Jet lag help

[Patsykenning]

Currently in east coast Canada and leaving tomorrow. The jet lag whilst here has been worse than expected and I hear it’s far worse going East, plus we all have to be back at work/school on Monday! Any tips for helping it or do we just have to suck it up?

The only thing that makes life easier for me is to take a sleep aid at a normal English bedtime and knock myself out cold!

So arrive in UK early am. Allow myself a 1-2 hr nap around 11/noon then bed at 9-10pm with knockout drops!

What knockout drops do you take if you don't mind me asking? @Lizzieregina

Melatonin is legal in Canada. And then afternoon sun in your face helps.

@Wugglesworth I once had a leftover clonazepam (Klonopin) which was great, but usually it’s either a nighttime cold medicine or an OTC sleep aid. I’m in the US so I get NyQuil or Zzquil. They can have a bit of a hangover effect, but it wears off quickly.

I usually take Nytol for a week to get over jetlag

Thanks all - I'm flying back from the states tomorrow so I'll pick up some of these suggestions!

Can you buy melatonin over the counter in Canada? If so, get some. The key is to force yourself straight back into routine when you get home, set an alarm so you don't sleep in. I always go straight back to work the next day as it's the best way to force myself back into it (don't need to drive!)

Yes you can.

Boots over the counter Sleepeeze are the best thing I have used. Melatonin didn't seem to work for me particularly. Use them for the first 2-3 nights on the way there and on return to get a good 8 hrs sleep, and then I recover quite quickly, although it's always worse on the way back.

You can buy melatonin at the airport from vending machines! Just try to adapt to local time asap on landing, so eating , sleeping etc. try to snooze on the plane and use eye masks and ear plugs/headphones.

Last week I flew back to the UK from a 12hr forward zone. I was getting knackered in the evenings by 7pm and waking at 4am! Not bad though considering the time difference. Get sunshine during the day if you can, go for walk and try to keep active in the evening when you feel tired. When I did wake at 4am, I avoided caffeine, kept the lights very low, no TV or computers. Had a warm, non caffeine drink and tried to get back to bed after 30mins or so. It didn't always work, but a week on, I'm doing ok.

You may be home but I’d imagine you’ve done an overnight flight back and now have all day. Don’t go to sleep now you’re home. Go for an early night, ie 7 pm and try to get 10 hours or so. Jet lag coming back fro the states was awful for us last year. Much worse than coming back from oz which is odd given the time differences.

Try to keep the local time zone as far as you can, even if you’re knackered and just want to sleep. Get lots of daylight, especially in the morning. If you’re extra dedicated set your watch at UK time when you get on the plane and only sleep if you would be sleeping in the UK.

Thank you! I have read all your tips and trying to keep to the advice! I feel woozy today but I think that’s from the sleepless night on the plane rather than jet lag particularly. I haven’t been able to get to the shops today but will possibly get some of the over counter stuff mentioned. Thanks again.

One thing that's always helped me adjust is a sauna session. Stimulates tge circulation and cuts through that woozy state when you're too exhausted to do any activities yet too wired to go to sleep.

I've done a fair bit of long haul travel in my time, and whilst I've occasionally felt a bit tired because of staying up until local bedtime, I've never really suffered, maybe it's that fact that I could sleep on a clothes line that helps, so I can get kip in on the aircraft no matter what time the flight is. And I do. A meal and a drink, and the first 5 minutes of a film, and that's me out....sorry, that's probably not helpful for OP. But by golly the clock changes in Spring and Autumn affect me, and that's just an hour either way, don't know whether I'm coming or going for a good week or so every time. I have no idea why.

What works for me is getting a minimum of 4 hours sleep on the plane, and then switching to local time as soon as possible after landing. If I can just get those 4 hours, I can tell myself I just had a really shit night's sleep, but I'll make it up tonight/tomorrow. If necessary I will skip drinks and meal service to do that.

Going onto local time heading west is generally easier because you can just "stay up late". So for example if you fly London to Toronto (5 hours difference), stay up until 9pm local time which is 2am in London.

Going east is trickier, especially on flights from the US/Canada east coast to the UK, and even more so if the plane leaves relatively early. I always try to get as late a departure as possible. 6pm from Boston, landing in London at 5:30am which your brain thinks is midnight, is brutal. A 10pm departure from Seattle is much less bad even though the time difference is 8 rather than 5 hours.