How to fight jetlag for a 2 week trip to France?

[SecondAttempt]

It is very simple. You can not magically over come jet lag. It takes time.

Therefore the sensible answer is to already be on local time before you arrive.

I find it much better to adjust at home first instead of wasting the precious time on a trip feeling bad.

Everyone I talk to about this thinks it is a strange thing to do.

They are wrong

This is my strategy. I try to start living on destination time a few days before departure. Living means not just sleeping but also eating on destination time. Honestly, it never really works completely though so my backup plan is to tough it out. Flying to Sweden from Hawaii recently, a 12 hour difference, we checked into the hotel about 2 AM after flight delays and were up at 5 AM, because it was dinner time for us.

We got up, had breakfast, and did our stuff...which was mostly shopping because our luggage was lost. We had a dinner date with a friend so we took a nap in the afternoon. I was seriously crashing around 4 PM. But we were up until late evening, almost midnight.

But each day I had little trouble getting up early but it took several days before the 4 PM crash withered but it did eventually.

My advice is to recognize when you will be most awake in destination time and plan activities for then. Most of us are used to REM sleep around 3-5 AM in our home time so that is likely to be when you are crashing. Just try to plan breaks around that time.

I traveled a lot for business in my career where I did not have the luxury of planning and adjusting. It can be done. Maybe not ideal for a vacation though I admit.

And honestly, melatonin and alcohol both help adjust sleep patterns.

 

[EastWest Gal]

An eye mask is extremely useful for sleeping on planes and also if you decide to live closer to your destination time zone ahead of time. If you are trying to go to bed and wake up earlier, the eye mask can help you sleep in the daylight in L.A.

It was an essential when we went to Iceland in June a few years ago. It never got dark, and black out curtains where everywhere we stayed but there was still a little light around the edges. Not so with an eye mask.

We flew in 2021 and 2022. Between the eye mask, the KN95 face mask, and earbuds, we were essentially shut off from all around us. Much easier to sleep on the plane. The added benefit of the face mask was the increased humidity around our noses.

 

[DrRoy]

Get a stronger sleep aid, and maybe a lot of coffee at lunch.

 

[mystang52]

1) I've always succeeded by simply toughing it out that first day, maybe going to sleep a bit earlier (9 PM or so). i have no jet lag afterwards.
2) If it's not too late change, I'd strongly advise not going to the Louvre that first day....never mind at 1 PM. The place is enormous, would be very crowded by then, and you'd be way too tired to enjoy it.

 

[LateToFIRE]

As a former road warrior, I used to make overnight transatlantic flights with some frequency. Agree with much of what others have stated:

1) Start acclimating to the destination time zone a day or two before flight (not always possible)

2) Bring what you need to help you relax/sleep in-flight - for me that's noise canceling headphones, comfortable, loose-fitting clothes, etc. Admittedly, would usually make this journey in Business Class (either on somebody else's dime or using mileage points f/upgrade), and would try to book lay-flat seats (the only way I can fall asleep on a plane). Stuff like melatonin doesn't work for me. Others swear by a couple of drinks to get sleepy - that only results in my waking up feeling ill in the middle of the night. Really, I just watch a movie and then try to zone out to chill music.

2B) HYDRATE! Before, during, after flight. Long distance flying is very dehydrating.

3) Ideally there is a refreshing breakfast and morning shower waiting for you at your destination - some of the Airport Lounges have this amenity - Virgin Atlantic was my fav at Heathrow. Otherwise try to check into hotel early.

4) Tough it out that first day, don't go to bed before 9pm, I'd usually get a second wind and go to bed around 11pm/midnight (often due to calls/emails with colleagues back in the U.S.).

Would echo what others have said - don't go to the Louvre that afternoon - you won't remember a thing you see, the crowde will just be annoying. You need to be in more varied activity and sunlight.

Have a great trip!

 

[marko]

2) If it's not too late change, I'd strongly advise not going to the Louvre that first day....never mind at 1 PM. The place is enormous, would be very crowded by then, and you'd be way too tired to enjoy it.

+1. And there's usually a long line regardless of ticket status which will add to the exhaustion. Tickets are only 17€ so its not the end of the world if you can't exchange them and have to reticket.

This is a special thing for you and you don't want the memory to be one of gazing at the Mona Lisa, saying to yourself "I just want to get to bed". You've got two weeks.....pace it out!

