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[campbed219a]

I'm flying out to Japan from the UK in a few weeks. The UK is 9 hours behind Japan. The flight leaves the UK at 2pm (11pm Japanese time) Friday and gets into Japan 5pm Saturday via Dubai. Any tips on avoiding or minimising my jet lag?

Is it worth trying to do the 'go to bed earlier and get up earlier' thing for the week before? I'm not sure if I'll be able to hack that.

Was considering staying up the night before the flight, so that I'm knackered by the time the flight takes off and I should be falling asleep at the same time as Japan. Bad idea?

Don't alter my sleep pattern and then just deal with it when I get to Japan?

Would be interested to hear what works for you.

[azarashi sushi]

Hi Campbed!

Are you sure you got those times right? 11 pm on Friday until 5 pm on Saturday works out at 18 hours. You must be stopping in Dubai for a long time.

I personally think just being rested and refreshed before the flight is the best way to travel and then just deal with the jetlag once you get here.

If you can manage it, don't eat or drink alcohol on the flight. That will also help minimize jetlag and drink LOTS of water on the flight as you can get very dehydrated. Dehydration will also make you feel bad.

AS

[khusam]

I recently found out that flying business class works. Just get the bed set up and sleep through the whole thing. Otherwise, I never got jetlag in my 20's.. so being young may help.

I read an article recently that recommended NOT eating on the plane as jetlag prevention. (double posted, sorry!)You're on a very long flight, though.. Was it cheap to fly through Dubai? Or do you want to stop there for some reason?

I find the climate change more difficult to adjust to than the time zone.

[parrothead]

[Apsara]

I'm a veteran of dozens of 12-hour plus flights and some 24-hour trips (NZ<-> Europe), so here's my advice.

That is a long time not to eat- I don't think it's a good idea not to eat for that amount of time. Not drinking too much alcohol and keeping hydrated is good advice though.

I also don't think that the going to bed/ waking up at different times befiore hand is all that helpful, it's difficult to achieve anyway- the most important thing is just to get plenty of rest the week before you leave, so you are not already tired before you get on the plane.

When you reach your destination try to stay up until at least 9pm so you can adjust, and make sure you are exposed to plenty of natural light, which helps your brain reset (to do with melatonin I think). The worst thing I have done after a long flight is to sleep in a room with no windows for 2 nights- I couldn't adjust at all.

[slodziak]

I seem to suffer really badly from jet-lag. I find it impossible to sleep on the flight and even though I don't drink any alcohol, do some exercised, walk around the cabin I am generally always up at about 03:00 bright eyed and bushy tailed whether it be in Tokyo or the UK. On a flight a couple of weeks ago I tried something called 'sleepeaze' from Boots - I managed 5 hours sleep! I took one for the next two nights I was back in Tokyo and I didn't wake up once - I thought I had finally beaten the jet-lag curse. Stopped taking the pills and the third night I was up at 02:30 with no appetite for sleep. Damn it!
Just roll with it. Usually after three days I am back to normal (in Japan anyway) - the above advice from Aspara seems very sound.

[azarashi sushi]

Fasting Can Prevent Jet Lag - Scientists say that not eating during a long flight can prevent jet lag on arrival


As part of our very busy, modern lifestyle, many of us find themselves in a position that imposes frequent traveling, often to very distant, overseas destinations. One of the most common and troublesome side effects of frequent flying is jet lag � a common physiological response of our bodies to the disruption of the "light/dark" cycle that occurs when we travel across multiple time zones.

In other words, our internal clock � which is triggered by external light cues and which makes us active during the day and sleepy during the night � malfunctions, with very unpleasant consequences. A recent study conducted at the Harvard Medical School in the USA claims to have come up with a good strategy to beat jet lag: don't eat during the flight.

Given the quality of some airline meals, that's not probably such a bad piece of advice after all. All jokes aside, jet lag is extremely uncomfortable and any scientifically valid advice is welcome when it comes to surviving a trans-meridian flight.

The American scientists who carried out the previously mentioned research advise us to travel on an empty stomach in order to adapt quickly and effortlessly to a new time zone. According to them, our brains have not one, but two "internal clocks": the light-activated one (triggered by light cues) that sets our sleep-wake cycle and a second mechanism, which researchers say is in charge of keeping track of meal-times.

In other words, when the light-triggered clock fails due to our trans-meridian travels, it's a good thing to activate the second clock, triggered by hunger, which will help us adjust faster. "Because the body's biological clock can only shift a small amount each day, it takes the average person about a week to adjust to the new time zone" explained Dr Clifford Saper, who was part of the research team.

"And by then, it is often time to turn around and come home. Fasting for about 16 hours is enough to engage this new clock. So in this case, simply avoiding any food on the plane and then eating as soon as you land should help you adjust � and avoid some of the uncomfortable feelings of jet lag". The hunger may be a mild inconvenient while on the flight, but it's worth fasting for a few hours to avoid feeling dizzy and nauseous for a whole week after that.

