Question
QUESTION: Hello,
Ive got a 22 hour flight from Charlotte, NC to Los Angles, CA to Cannes, Australia coming up next week, and I am wondering if there is a way for me to sleep through it all. Like (legal) OTC drugs, herbal things, or other things you can think of.
I had a 9 hour long flight from Fairbanks, AK to Atlanta, GA last year, and I really don't want to relive that again. Thanks for your advice.
ANSWER: The best way to do it is first the day you are flying put your watch at least 1/4 of the time change it is in australia, its hard to explain, lets say you are going to california and there is a 3 hour time difference they are ahead of us so lets say you leave at 8am for your flight what you would do is push your watch to lets say 930am, you then go by that watch for example everything you do would be one hour ahead, even your bedtime, the second day you would push your watch on to the regular california time, this way you really only lose hardly nothing you have pushed your body slowly into the time change rather than abruptly which causes jet leg, when you fly back the day before you do it the same way only opposite, you would push your watch back one hour in a half one day and by the time you get to nyc, you would be back on ny time, i hope this makes some sense. Meanwhile 3 hours before your bedtime keep away from caffeine, tea, coffee, caramel colored soda like coke , pepsi , ginger ale ,root beer., chocolate and exercise. all these make for restless sleep. 30 min before bedtime take a hot bath and l5 minutes drink a glass of warm milk. milk when heated contains tryptophan a natural amino acid sleep inducer so a drink will do the trick. feel free to email again karel
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks so much. That will help reduce jet lag. But as for sleeping thru the flight, what do u reccomend I do?
Answer
I think you have to just go to bed a=when its your normal bedtime and set your watch for 8-10 hours, try some mellow music, take the warm milk, ask the stewardess. dont try to sleep the whole 22 hour flight, the main thing is to keep your body on your normal sleep pattern except of course switching to the time change, but only sleep 8-10 hours etc. feel free to email again karel