 

[fh2000]

+1. And there's usually a long line regardless of ticket status which will add to the exhaustion. Tickets are only 17€ so its not the end of the world if you can't exchange them and have to reticket.

This is a special thing for you and you don't want the memory to be one of gazing at the Mona Lisa, saying to yourself "I just want to get to bed". You've got two weeks.....pace it out!

LOL

I truly appreciate all the helpful suggestions. I will adopt many of them for this trip: try to acclimate prior to the trip; noise cancelling earbuds; eye masks; hydrate, etc.

DW is 6 years younger than me. She can sleep anywhere, anytime, so this is not her concern but mine. She likes to maximize museum visits so if I have to drag my old body to make her happy, I will. Happy wife; happy life. Right?

 

[ElizabethT]

In my experience (three trips to Europe in the last 18 months, all leaving from LAX), there is really no way to beat jet lag, unless you are one of the lucky few who don't seem to suffer from it. In my case, it has gotten worse as I get older, and i find it must simply be endured. It takes one day to adjust to each one hour of time change, so nine days in your case, if you run 'normal.'

Having said that, going East means you should have no problem staying up at night. So, I think your Day One Louvre visit time is feasible, even if not necessarily desirable. Moving around as much as you can on day of arrival is, in my experience, the most helpful way to power through it until bedtime. Which may not occur until midnight or later, based on your West Coast time zone, depending on how hard wired your jet lag is upon arrival.

I would expect frequent AM naps on bus, but you should feel pretty OK from late morning on.

It just is what it is, as they say.

Maybe stay longer next time so you can enjoy Europe outside of the fog of jetlag!

 

[captain3d]

One trip to the uk was to race a marathon. The race start time was 1:00 am California time.

The last month we shifted to UK time which meant 3-4hr long runs starting at 1:00 am. We used the local running track as it was slightly illuminated for the 100 lap night sessions.

I was very happy with the extreme plan and results.

Zero jet lag of course.

 

[Aerides]

DW is 6 years younger than me. She can sleep anywhere, anytime, so this is not her concern but mine. She likes to maximize museum visits so if I have to drag my old body to make her happy, I will. Happy wife; happy life. Right?

I was a 39 yo DW when I went to Paris, and my overnight flight was just MIA>CDG, and I can and do sleep anywhere. And still, I would have hated wasting the Louvre on your schedule. Day 1 is really just Day 0 in your case. Pace yourself, just walking around Paris is lovely, do that at most.

 

[Unpaintedhuffhines]

I used to do a ton of international travel when I was working. Now, it's just for fun!

Going east, my strategy would be to drink as much water as I could on the plane and sleep as much as possible as well (it helped if I only got a few hours of sleep the night before). Oh, and only fly business class (not sure I could sleep even a few minutes in PE). When you get to your destination, whatever you do, DO NOT go to sleep. Normally from the US, flights will arrive in the morning, and hotels are used to Americans coming in early and can often accommodate.

Once at the hotel, unpack, have a quick shower, and GET OUTSIDE. Yes, you'll be tired, but power through, and sunshine is your friend. Try and stay up until at least 9PM and the next day you'll be on local time.

 

[deserat]

..... In my case, it has gotten worse as I get older, and i find it must simply be endured. It takes one day to adjust to each one hour of time change, so nine days in your case, if you run 'normal.'.....
Maybe stay longer next time so you can enjoy Europe outside of the fog of jetlag!

That is so true-I and my colleagues have noticed it takes longer as we get older. I currently live in Europe for work. I will be going to the USA twice in August for one week trips ..it's going to be difficult for me because going West seems to bother me more than going East. The worst jet lag I had was going to the Phillipines and Thailand-9-12 hours difference Westward...did not adjust as they were shorter trips.

When I move back to US and finally retire next spring, I plan on coming to EU and UK each year but for much longer times-90 days. That will give me time to adjust....

As for beating it when going East to Europe, I always found not allowing yourself to go to sleep until 7 pm or later made it easier. I have not found the solution for me going West....while on the plane, I've noticed that sound cancelling earphone are a plus. The low frequency drone of the airplane engines can be very exhausting....I am not as tired when I wear those on any trip. Drink lots of water, eat minimally, relax....business class is great if you can get as you can relax more. Cattle class is very uncomfortable most times. Difficult to sleep or get into a good position for sleeping.

Enjoy your trip...lots to see in Paris-my favorite is the Musee Cluny, St Chappelle, and the Luxembourg Gardens....