[wayne432]

It all depends on the person.

For me, I make sure to get a good rest the night before. Then I stay awake the entire travel time (depending on where = 8-15 hours of flying). After I arrive, I try to go to bed between 9-12 pm. I'm usually fine the next day, though sometimes it takes an extra to feel perfect.

[Apsara]

I'm sure fasting does help with the jetlag, but not eating for that amount of time would make me dizzy and nauseous anyway- far more so than jetlag ever has. Particularly when arriving in an unfamiliar country, dealing with Immigration and customs etc, I would rather have my wits about me, and low blood sugar tends to make me stupider than usual.

Everyone is different, if it works for some people that's great, but I would rather eat lightly and then have a few days of readjusting the body clock personally. The main thing for me when I arrive is usually just tiredness from not being able to sleep much on the plane- I'm a light sleeper.

Business class is the best! I hadn't realised how many points I had accumulated over the last few years and have been able to fly business class for my last 2 overseas trips- for free! I arrived more rested than when I left. Going back to economy for my next trip is going to be a blow...

[Quibby84]

The thing that helped the most (although it didnt help 100%) was to get a flight that arrives in the late afternoon, then you just go straight to bed (we are usually tired enough to roll over and die) and wake up the next morning feeling better.
I dont know how I could not eat on the flight...the food is the only thing that gets me through! hehe

[AgentMulderUK]

Bear in mind that going forward in time is easier for the body/mind than going backwards.

I have always found adjusting to Japan is easy after 2-3 days, but returning to the UK is much harder.

Try to stay awake, then when nightfall hits Japan you are going to be so knackered anyway, you wil sleep and then wake up in the local morning time.

I think a lot of the general "crappy feeling" about jetlag is usually not jetlag at all, but the dehydration caused by the flight. That alone could bring on symptoms of displacement, delerium ,etc

Drink lots of water on the plane. Don't wait to be served drinks, it's not enough. Ask for more at frequent intervals. Avoid the wine and beer they try to force on you - I know..but..just don't.

[campbed219a]

[Mapleblondie]

Maybe I'm just an oddball but I NEVER get jetlag on the way to Japan...The trip home to Canada, however, leaves me in a horrible state for some reason unbeknownst to me. I find that when I first get to Japan I have so much excitement about wanting to set up my apartment/living situation like "home" that sleeping is the last thing on my mind for a good long while. The last time I went to Japan, my university expected us to set up our rooms and get to know our host families well, over dinners and long talks, etc. before we were supposed to go to sleep (good manners, I suppose). After about 6 hours of setting up my room and talking to my host family, though, I definitely started to feel the desire to sleep. But, since sleeping on the plane isn't a problem for me and I already had the chance to sleep for about 8 hours of the flight, I was perfectly fine after a normal night's sleep.

I am only 23, so maybe that has something to do with my ability to cope with the jetlag...I dunno. I definitely eat on the plane though...I bring a bunch of my own snacks, in fact. I eat the meals they provide (which usually is one lunch and one dinner) but I munch a lot in-between to keep my energy levels up so that when I AM awake I can focus on whatever I am reading,etc. instead of feeling like I am in a half-daze. I would recommend the opposite of what that article suggests...I think bringing your own healthy low cal protein bars, fruit, bottled water bought within the security gate section (thus, that which is permitted to bring on flights), etc. I know that the foods they give on planes are really high in sodium to compensate for the flavour, since our tastebuds are affected by being so high up in the atmosphere. I was watching a show on FoodTV that was saying THAT is why yhou need to drink the extra water on planes or limit airplane food intake. So, if you are really prone to jetlag, maybe just eat your own foods instead of the airline food? Or really compensate with lots of extra water, like the people who posted above mentioned already.

[Apsara]

Apparently flying west is easier on your system than flying east, which explains why you are more affected by flying back to Canada- so you're not an oddball at all!

I'm sure elderly people are more affected by jetlag, but I have been travelling long haul since I was 20 and am now 33 and haven't noticed that it has got harder to deal with jetlag, so I doubt age is a major factor for most people here.

Salty food is a factor, but the main reason we get dehydrated on long flights is the very dry cabin air- apparently most deserts are more humid than an aircraft cabin. My lips, throat and nose are where I notice this most.

[Mapleblondie]

Thanks Aspara....Good to know about the travelling direction thing. I think I've heard someone say that before too, now that I think of it. And it's also good to know that it means I am not an oddball...haha...and it definitely makes sense that the cabin conditions would affect the way people feel, seeing as they are artifical and all, with cabin pressure and oxygen levels all being measured and maintained by machines rather than nature. Hehe, I guess some little side effects should be expected and preparation and whatnot can only prevent so much of them.