tiring as it is, want to do anything i can to minimise the physical tiredness. Any tips & advice from the more seasoned travellers among u very much appreciated...

Just dont go...

Nowt to worry about, then...

Good luck, whatever.

G

I find travelling east to be a bit rougher. Going west, I tend to go to bed a bit earlier and wake up early for days to weeks, but the other way, I am wiped for about three days with the third day being the worst.
My advice, pump up the volume on your adrenaline and enjoy until you fall flat. Otherwise, stay up late late late for a couple of days prior to travelling, sleep only 4 hours and then crash on the flight over to Japan. Do the damage here before you go.

As someone who has bounced like a tennis ball between Asia, Europe and US for years I can tell you that going East or West makes no difference. A jet lag is a jet lag and it hits you few hours early or later depending on which direction you go. For a new traveler they say it takes a day for each hour of time difference before you get adjusted to your new place. If Japan is 8 hours ahead then I would give at least a week to get used to completely.

If you wanna minimize the immediate impact the day you arrive, I would stay away from drinking too much alcohol on flight. Then just try to sleep according to the local time zone instead of trying to sleep when you are sleepy.

so, stupid question, but is jet lag purely tiredness then? or are there any other symptoms like nausea etc...

It's worse going west to east ie from here to Japan.. so good luck!

Ppl cope with jetlag differently, some use sleeping pills to force them to sleep at the right time, others disagree because forced sleeping isn't refreshing and makes you groggier.. depends on how it effects you. Drink plenty of water, for a 12 hr flight i'd say at least 2-3 litres. What works for me is sleeping as much as you can on the flight, waking up for meals and drinks.
Flights are tiring anyway, so you won't be wide awake when you arrive even if you sleep lots.
What time will you arrive in Japan local time?

No nausea (at least not for me). Just tiredness and feeling like a zombie cuz the entire sleep pattern is messed up.

It is basically caused by your body expecting to still be in the time zone you came from and not having fully adapted to the destination time zone.

Jetlag affects people differently. For me it's total lethargy, ie tiredness, low blood sugar, completely knackered. It messes up your body clock and whole system, so it can cause stomach cramps as you start eating at different times, or it can cause disorientation and confusion, feeling 'out of it'. Good for arriving in Japan then

reckon should land about 16:00 local time in Japan...based on flight leaving at 19:45 GMT and Japan being 9 hours ahead of the UK, and a 12 hour flight
shit, I HATE being tired, i'm turn into the grumpiest bitch ever!!!

4pm.. then when you arrive and get settled in, go eat an evening meal maybe take an evening walk, and go to bed not too early, maybe around 10pm earliest.

As for being grumpy when tired - it's good you're self-aware you can prepare yourself for feeling like crap, that way when you do, you know the reason for it, and can deal with it better!

Good point UA. Thanks for all the advice guys, guess i'm just gonna have to grin and bear it!

@ Nilpferd


Just count your Blessings..

Dont forget the TT callender..
Some may have to Grinner and Bare it..

Your circadian rhythm becomes totally whacked out. It also doesn't help that the sun cycle is different for your skin cells and the reactions going on there that need the sun.
Forget the food and drink on the plane and also buy a first class ticket.
Get on the plane after the several days of pre-adjustment training and sleep!

Everyone reacts differently but I have felt quite sick with it in the past. And this was going west not east, which some say is easier. I felt so rotten that I had to lie down on a bench in the middle of New York for a few hours until the feeling passed. Good luck

drink lots and lots of water. it helps tremendously. try to get as much sleep on the plane as possible. I'll think of some more.

Melatonin, It is the gods' gift to the jet lagged. It's what ones body normally releases to make ya sleepy. East to west was always nasty for me. I figured once that if I could just stay awake for the entire flight starting at 1500 I would be right on time to fall asleep when I arrived LAX (Osaka/LAX). I wound up being awake 52 hrs. Melatonin stopped this. Take it just before you should fall asleep for the zone you are flying to. Worked wonders for me after the 52hr ordeal.
take care,
space

Check with your doc. My doc flys to China/ Asia region lots. He swears by melatonin in mega but decreasing doses. Its a long flight so he takes 9mg on the flight, 6mg the night he lands, and 3mg the night after. He also does the water sprays, evian i think on the face as well as lots of water to drink to keep hydrated.

I buy it in 1mg tablets and never take more than the recommended max listed on my bottle - 3mg - but the decreasing doses did seem to work for me. I did 3:2:1 on trips to the US with good success. (I think though that Im getting too used to taking it as it wasn't effective for me on my last trip to SF).

Note though, I would honestly NOT recommend testing out a new sleep inducer, natural or otherwise, for the first time on a flight. If you think you're gonna want a little somethin' somethin' test it out before you leave Munich.

Have fun!!!

PS: Japan Rocks.

I have been flying back and forward to Australia and between Germany (> 22 hours + 8-10 hours time difference) and the US (9 hours flight + 6 hours time difference to Florida) for years. Recently I have started taking sleeping pills during the flight. It is hard to get the timing right, but I find that it helps. If you have 4 or 5 hours sleep on a 24 hour trip to Australia, then the jet lag is much more bearable. Although apparently not as strong as the pills you can get in other countries, I found that the sleeping pills you can get over the counter here help you sleep, but do not totally knock you out.