 

[jollystomper]

2) If it's not too late change, I'd strongly advise not going to the Louvre that first day....never mind at 1 PM. The place is enormous, would be very crowded by then, and you'd be way too tired to enjoy it.

+1

On the Louvre visit issue, if possible, we found going late Friday afternoon to be a good time. On Fridays they stay open until 9:45pm, and a lot of folks start heading out around 5 or so for evening plans. We purchased 4PM tickets, arrived for the entrance line about 3:15, and were inside by 4:15. There were no crowds around the 2 main sculpture attractions (Winged Victory and Venus de Milo) and the wait to see the Mona Lisa was less than 10 minutes. It would take several days to see everything even if it were empty,, but we were able to get around very easily at that time.

 

[Lsbcal]

What I plan on our upcoming trip from SFO to LHR 11 hour flight next week:

1. Booked flight on 787 which is suppose to have lower noise level, nonstop, pressurized at lower elevations then older planes

2. Take Zolpidem the night before the flight. Normally I don't use sleep aids.

3. Use Apple Airpod Pro 2 for it's noise cancelling feature (was $200 on Amazon) on flight. I tested these using Alexa "play airplane noise" and they did work well.

4. Try to get some rest (maybe sleep a bit?) on our flight which starts at 8pm

5. After resting: hydrate, go to bathroom and walk around, watch videos, read on flight. No alcohol or caffeine.

6. Try to stay up to 9pm or so in London. Walk around in outdoors if possible.

7. Use Zolpidem for sleep. Even Rick Steves admits to using a sleep aid.

 

[Jenna]

Just run with it. Sleep when you feel tired. Maybe take a benadryl or aspirin during the day. Get out in the sun to reset your body clock. Worrying about it will just cause you. stress. Have a great trip!

 

[jerryo]

As a frequent commuter (for both business and pleasure) to Europe and Asia, I've found that jet lag is pretty much unpredictable. I usually fly business internationally and usually get some sleep, but the issue is the time change as much as the lack of sleep. Often I've flown overnight to Europe and gone straight into a day of meetings with no problems, other times it's a disaster and I can barely keep my eyes open. If possible I try to get in a day early to avoid that.

For me the best strategy, whenever possible, is to keep the first day flexible! Typlically we arrive early morning and get to the hotel by mid morning. If we can get our room then to shower and change that's great, but often we'll drop our luggage, go for a walk, come back early to mid afternoon to check in, take a 2-4 hour nap, wake up for dinner et al, and then go back to sleep around 9 or 10. Usually we're fine the next day.

About the only time I have had any problems is when I've "forced my body" by scheduling meetings on arrival day or whatever. That can ruin the next several days, or even get me sick. So, I'd definitely be flexible about the Louvre, which I love, but which is exhausting on a good day! You can always go later in the week!

 

[Huston55]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the "Timeshifter" app. DW & I used it on our last trip (SFO-AMS & PRG-SFO), and it worked great. It's based on the travel schedule you input, and sets a plan for minimizing jet lag. Basics of the plan are to manage exposure to light & caffeine, sleep and (if you choose) use of melatonin. It worked for both of us but, better for me than DW because she has trouble sleeping on the plane. But, I'd highly recommend it.

ETA: I travelled internationally for many years and tried many combinations of the suggestions in the above posts; some worked, most didn't. Although we've used Timeshifter for only one major trip thus far, the results were much better than my past experiences.

 

[FIREd_2015]

There is a drug Tasimelteon that is approved to treat non-24-hour sleep wake disorder that was tested for jet lag disorder. I was one of the clinical trial participants. I get jet lag pretty bad and thought the drug worked for me but unfortunately the FDA rejected the application because of how the Company measured sleep improvement. Don't know if you can get a doctor to prescribe it for off label use or not. Here are some articles about the drug.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7381312/

https://www.empr.com/home/news/drug...rejects-snda-for-hetlioz-in-jet-lag-disorder/

 

[braumeister]

On my recent trips, I found that having a good meal on arrival helped enormously.

 

[Lsbcal]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the "Timeshifter" app. DW & I used it on our last trip (SFO-AMS & PRG-SFO), and it worked great. It's based on the travel schedule you input, and sets a plan for minimizing jet lag. Basics of the plan are to manage exposure to light & caffeine, sleep and (if you choose) use of melatonin. It worked for both of us but, better for me than DW because she has trouble sleeping on the plane. But, I'd highly recommend it.

