Guest Posted November 14, 2001 Report Share Posted November 14, 2001 I do agree with Raven that flying west seems to get you easier into the local time rhythm than flying east - the study which claims the opposite surprises me a bit. Minimising jet-lag starts on the plane: Drink lots of water or juice (as someone has said already), and don't eat everything they give you; the lighter the better. Vegetarian meals go down better than meat. If pulses usually bloat up your tummy, avoid. Otherwise, you may also become quite unpopular with you co-passengers! 0n arrival, I take 3 or 6 milligrams of Melatonin (a sleep-hormone) for a few days. Unfortunately, Melatonin is not sold in Thailand, neither, I think, in Western Europe. You do get in in Singapore, the US and Australia. I find that Melatonin cuts down the jet-lag time by half; otherwise, for every hour of time difference the body might take 1/2 to 1 day to adjust. Melatonin doesn't seem to work for all people, though, and some brands work better than others. To increase the effectiveness wash the tablet(s) down with a glass of beer or wine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 15, 2001 Report Share Posted November 15, 2001 Seriously, go on a bender for the first day. Sure you get a hangover, but it lasts less time than jetlag and you get to enjoy yourself more. The best thing to do is to stick to a clear spirit like gin or vodka and definitely keep clear of beer. When the effects have gone so has the jetlag.This is a tried and tested method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thalenoi Posted November 16, 2001 Report Share Posted November 16, 2001 I just arrived 14th late afternoon, went out to SC and NEP, lots of pooying, almost no farangs, slept all day the 15th, moved to Pattaya (same same, a lot of guys on the beach, maybe because closing time 2 am?)and ready to go NOW (6.30pm) Jet lag is over. Well, we will see tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 1, 2001 Report Share Posted December 1, 2001 quote: Originally posted by LiTuP: Anyway, what do you guys suggest to beat jet-lag? I always have a tough time the first few days...Any suggestions? I am flying from Chicago. Thanks Tulip, Search the web for "Melatonine". Widely available in US, restores your sleeping pattern within 24 hours (and it really does). Used to behave like an animal on trips like that but ended up suffering for three days so no more. Plenty of water, no booz, no smoking, and perhaps a sleeping pill. Than again, I'm 44. Can only *remember* being able to stay up for two night in a row. These days, punishment for drinking bouts and all that is severe indeed ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycona Posted December 1, 2001 Report Share Posted December 1, 2001 I also agree with Raven. Flying West (I have a 7 hour diff.) is easier to cope with for me than flying east Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 1, 2001 Report Share Posted December 1, 2001 quote: Originally posted by utah2001: AMBIEN. It requires a prescription and isn't available in Thailand. Most physicians will prescribe this for jet lag. It works great and has no "hang over" effect the next morning. Not true, Ambien (brand name for zolpidem) is known as Stilnox outside the US and is available in Thailand -- I got some at Bumrungrad 2 weeks ago. I don't know if it's available OTC in the usual way in BKK. I took a low dosage for 4 nights and it helped tremendously with absolutely no side-effects. [ December 01, 2001: Message edited by: TEDBKK ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJsushi Posted December 1, 2001 Report Share Posted December 1, 2001 Sunlight usually resets your body clock. Drink plenty of water on the flight set your watch to the local time of ur destination. Periodically look out of the window during the flight for a few minutes to set your internal day clock to the local time. you really don't need drugs. I have been doing this for 15yrs and it works like a charm. You do have to be of course one of those rare individuals that can sleep on a plane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 2, 2001 Report Share Posted December 2, 2001 I, for one, really love looking out the window of the plane. But it seems like every long flight I'm on these days, one has but to push up the window shade for a moment and some nazi bitch or flying fruit comes to tell me to pull it down again -- god knows, we wouldn't want to deprive anyone from enjoying "Free Willy II"... Come to think about it, airline travel really sucks compared to ten years ago. You could leave the window up and enjoy the sunset or the view of the clouds. Now it's all slipped into some twisted and senescent conformity. 'nother example, and yeah, I'm one of those folks who sleeps really well on planes. Inevitably I'll be catching forty winks right through mealtime -- and have left instructions with my seatmate that I'm going to skip the eats -- and Frau Kuntsmell comes and wakes me up anyway. Seems I should put my seat up to make dining easier for the clown behind me. No, sorry, I've done it [eaten quite handily with an economy full-recline in front of me] and it's not the end of the world. Heinlein had it right: "Waking someone unneccesarily should not be a captial crime. For a first offence." But it happens every damned time. Now I just ignore everything the cabin crew do and say -- they've lost any hope of getting my respect cheaply. Oh, yeah, the topic of jet-lag. I think there's more to it than just throwing off the day-night cycle. First of all, you're trotting of the plane into someplace that's somewhat or very different from both the place you left and the airplane cabin. It's culture shock in minature and the "weirds" can linger for a while. Also, remember that the cabin of the plane is not presurized to sea level. I think cabin presure at cruising altitude is about the same as you'd get at about 5,000 feet [1600m] elevation. The descent from cruising altitude through approach to arrival isn't nearly long enough to allow your innards to transition. So the first few hours on the ground your body is still recompressing. And getting used to a lot of other things that are missing in a long flight -- horizons, long distances, fast motion through your field of vision, smells. The only answers for me are willpower and coffee. And water, lots of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 2, 2001 Report Share Posted December 2, 2001 bohicasia-- Close... "Also, remember that the cabin of the plane is not presurized to sea level. I think cabin presure at cruising altitude is about the same as you'd get at about 5,000 feet [1600m] elevation." Most majors pressurize to 8,000ft --UPSer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 2, 2001 Report Share Posted December 2, 2001 I would agree with the sunlight thing. I find getting to bkk at about lunch time ( like on eva or cathay pacafic) and enjoyong the day, being active,. ( outdoors) and resting at a reasonable hour beats getting in late at nite like on NW or some of the others. Sleeping on the plane really helps too, staying awake ( in anticipitation of fun to bee) just does not cut it, and probably. ( from my experience) just makes for a few days of "adjusting"= feeling weird. Using drugs. ( dont you just hate that word when refering to someting helpful) to sleep or stay awake is a good option. Most doctors will be ok with prescribing temezepam ( sp) to sleep, getting ritalin may be a little tougher, but way better than gulping coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.