Melatonin is supposed to be good, but I have heard that it can affect your moods if you are a depressive - so be warned. Anyway, I am not sure if you can get it here without a prescription.

agree with bludger, take a sleeping table a couple of hours into your flight and you'll be fine (either over the counter or ask your doctor). Drink loads of water, wear something comfie on board, take your shoes off immediately (bring some warm socks), have some moisturiser handy too.
Have a fair bit of long-haul flights in my time and my one advice would be not to drink any alcohol on the flight (trust me, am speaking from experience! ended up giving myself the worst hangover of my life half-way thought the 26 hour flight to Australia - gahhhh). Have a brill trip, my BF went to Japan and said it was absolutely amazing!!!

It's a herbal supplement, you don't need a prescription for those. Also Valarian root works quite well.

very good tips here.

some others that might help:

EARPLUGS - best thing ever! sure noise cancellation headphones are nice, but earplugs have a certain "do not disturb" effect that helps you sleep

STRETCH - before and during the flight. even simple "touch your toes" to stretch the lower back and back of the thighs will really help.

if possible, get a massage the day of departure / landing (meaning: a legit massage, not a "happy ending" massage...).

LUMBAR SUPPORT - airline seats are designed so that everybody is uncomfortable, that way nobody complains. so, put something like a pillow behind your back for lumbar support. it really helps to sleep / circulation.

oh, do not use the airline blankets - they are not washed and are ... well, you know.

If you drink alcohol, drink just enough to help you sleep on the plane - and drink lots of water (especially if you take sleeping pills!! man, do those things de-hydrate you!).

when you arrive in new time zone:
- eat light meals.
- stay out late the first night (maybe get drunk)
- expect that day 3 will be the "worst"
- use coffee strategicly
- a 10 min. nap is occasionally in order.

Melatonin is not a herbal supplement - it's a hormone produced by your pineal gland.

And you do need a prescription to buy it in Germany.

@ Nilpherd,

Do the melatonin thing - it works amazing!!! Cuts jet-lag in half, literally!! My first trip
to Japan was from Calgary-Tokyo, with an 18-hour time difference - which yeah, was
a big shock to my clock! It took me a good week to adjust - and before I could sleep
solid through the night.

There is no best cure for jet lag. Try getting as much sun as possible - sun in the
morning will reset your clock to an earlier time, while light in the evening will reset it
to a later time. Hey, you're going to be having too much fun and absorbing the new
culture - to even worry about sleeping!

By the way, I found the culture shock to be quite minimal - I was more in shock
when I returned to the West. You'll love it there! Genki des!

Sayonara!
Willy-San

I have heard that noise cancellation headphones do a great job of blocking out the noise of the plane, but let you hear the voice of the person 3 seats behind you even clearer. Never tried them myself, though, so can't be sure. They would be great for watching a film I reckon.

The best thing to not only avoid Jet lag, but also to stay fresh, Do pranayama, if you know. Or Just rhythmic breathing as much as you can and as often you can.

If you knew meditation, nothing like it.

Stretch a while, Keep walking every hour. Drink plenty of water.
If nothing of these works take alcohol and sleep happily.

Or find a seat near a cute Guy!!!Have fun Kathie San!

An old thread, but worth a whirl regardless. Melatonin has not yet kicked in, flew NZ to Tokyo four days before onward journey, did not sleep on Tokyo flight yesterday but decided to stay up until European late evening (got to bed at midnight last night). As you can see from the time of this post, sleep pattern is wonky (have also cleaned flat and read Sunday papers online so...).
Anything else that I can do?
To be honest, the culture shock o being back is feeling worse than the jet lag...

When I came over from NZ my cousin in London made me stay awake my entire first day (got in at about lunchtime) and man did I hate her for it!!!

By the 2nd or third day I was fine though. I did alot of running about being a tourist so by the time I got home each night I was completely ready to sleep! Maybe try using up alot of your energy, the gym maybe? Then you get a super duper workout and sleep

Think a workout tomorrow lunchtime will help - an indoors one. After 28C + super UV for weeks on end, the temperature change is brutal so am going to be rubbish and save my running for indoors.
Am liking this idea of 2-3 days of misery only though, cheers.

I have the best advice for the US:

Most of the time you'll have to do a connecting flight. On the return, try to make the stop over city somewhere in Europe (preferably somewhere new). Then, make the stop over between 8 and 12 hours long. You'll usually arrive early in the morning as most trans-Atlantic flights to Europe are over night. Then when you arrive, go into the city and see the sites for the 8-12 hours. This is a great way to force yourself to stay awake, and jump start yourself onto the new time zone. You'll be dead tired at the end of the day, but wake up the next day adjusted. You'll also get to see a new city for "free"

Good timing for this one being bumped.

We'll see if it works later but my current effort is ... Bump into your work collegues in the bar and allow them to drag you off into another bar until 12.30. My body was saying 6.30 AM when I went to bed mind you.

Bingo, slept through till 7 ish. Normally I'd have been awake at 3.

I do have a headache , mind you.