How to tackle jet lag.

[RoboReptar]

Alright, wanted to get a discussion from folks who have traveled 8+ hours to get to Japan before I head over next month.

How do you defeat jet lag and not let it affect your visit? Sleeping medication, natural remedies (roots, melatonin, etc), nap on the plane?

I have the privilege of flying comfortably this trip and won't have a problem with sleeping, but I was wondering if its worth to take a sleeping pill on the plane (Flight is in the afternoon) in order to fix things, or if it would make sense to stay up the day before.

Trying to come up with anything since I'll only be in Tokyo for 8 days and don't want 1-2 days ruined by jet lag.

 

[Jbagz]

Depends a lot on your arrival time in Japan if you should stay up the night before or not.

It only takes me a couple of days to adjust, and I've never had too much trouble, but I always scheduled work to start the day after arriving.

 

[RoboReptar]

Depends a lot on your arrival time in Japan if you should stay up the night before or not.

It only takes me a couple of days to adjust, and I've never had too much trouble, but I always scheduled work to start the day after arriving.

I leave at 1pm west coast time and arrive 5pm Tokyo time, so it's a 4 hour leap forward (hour wise) but I'm not sure how my body will adjust, never traveled across that many time zones before.

 

[User#8628]

@static had a VERY interesting jetlag remedy!

Personally, if its for vacation and in a city with a lot of action, i dont really fix it and just go out in the evening and sleep whenever i want.

The last time i arrived back in japan and had a more busy scedule after, i didn't sleep in the plane (not on purpose, i just usually cant fall asleep in planes), arrived in the morning and napped maybe one hour, then didn't sleep until evening.
Same back in my country, i made sure not to go to bed until a certain time. Basically i was always so tired that sleeping wasn't a problem.
I would bring some sleeping pills or melatonine just in case but only use them when you are in japan and cant fall asleep when you really have to.

 

[Jbagz]

I leave at 1pm west coast time and arrive 5pm Tokyo time, so it's a 4 hour leap forward (hour wise) but I'm not sure how my body will adjust, never traveled across that many time zones before.

No, it is more than a four hour difference in times between LA and Tokyo.

When it is 1am in LA, it is 6pm in Tokyo.

What makes you tired is it when your biological clock feels like it is night, when it is the morning.

With a 5PM arrival, don't sleep on the plane and then try to stay up as late as you can after arriving.

I never screwed around with sleeping pills, so I can't say anything about them. Heard a few bad stories about people sleep walking and doing crazy shit on airplanes from taking Lunestra.

I steer clear of them.

 

[Anna Summer]

I arrived at 7am today in Tokyo from a 11 hours flight and staying awake from such an early time is hard. I had to sleep for a while as it was after midnight in germany when I arrived at my apartment here.
I'm still tired enough to sleep during the night today but don't know how the other days are going to be.
Even tho I arrived late in the evening in Germany, and went to bed right after, I still had a jetlag for the next 3-4 days.

 

[stringen]

I always plan ahead before going to Tokyo. For my next trip I will arrive at 5pm and probably won't be at my apartment until 7-8pm. So no time for power nap.

In my case I have limit that I need to be in my apartment at 5pm if I'm going to take a power nap. Usually sleep for 2 hours and then head out.

So for this trip I will take quick shower when I arrive at the apartment and then take a taxi to my favourite restaurant. I try to stay out after midnight and then head home. Set the alarm so I don't over sleep, around 8 hours. After that I'm good to go and rarely feel any jetlag. Just take a 1-2 hour nap if I feel tired the next day.

 

[User#8628]

I arrived at 7am today in Tokyo from a 11 hours flight and staying awake from such an early time is hard. I had to sleep for a while as it was after midnight in germany when I arrived at my apartment here.
I'm still tired enough to sleep during the night today but don't know how the other days are going to be.
Even tho I arrived late in the evening in Germany, and went to bed right after, I still had a jetlag for the next 3-4 days.

Welcome back!

 

[Anna Summer]

Welcome back!

Thank you

 

[impish]

From the east coast in the US it's typically a 15hr flight with 1 layover. I typically spend the night before up all night. I then stay awake on the first leg of my trip, and sleep on the second leg telling the flight attendants to 1) don't wake me, and 2) save my meal for me. I then sleep to try and get myself on japan time. Typically when I return to Japan I will go to bed at 10pm and wake at 5pm for like a week, which is great when your on vacation because if you get up early and get breakfast done with, you can get into temples before the other tourists do.

