Jet lag

[Whiterock]

Anybody have any ideas on how to overcome jet lag? Ive been to Africa 3 times and want to go back but the lag just kills me, takes at least 1 week to overcome it. Any thoughts? Thanks

[Blainer]

I spent 3 days in Amsterdam on the way home.
Broke up the flight, 1/2 way

[adriaticum]

I don't know if there is a way. The way I deal with it is to keep myself tired all the time so I can sleep any time I see a pillow.
But that may not be any good for any intellectual work.

[SingleShot]

Slowly adjust your lifestyle beginning about 1 week prior to flight. Try getting to bed a little earlier each night and adjust your meal times. Black your bedroom out. There are probably lots of scientific study results to be found on the net.

[CSG]

Melatonin works for me for long flights. It's a chemical your body produces when it needs to go to sleep. I take a couple half hour before a long flight with a time change and I wake up in my destination

[Goose]

Best way for me is to go to bed at your normal time on the new local time. So say you go to bed normally at 10pm, and wake up at 7 or whatever. Do the same when you get to your new destination, and do not nap, just tough it out and you will regulate alot quicker. I find it tough to sleep on airplanes, i might get 20 min here and there. But i find this the easiest way, when traveling to/from the UK or Europe all the time....Hope it helps

[Bpower]

Get outside during daylight hours. Doing this can help your body reset it's internal clock.

[GoatGuy]

hahaha, best way to stay steady is to try to keep a pattern and routine.

Lots of exercise, eat right, no caffeine before bed. Fatiguing the body through exercise and pushing through the sleepy periods helps to get you back on track. Ear plugs and a dark room will also help.

One other thing, particularly on the long hauls is to drink a lot of water. The PACS suck a lot of water out of the body add a couple cups of coffee or alcohol and you've got a problem.

Heading east is usually fine, heading west is when your body seems to really pile up. If all else fails just don't sleep.......

[hunter1993ap]

takes me a week to overcome the exhaustion from my elk hunt. but its worth it!! I would think a trip to Africa would be worth the painful week following it.

[longstonec]

My GF was a high level athlete and was traveling from Canada to Europe and back and then to Chile and then back to Europe etc all year. She said the worst for her was going to Toronto because its only 3 hours ahead. traveling to Europe where its 9hr difference wasn't as bad. "when its 2pm and you feel like death go for a run" she just said.

They would start changing their sleep patterns afew days before traveling.

Also drinking huge amounts of water.

[eaglesnester]

No BOOZE, no coffee, good hydration, and nutrition. As others have posted, blacken out your bedroom and go to bed earlier and earlier each night to adjust you circadian clock.