....

I'm thinking of having some coffee on the plane at around the noon hour of our landing destination country (UK) after the lights down time the plane is scheduled for sleeping or resting. I know coffee is a diuretic but I'd only do a cup or so and have plenty of water on the trip as well. Generally I'm up and down to the restroom as a way of getting some out-of-seat time too.

What did that app have to say about caffeine?

 

[Huston55]

I'm thinking of having some coffee on the plane at around the noon hour of our landing destination country (UK) after the lights down time the plane is scheduled for sleeping or resting. I know coffee is a diuretic but I'd only do a cup or so and have plenty of water on the trip as well. Generally I'm up and down to the restroom as a way of getting some out-of-seat time too.

What did that app have to say about caffeine?

I don't think one can generalize, as the plan for exposure to light, getting sleep, and use of caffeine & melatonin is dictated by the departure & arrival time zones plus your flights. To give you an example though, I've loaded in our upcoming 10 Jan 2024 return flight from Buenos Aires to SFO, and the plan is generally this:

- Start the program on 8 Jan 24: sleep 2200hrs-0600hrs BA time & don't use caffeine after 1300hrs BA time
- Do basically the same on 9 Jan 24
- 10 Jan 24: sleep on flights with some light exposure & very limited use of caffeine between flights

Hope that helps. The app isn't expensive; you may want to check it out if you do a fair bit of international travel.

 

[SecondAttempt]

There is a drug Tasimelteon that is approved to treat non-24-hour sleep wake disorder that was tested for jet lag disorder.]

Sorry, not to be critical of you, but have we really come to the point where jet lag is a medical disorder? I guess we should call it JLD so big pharma can make more money from it!

 

[fh2000]

I don't think one can generalize, as the plan for exposure to light, getting sleep, and use of caffeine & melatonin is dictated by the departure & arrival time zones plus your flights. To give you an example though, I've loaded in our upcoming 10 Jan 2024 return flight from Buenos Aires to SFO, and the plan is generally this:

- Start the program on 8 Jan 24: sleep 2200hrs-0600hrs BA time & don't use caffeine after 1300hrs BA time
- Do basically the same on 9 Jan 24
- 10 Jan 24: sleep on flights with some light exposure & very limited use of caffeine between flights

Hope that helps. The app isn't expensive; you may want to check it out if you do a fair bit of international travel.

Buenos Aires is only 4 hours ahead of you, while Paris is 9 hours ahead for me.

I downloaded this App on my phone and will follow their plan for our August 9th trip. You can use it free for the first trip.

My plan calls me to sleep at 8PM two nights before, then 6PM the night before (this will not be easy). I think I am going to use that idea, and start a week earlier and gradually smooth out the sleep schedule.

 

[Huston55]

Buenos Aires is only 4 hours ahead of you, while Paris is 9 hours ahead for me.



I downloaded this App on my phone and will follow their plan for our August 9th trip. You can use it free for the first trip.



My plan calls me to sleep at 8PM two nights before, then 6PM the night before (this will not be easy). I think I am going to use that idea, and start a week earlier and gradually smooth out the sleep schedule.

Correct but, there’s both time difference & time in the air. Time in the air from west coast US (where we both reside) is approximately the same for Paris or BA. The plan you describe is very similar to our plan for a trip to Amsterdam, which I mentioned up thread. Hope it works as well for you as it did for me.

 

[sengsational]

There is a drug Tasimelteon that is approved to treat non-24-hour sleep wake disorder that was tested for jet lag disorder. I was one of the clinical trial participants. I get jet lag pretty bad and thought the drug worked for me but unfortunately the FDA rejected the application because of how the Company measured sleep improvement. Don't know if you can get a doctor to prescribe it for off label use or not. Here are some articles about the drug.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7381312/

https://www.empr.com/home/news/drug...rejects-snda-for-hetlioz-in-jet-lag-disorder/

According to Matthew Walker (renowned sleep expert), the way the FDA judges whether to approve a drug for sleep would also approve a good whack with a baseball bat (same affect on the brain...non-restorative lack of consciousness). Sleep is an active process.


I just looked up tasimelteon and it's a "melatonin receptor agonist", so I'm left wondering if it would be similar to melatonin in it's effects. Of course the pharma boys never put their new stuff up against nearly free existing safe solutions, so we'll never get a head-to-head.


But I'd take a melatonin receptor agonist before taking Ambien or other knock-out drugs.