Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattered

[zahra01]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

You can't recover from desynchronosis by simply having a good sleep on the flight or when you arrive having a good snooze. It's completely regardless of how comfortable your seat is...you could fly in a VIP 747 with the best king-size bed, and still suffer the effects. It takes days to recover fully, as your body clock will synchronise by 1-1.5 hours per day. You can fight through the fatigue but it's no surprise you're waking up in the early hours of the morning.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_lag

Just like 'curing' a hangover, no matter how much melatonin, blue light therapy etc. you try, the only guaranteed method is time.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I must have got sucked into advertising that I am going to feel like Nicole Kidman having a glorious time in her suite mid air..ha ha, or that I would be able to rush off to important meetings straight from the plane...just had the 25 mins zombie teabreak at work...oh well, day 5 today, lets hope a drug free sleep tonight. Seychelles was 6 hrs behind Melbourne so I must be almost fixed !

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

Jet lag has very little to do with how comfortable you are on the flight, it's your circadian rhythm's which are been given the hit. You could sleep like a baby the entire way on a long haul, when those rhythms state it's now bedtime you will feel tired.

This.

And that's why - if melatonin works for you - it is so effective. It resets your rhythm. The trick with melatonin is to leave all the curtains or blinds open, so that your body naturally responds to the dawn.

 

[jb747]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

Well, I guess you wouldn't like my job!

Keep flying west. Way easier than east.

Some trips knock the stuffing out of you, and when you have them literally running in together, you never get over the jet lag. You don't get used to it...you just feel terrible all of the time.

 

[moa999]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

West is best.. just extend your days a bit

Flying back home east however I like arriving early morning.. just force yourself to stay awake all day, a bit of exercise, and then you'll sleep very very well, maybe with a melatonin to help

 

[casanovawa]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

Recently did the following flights home after a month in South america: IPC-SCL-BOG-LAX-TPE-SIN-PER with the first in Y and the rest in J, took more than 2.5 days to get home (including a couple of 8-10 hour transits in lounges where i couldn't get much sleep), final leg was a flight leaving after midnight from Singapore and getting into Perth at 5.30am with sloping flat beds, got a couple of hours sleep on the plane, came home for a 2 hours of sleep and then went to work for the rest of the day.... Thought that wasn't a bad effort at 44...

 

[casanovawa]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

Just like 'curing' a hangover, no matter how much melatonin, blue light therapy etc. you try, the only guaranteed method is time.

I think you forgot the bacon buttie, kebab or breakfast fry up from the guaranteed methods...

 

[zahra01]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

Recently did the following flights home after a month in South america: IPC-SCL-BOG-LAX-TPE-SIN-PER with the first in Y and the rest in J, took more than 2.5 days to get home (including a couple of 8-10 hour transits in lounges where i couldn't get much sleep), final leg was a flight leaving after midnight from Singapore and getting into Perth at 5.30am with sloping flat beds, got a couple of hours sleep on the plane, came home for a 2 hours of sleep and then went to work for the rest of the day.... Thought that wasn't a bad effort at 44...

That is a spectacular effort.

 

[casanovawa]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

That is a spectacular effort.

I did get a few surprised looks at the office when they asked when i got back and i said about 3 or 4 hours ago...

 

[Milboo]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

Surprised that there is an effect from as close as Colombo - I've taken the SQ flight out (being a 1am departure so only have a nap late afternoon) and haven't had any jet lag issues.

I've also been known to get off a flight from LAX (in Y or Y+) and go straight to work!

 

[ellen10]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

My 28 y/o son always flys in in the early morning, goes home, showers and goes straight to work. I don't know how he does it.

Can you by melatonin over the counter?

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

<snip>
Can you by melatonin over the counter?

Not in Australia, last time I checked. You can buy it freely in the US and Canada (at least), in varying strengths (2-10mg); most people take the lower range stuff.

 

[ellen10]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

Not in Australia, last time I checked. You can buy it freely in the US and Canada (at least), in varying strengths (2-10mg); most people take the lower range stuff.

Going to Europe on Tuesday. will have to look for another option.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

I have sisters in the pharmac_ trade who sweat by Restavit - but take 1/2 tab only - full tablet will have you feeling totally hungover for hours - and available over counter. Jet lag is a fact of life - it won't kill you - (jealous angry husbands can) - we all get it - we all question flying again (fleetingly) - time heals all wounds.

 

[harvyk]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

Surprised that there is an effect from as close as Colombo - I've taken the SQ flight out (being a 1am departure so only have a nap late afternoon) and haven't had any jet lag issues.

I've also been known to get off a flight from LAX (in Y or Y+) and go straight to work!

I've felt the effects on a transcon with only a 3 hour time difference, I've been to the other side of the world without any problems. Sometimes you're lucky and other times you're not.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

Surprised that there is an effect from as close as Colombo...

An hour during daylight saving is enough

 

[drivatruk]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

First day back at work i'm usually not much chop. I stick to the easy things like catching up on emails, returning phone calls and when i am totally disfunctional i do a walk around the warehouse to freshen me up. I cant waste sick leave on Jetlag, i need it for my next holiday.

 

[JohnK]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

I usually suffer for 3-4 days, sometimes more.

Sleep on arrival and any other opportunity. I do get a few restless nights and can find myself awake at 3:00am-4:00am but I continue to function as I can get by on a few hours sleep.

 

[Denali]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

Going to Europe on Tuesday. will have to look for another option.

My choice of pharmaceutical sleep aid is phenergan and you can buy it over the counter. Try it at home first. I take 2 about half an hour before I want to sleep and I get a good 6hrs.

 

[Buzzard]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

I arrive home totally knackered whilst +1 starts unpacking bags, doing the laundry etc. I'm the one that gets more sleep on the plane. Don't know she does it.
Hopefully our next return from EU with a 2 day stopover in DXB helps.

 

[Mike65]

Re: Flying home to Melb from Colombo all in J on Ek and still jet lagged and shattere

I have no doubt it (jet lag) becomes more of a problem as we age (I'm now almost 52). I've always been a light/poor sleeper so rarely get more than one or two hours consecutive sleep even in J flat beds. Tried things like Temazapam but it really doesn't help. My solution has always been the aforementioned active approach. My fav is playing golf straight off the plane in LAX. Tee off late morning-middayish, finish late afternoon, dinner, bed, sleep. Works a treat. On my last trip earlier this year, didn't play golf due to really bad weather on arrival. Felt cough for first two days, OK for next two then on the plane back. Rinse, repeat. Will lock in the golf regardless of weather next time!
Having said all this, my boss (around same age as me) travels international a lot and seems to be able to take red-eye after red-eye and still show up for work. He takes Advil Forte to help him sleep. As always, YMMV.