Jet lag advice needed

[ducducgooseme]

So I seem to continually get my ass kicked by jet lag.   I am headed to Japan in a few days and would love to get any ideas from you seasoned travelers.

I leave home at 6am and get into Tokyo at 4pm the next day.  ugh. 

[TiAvenger]

just go till a schoolgirl stripclub from the time you arrive till 11pm local time...

they will wear you (and your wallet ) out so much that you gett a full nights sleep and your internal clock will reset.

[the_Journeyman]

Stay up until bedtime in Tokyo.  That's what I did when I went to Australia.  Left the US at 11PM, napped a little on the plane.  Arrive in Sydney at 7AM Sydney time.  Stayed up that whole day, went to bed 11ish that night & was fine the next morning ~

JM

[LMT]

MsI to the DMF courtesy phone....

Ask MsIncredible.  She travels more then anyone I know.

[OwnyTony]

So I seem to continually get my ass kicked by jet lag.   I am headed to Japan in a few days and would love to get any ideas from you seasoned travelers.

I leave home at 6am and get into Tokyo at 4pm the next day.  ugh. 

How long you staying?  Japan is about a 12-14 hour flight.  Not a seasoned traveler and im young so jet lag is easier over come for me than my parents. I usually try to stay up as long as possible so i end up going right to sleep when it is evening in the destination I arrive at.  In your case, when you arrive in Japan at 4, you will get to your hotel by 6 to 7.  Take a hot shower and go right to sleep.

[herm]

stay hydrated
do what you can to move your awake/sleep cycle closer to your destination
rest up your first day there

[swerdna]

Slashdot story. Recommends fasting. With a rat study or something...

Fast.
Drink water.
Stay up until the "bed time" at destination location.
Exercise.

[Gator]

Get really, really drunk.

Start drinking on the plan and just keep going when you arrive.

Pass out about 8-9 oclock sleep for 12 hours. you'll be a little hung over but no jet lag.

Get a good breakfast and relax the first day the hang over will subside and you'll be tired by midnight.

Or

Start adjusting to Tokyo time the week before you go.

[swerdna]

Get really, really drunk.

Start drinking on the plan and just keep going when you arrive.

Pass out about 8-9 oclock sleep for 12 hours. you'll be a little hung over but no jet lag.

Get a good breakfast and relax the first day the hang over will subside and you'll be tired by midnight.

Or

Start adjusting to Tokyo time the week before you go.

Dude. This is how I travel from Friday-land to Saturday-land.

[r_ciao]

I've heard that you should fast.  This attempts to reset your biological clock.  There have been studies that support this.  I'm lucky that I can sleep almost anywhere, anytime.  What works for me is to stay up really late or get extremely little sleep so that you are dead tired by the time you get on the plane.  Have a good sleep on the plane, then eat like a pig when you wake up.  That helps me.  Good luck.

[Oldfisti]

+1 To staying up all night till you hit the plane. Sleep through most of the flight (big plus). Arrive, get settled, have a nice dinner. Getting back to sleep between 10-12pm shouldn't be an issue. The all nighter should reset you. 

[phule]

Advice for the trip to Australia is spot on (we do this trip at least once a year with kids) assuming the plane lands in Japan around breakfast. Bigger problem is the trip back. If leaving Japan time mid afternoon I suggest staying up the night before and sleeping on the plane for the entire flight back, once again assuming it lands west coast beakfast time. When we don't do this I get knocked around for a day or two, wifey takes 2 to 3 days and the kids are stuffed for at least 3 (so we have to time our return to their needs for attending school)

Have a nice trip.

[ducati_tim]

Sometimes it is hard to do, but try to get exposure to as much sunlight as possible. It really helps readjust your clock. I also eat as little as possible on the plane, drink no alcohol or caffeine 48 hours prior to the flight and on the flight itself, and I take naps whenever I can.

[Oldfisti]

^^^^^^^^^^^ Sorry for the threadjack but your avtar cracks me up!   

[MendoDave]

Get really, really drunk.

Start drinking on the plan and just keep going when you arrive.

Pass out about 8-9 oclock sleep for 12 hours. you'll be a little hung over but no jet lag.

Get a good breakfast and relax the first day the hang over will subside and you'll be tired by midnight.

Or

Start adjusting to Tokyo time the week before you go.

+1 This has always been my preferred method. It helps If you have some peeps to Party with. Otherwise Pop 2  Tylenol  PM's on the plane when it gets to be 8 PM local destination time. That should put you to sleep around 9:30 local. You should get about 6 hours of sleep on the plane, maybe more if your good at sleeping on planes.