Dealing with Jetlag

[maggiethecat]

We just got back from 4 weeks in North America and jetlag is driving me mad. First night home and dc (7 and 3)were confused. Were up singing and chatting in the middle of the night. Three days later and it's not much better - both fell asleep at about 8.30 but were by midnight - older one finaly fell asleep at 2am and I could hear that little one was still up and about up until I fell asleep at 3.30am.
How do you cope with the kind of directional jetlag that we've experienced (5 hours time difference)?

should be '8.30 pm but were up by midnight'

Did your children fall asleep when they arrived home?. That would not have helped them although they were undoubtedly very tired, the best thing for arrival day is to keep a quiet house and stay awake for as long as possible (we went to bed around 7pm after arriving home from San Francisco at 1pm that afternoon). The worst thing I have found is to actually fall asleep before evening after arriving home. That made me feel worse so I do not do this anymore after a long flight.

Some tips for you now:-

?Get into your new routine - try to get used to your new routine as soon as possible. This means eating meals and sleeping at the correct times for your new time zone.

?Avoid napping (very important this) - try not to nap as soon as you arrive at your destination. You may be tired from a long flight, but try to stay active until it is the correct time for you to sleep. This will help your body adjust more quickly.

?Spend time outdoors (again very important) - try to spend as much time outdoors as you can. Natural light is a very effective way of getting your body to adjust to a new routine.

I know the suggestions are sensible but oh so hard to follow. Last night was a bit better - had kept them awake all day and went to the park then doped them up a bit before bed. Hopefully that will help to break the cycle.

Well done for keeping them awake all day yesterday; their cicadian clocks will reset themselves back to UK time in the next few days. Try and keep them awake all day today as well and give them their usual bedtime.

If its not raining try and take them out somewhere. Fresh air and natural daylight are good for jetlag.

Despite the rain I dragged them out....to do the shopping!! Not the kind of fresh air I had hoped for but telling them that they could each spend a pound on whatever they liked was enough to keep them awake!