[Anonymous]

[Bath_VIP]

I arrived back in the UK on Friday after an 8 day holiday in Vancouver & Seattle. Whilst out there, I generally went to bed around 10pm and woke up around 4/5 am so I didn’t fully adjust to the time zone. On my return flight, I only got 2 hours sleep at most despite being in business class (I am a poor sleeper in any case on flights).

I have 20 years of long haul flying experience and have long since learned the tricks of readjusting to UK time. My main trick is to not to force my bedtimes to begin with and accept I will go to sleep around 2am on the first night and not to schedule any early morning meetings for 3 days or so. I then bring my bedtimes forward about an hour or so a day and within a few days, everything is fine.

This time though, it’s all gone wrong. Friday night I went to bed at 0030 and went to sleep straightaway. Saturday night, again went to bed at 0030 but didn’t get to sleep until 0230 but last night was a disaster, going to bed at 0030 again but not getting to sleep until 0430. Far from readjusting, I seem to be going in the opposite direction.

I have to be up at 0630 tomorrow morning and 0700 on Thursday morning. Any advice on how I can get myself back in sync would be greatly appreciated.

[canucklad]

Hi Bath_VIP

have total sympathy with you…always give myself a couple of days off after returning to the UK…..oddly the opposite way is no bother, apart from waking early !

Possibly too late, since you’ve been back for a couple of days already….

Healthy option……Go for an energetic swim
Un-healthy option……A hot toddy before bed

Not sure why swimming works but it does !!

[IanFromHKG]

Bath_VIP, I feel for you. Some suggestions, in order of effectiveness:

1: A slow end to the evening, and chamomile tea
2: 5-7 drops (no more) of lavender oil on the temples
3: Aromatherapy Associates’ Deep Relax oil (superb stuff, a colleague uses it to take the edge off her son’s ADHD)
4: A relaxing bath with the AADR oil
5: Let’s be crude but realistic -a w*nk (I know you use audio software to read this so I hope the message comes across, as it were!)
6: Sex
7: Sleeping pills

Also, work out which night affects you most. For me, generally, I survive for two days on adrenaline and willpower (oh, alright, sheer bloodymindedness) and it all goes horribly wrong on day three. So then I use sleeping pills. Proper medical ones, which I can get in HK without a prescription. But only for three consecutive days – a self-imposed and absolute limit

But options 5 and 6 are more fun…

[BigDog.]

These featured on a gadget program Bath_VIP

http://re-timer.com/my-re-timer/

If you try it – it has a 30 day money back guarantee – maybe you could review them.

[MarcusUK]

You should be able to buy Melatonin locally at a Pharmacist, this being the pill form of the natural sleep hormone. they cost as little as 2p per capsule.
I have used them for many years during flights and for the first few nights on arrival, and they trick the body back into your right time zone. I always take a few with me on travels.

Your GP can also prescribe these in the UK, and they have been used in Psychiatry services for 15 years, to assist people sleeping more naturally without the need for medications, always with side effects. Maybe arrange this when you return. Only buy over the internet, from very well established UK companies, so you know of the origin,
GP prescriptions come in 1mg capsules, 2-3 is a normal dose 30 mins prior to trying to sleep. Many leading Dr’s will recommend these for you, as in My area of Psychiatry, widely used.

All the above also…

[MartynSinclair]

Having just managed to “kill” a 25 year + sleeping pill habit, I would strongly try and recommend they be avoided for combating jet lag.

Sadly, there is no one stop solution for jet lag and for me the effects of jet lag appear to change from trip to trip. A lot depends on how much sleep / alcohol / food & activities I have during the preceding 12 hours..

What tends to work for me is to keep as normal a schedule as possible and do not be tempted to oversleep when travelling.

When I go to bed, if I don’t follow Ian’s advice, I tend to read a book or play a computer game, which generally gets me to sleep.

I will go to all lengths, to make sure once I am asleep that nothing wakes me up. Dark room,, alarms off, ear plugs in and phones off and off the hook..

Worst thing of all is being frustrated about jet lag as it will make matters worse. If you suffer, just accept it and get on with work (if you can).

[flydrive]

I fly often to the West Coast, and I’m probably one of the few who suffer more going out than coming back, usually waking up for days on end at 3 am. Going out, I’ve found it works best for me to stay up as late as I can, after which point I fall asleep very easily. If I wake up too early, I take a sleeping pill (prescription; anything over the counter, and melatonin, don’t work for me) which usually knocks me out until dawn. I try not to take naps during the days and keep as active as possible, not overeating or drinking during the day.

For the return, I’m not a great sleeper on flights and arrive exhausted. I try not to go into work the arrival day, which is a lost cause. I rest up and nap during that arrival day, not worrying if I sleep at odd times. The first night is usually difficult, followed by a nightmare morning getting up and to work. However, I find that once at work, I’m ok until the afternoon lull, when I load up on good old fashioned caffeine. After one terrible day, I find I get back in sync much more quickly.

I think my difficulties stem from not having to work when I go out, which takes me longer to adjust to a normal day. Going back you just push through the work day and seem to adjust more quickly.

I agree with others and accept it will be difficult and just get on with my daily routines. Exercise both ways helps a lot both physically and mentally.

[Bath_VIP]

I’d forgotten about this thread and don’t recall Ian’s amusing suggestions. I can say though that I did try option 5 but that didn’t help.

Option 6 wasn’t possible as the lady I was with in Vancouver & I rather overdid things there so I was no condition to resume such activities.

I have an instinctive aversion to using drugs to control sleep so option 7 wasn’t considered.

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Good evening Martyn

After a long period taking sleeping tablets, I too quit this year from one day to the next without any withdrawal symptoms, admittedly with no longhaul flights since stopping. The next big test will be my next longhaul!! Anyway they only knocked me out 3 hours max.

[ImissConcorde]

Bath_VIP
Try the other hand!

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Ian makes a valid point with his No. 5 after a 13-hour flight .

[MartynSinclair]

@alexpo1 – well done. Interestingly, I sleep much better and longer without them.

I’ve been to Asia 3 times since I stopped the sleepers. The first 2 trips, I slept well on the first night, the last trip a week or so back, I had a very bad first night, but the other 9 nights were fine. I just accepted the bad first night, went for a long run after work second day and that sorted the sleeping out (along with the whisky) 🙂

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Martyn

‘I sleep much better….’

Likewise, albeit with the most bizarre dreams LOL

But I know I will be able to take one in the future to combat jetlag without it becoming a habit.

[MartynSinclair]

we all react differently – I know I wont be able to…. and it doesn’t cause me a problem..

[Author]

Posts