 

[Exnocomment]

I say spend your first evening with the loveliest lady of your choosing. You will be way too stimulated to fall asleep.. And you will be so exhausted afterwards there will be no way you can't sleep!

That or just find one day where you just stay up really late.. Then stay out all day thand next day, go out, work, do whatever.. You will be so burnt out on adrenaline afterwards that you if you make it to bedtime the next night you'll be fully adjusted!

 

[impish]

and wake at 5pm for like a week,

Sorry meant 5am....

 

[Rusty Trombone]

I always find that heading to a new destination and getting your body in sync with local time is easy as you are excited.
Coming back is the killer. It can take a week or so to get back to normal.

My advice would be to try to eat meals at what is considered normal times locally. Even if my body says it 2am, and it's not wanting food, if the local time is dinner time then eat dinner.

 

[RoboReptar]

Thanks all for all the fantastic tips, I've read around and most suggest setting my watch to Japanese time as soon as i hop on the plane and then sleep at normal hours there and I should adjust, also apparently hydration is very key.

I'll keep all the tips in mind, so excited!

 

[Gasse]

My advice would be to try to eat meals at what is considered normal times locally. Even if my body says it 2am, and it's not wanting food, if the local time is dinner time then eat dinner.

Totally 100% agree

 

[ur19877]

Some of my tips for long flights are::
1. Have a change of clothes to something comfortable while you are sleeping and something presentable in the airport.
2. Bring and Drink lots of water
3. Do not drink too much alcohol. (dehydrates your more and prevents good sleep)
4. Eyemask, compression socks, slippers and ear plugs.
5. travel pillow.

I go for the window and situate myself the best I can for a long sleep. Sometimes I may take a melatonin pill.

 

[e-smile]

Alright, wanted to get a discussion from folks who have traveled 8+ hours to get to Japan before I head over next month.

How do you defeat jet lag and not let it affect your visit? Sleeping medication, natural remedies (roots, melatonin, etc), nap on the plane?

I have the privilege of flying comfortably this trip and won't have a problem with sleeping, but I was wondering if its worth to take a sleeping pill on the plane (Flight is in the afternoon) in order to fix things, or if it would make sense to stay up the day before.

Trying to come up with anything since I'll only be in Tokyo for 8 days and don't want 1-2 days ruined by jet lag.

It takes me around 22 hours (including the stop to change plane) to go to Tokyo every year and I'm the type who can't sleep in travel. And when I arrive there I'm so exited that I can't sleep early while I do wake up early the next day.
The strange part is I've never felt the jet lag I hear so much about. to me it's like a myth. what is it like exactly ?

 

[e-smile]

Some of my tips for long flights are::
1. Have a change of clothes to something comfortable while you are sleeping and something presentable in the airport.
2. Bring and Drink lots of water
3. Do not drink too much alcohol. (dehydrates your more and prevents good sleep)
4. Eyemask, compression socks, slippers and ear plugs.
5. travel pillow.

I go for the window and situate myself the best I can for a long sleep. Sometimes I may take a melatonin pill.

all the things I don't do (except the sippers)
I drink a lot of beer in the plane and I don't sleep so I don't use pillow, eyemask, ear plugs ...

 

[Willful]

No advice from me as I have never gotten jet lag flying West to Japan. I only get jet lag when I fly East back to the US

 

[faboo2001]

No advice from me as I have never gotten jet lag flying West to Japan. I only get jet lag when I fly East back to the US

Same, and apparently there's a biological reason for that:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/16/science/jet-lag-east-west.html?_r=0

I always just assumed the reason was that the timing usually works out when travelling to Japan from Canada. Leave in the morning, arrive in Japan in the afternoon or early evening, go to sleep soon after due to being exhausted, usually wake up at a reasonable time in the morning and you're already synced to the time zone.....then again, I usually arrive in Canada around the afternoon or evening exhausted as well, but usually it's a struggle to fall asleep once I'm home.

 

[Willful]

Same, and apparently there's a biological reason for that:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/16/science/jet-lag-east-west.html?_r=0

I always just assumed the reason was that the timing usually works out when travelling to Japan from Canada. Leave in the morning, arrive in Japan in the afternoon or early evening, go to sleep soon after due to being exhausted, usually wake up at a reasonable time in the morning and you're already synced to the time zone.....then again, I usually arrive in Canada around the afternoon or evening exhausted as well, but usually it's a struggle to fall asleep once I'm home.

I knew I read that somewhere! Thanks for linking it!