Jetlag

First of all, I%26#39;d like to thank each of you for providing me with so much information about Paris for my trip there next month. Very helpful in so many ways. I%26#39;ve been reading for about 4 months now and I always learn something new. Actually, sometimes it seems like sensory overload! But I%26#39;d rather know too much than not enough. Thank you.

One thing I haven%26#39;t seen covered here is Jetlag. How do you guys deal with it? The last time I traveled overseas (to London), it took me 3 days to get used to the time difference! I%26#39;ve read so many trip reports (I%26#39;m not counting the European posters. You guys are so lucky) and it seems like most of you hop off the shuttle, throw your bags down and get to it!

My wife and I will only have 7 days. We fly from Washington, DC on a 5:30 pm flight. I%26#39;m a night-owl and a light-sleeper, so I can%26#39;t imagine sleeping on the plane. We arrive in Paris at 6am, which is midnight EST (just about time for me to prepare to go to bed, usually).

I%26#39;m usually adverse to taking pills unless I%26#39;m literally fighting for my life (much to the chagrin of my wife) but I%26#39;m willing to make an exception here if most of you experienced travelors recommend it.

Thanks again for your responses.

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I prefer to go to my home and sleep for 90 minutes (no more !) after a morning arrival from the US, but that is not always available for people staying in hotels (usually no early check in available).

The drug I prefer is Provigil, a non-amphetamine anti-drowsiness drug; it works very well and is becoming quite popular in business circles.

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The best thing I experience against jetlag is to stay in open air and day light on your first day and be active.

I take pills only occasionnally on business trip; for example coming back from the USA or from Guadeloupe early in the morning and having meetings the same day, but never when I am a tourist.

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Da,

I was in the exact situation as you last month. I did not attempt to nap at on arrival day (as recommended by TA users) even though I slept maybe 3-4 hours off and on throughout the flight without meds so I can%26#39;t comment on taking meds. We checked in but the hotel room wasn%26#39;t available until 3:00pm so we dropped off the luggage and walked around the area to get our bearings. I must admit we did have to fight the urge to sleep but it was made easier with our excitement of being in Paris for the first time. We made it an early night of it though. It took another day to shake off the sluggishness but after that we were fine.....jetlag once we were at home is another story :o) Bon voyage!

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There is a product called No Jet Lag. It is sold at Whole Foods markets; maybe other places, I only know WF. At any rate, I swear by the stuff. It is homeopathic, no caffeine, no artificial anything. You take it each time you cross a time zone (if you%26#39;re sleeping, it doesn%26#39;t matter). Whether you try it or not, make sure you don%26#39;t nap for any longer than 2 hours on arrival or you%26#39;ll have a devil of a time trying to get acclimated to the Parisian time zone during your visit. I also try to stay outdoors for the fresh air.

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%26lt;%26lt;The best thing I experience against jetlag is to stay in open air and day light on your first day and be active. %26gt;%26gt;

This is excellent advice, from my experience.

In addition, I%26#39;ve found that if I stay up all day, do lots of walking, get plenty of fresh air on that first day in Paris, absolutely resist the temptation to crash or take a nap if you get access to your hotel room early.....in other words, put in a very full first day, by the time 8PM Paris time rolls around that first day, you%26#39;ll sleep so soundly all night long, and wake up on day 2 with minimal jet lag AND you%26#39;ll be on Paris time to boot.

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LOL...the Ontario poster is right...coming home, the jet lag is WAY worse. Lasts for days and days...it%26#39;s just awful :(

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Thank you for the advice! We%26#39;re renting an apt in the 11e so we will have access immediately and we will also have plenty to do once we get there (meeting with our %26quot;landlord%26quot;, grocery shopping, etc) I will try not to take a nap and maybe wonder around a bit. I heard we%26#39;re near the Pere Lachaise Cemetière.

Thanks again.

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I agree with HappyGoin - I also swear by No Jet Lag! I use it whenever I travel more than 6 time zones during a trip. It has worked every single time although I do sleep a little bit on the plane so that helps. When I get to the destination, I try really hard to adjust to the time zone right away.

I was a little weary when I used No Jet Lag two years ago when I flew from Hawaii to London, England, but experienced no jet lag which really surprised me. Same thing when I went from NYC to Australia earlier this year.

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As a frequent traveler who has crossed the Atlantic countless times, here is my list of techniques to minimize jet lag:

1. Choose the latest available departure time. The idea is to correlate the en route time as closely as possible to one%26#39;s normal sleep patters. (This suggestion is apparently too late for this voyage.)

2. Avoid alcohol in flight, this interferes with proper sleep.

3. A sleep aid is useful; varies from individual to individual. This could be anything from aspirin to sleeping pills. Another reason to avoid alcohol.

4. Skip the in flight entertainment. If one is involved with an excellent movie, getting to sleep is all the more difficult. (Assuming the in flight entertainment is worth watching in the first place.)

5. Taking a short nap (no more than 3-4 hours) as soon one arrives is very helpful. Never sleep beyond late afternoon, you%26#39;ll want to be ready for normal bed time. I realize this is difficult for those checking into hotels where rooms may not be available.

6. Do not drive a car on the day of arrival. Fatigue can be deadly on the highway.

7. Keep active, others have already described good techniques.

8. While we are usually sufficiently tired to get to sleep on the first night in France, it is often difficult to remain asleep. Consider the sleep aids used for the overnight flight may be needed again to obtain a full nights rest after having finally arrived.

Even under ideal conditions, making a complete change to a new time zone may take several days, longer if someone cheats himself and falls asleep late in the afternoon of his first day.

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WOW! Hawaii to London with no jet lag? NYC to Australia?? I will look into it. I have no real allergies or anything. My mom steered us away from taking pills for things she thought could be solved a different way. (I guess she didn%26#39;t believe wholeheartedly in the drug companies). Anyway, I guess I kind of took on that mentality.

No Jet Lag. Take every time I cross a time zone. Avoid naps (unless it%26#39;s early in the morning). Walk around and get some fresh air. Get to bed early. Got it. You have solved all but one thing.

Trying to sleep the night before! :-)

Thanks, everyone.