Jet Lag - tips

[Atissue123]

DC (age 8) and I are accompanying DH on a work trip to the US in November (half term for us). Time difference will be 6 hours. On the way out we fly all day and we arrive late afternoon in the US (11pm in the UK). Any tips for making jet lag less painful? DH is working most of the week and will not be with us the first 3 nights as is at an event. I have booked a spa hotel and we have nothing 'to do' as such so I am hoping that will make it a lot easier. On the way back (day 7) we fly all night back to the UK. Hoping we might sleep a bit but just wondering if there are any tips particularly for kids to make it less painful. We arrive home Monday 2pm and she needs to be back in school on Tuesday. Starting to think I am mad but it's a paid for trip....! Do I keep her up late a few nights before we leave? Avoid naps on the plane out?

Time difference will be 6 hours. On the way out we fly all day and we arrive late afternoon in the US (11pm in the UK). Any tips for making jet lag less painful?

Outbound - don't give into any tiredness when you arrive, try and stay up for a few hours..(so there might be some merit in your idea of pre-adjusting before leaving the UK).

Even doing that you'll probably wake up early (local) on day two - you'll have to try and push through the local day if you can..if you absolutely have to have a PM nap to survive try and keep it really short (< 1 hour).

Hopefully by day three you'll be getting somewhere close to being adjusted to local time.

No real tips for the night flight back..you'll either get some sleep or not...

Have a good trip.

I buy over the counter Boots Sleepeze and use them for the first 2-3 nights on arrival and on return. They're absolutely brilliant for me as I simply don't sleep on planes at all, so providing I get a good nights sleep the first night then am good for rest of holiday. Even worked after a 24 hr flight to NZ where I couldn't sleep on the plane.

The thing that seems to slot my body onto a new time zone is meals, and eating them at the right time

So have a very ‘breakfast-y’ meal at breakfast time, typical lunch at lunchtime and proper dinner in the evening.

It seems to really make my brain think it’s morning/afternoon and evening vs having room service at random times of the day

Adopt the destination time as soon as you get to the airport, and as @tenbob says, eat accordingly. Try to adapt your sleep time too - harder said than done!

I came back from NY once and really needed to sleep on the plane as I had a 4 hour drive to get from the airport to home. It was fairly empty on the plane and I had a row of seats to myself so could even lie down. I got about 20 minutes of dozing during the whole 7/8 hour flight. 🙄 but I find it impossible to sleep on planes at any time.

Thanks - some great tips here especially the boots sleeping aid. I’ll get that.

The meal thing is also helpful. We went to India some time ago (pre children) and I do remember that tip being helpful. Will do it again.

I think last time we travelled long haul with kids they were both so small they were still napping etc and this seems really different at 8 now. I’m planning to go to bed and get up at the same time as my daughter so that should make things better.

Use daylight to help reset your body clock - go for a walk outside when you get there if you can. When you get home, try and stay awake and go to bed usual time or earlier (if you’re knackered from having travelled all night). First morning likely to be brutal!

I agree you want to stay up on arrival and go to bed as normal at night time. Coming home will be the worst. Get some sleep aid syrup for DC or even melatonin as both can be purchased off the shelf in the US. Walmart for example stock both.

Jetlag is not so much an issue flying from east to west because you gain time, it’s the return journey that is harder because such flights are overnight. My counsel would be to eat a few hours before you arrive at the airport and dispense with the meal on the plane.

I would have something light to eat when you arrive at your accommodation.
Adults also tend to suffer more from jet lag than children so your child may not be as affected by the time difference.

I'd go to a drug store in the US and buy melatonin the day you arrive, then take it half an hour before you want to sleep each day. Plus, as PPs have said about trying to fit to the correct time zone, and get daylight at the right time!