Avoiding jetlag Sydney - New York

[brettystar]

Apologies in advance if this has been discussed previously but do any experienced travellers have any advice when I should try to go to sleep on my 10.30am flight to NY?
We arrive at 5.30pm in the afternoon so not sure if I should put my watch to NY time as soon as I get on the plane and try to sleep soon after.
We have four days in NY before heading to Orlando so we do not suffer any jetlag whilst at the actual parks in WDW. We want as much energy as possible for fun in the parks.
I am thinking that maybe I should try to stay up the night before we depart Sydney so I can virtually go to sleep not long after getting on the plane as it will be close to 9.00pm when we board (NY time).
Any advice would be welcomed.
Thanks.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Brettystar - everyone will be different for this.

Me personally? I keep to my normal routine in Oz before I leave except that I cut out caffeine and drink lots of water.
I get a good night's sleep the night before and get on the plane. I tend to stay up and then try to grab a couple of hours on the plane from SYD over. Do you have a stopover in LA or Dallas? If so, I find that I normally can grab a couple of hours on the second leg towards NY.

When I get to the other end, I stay up and avoid sleeping during the daytime hours, and go about with normal day activities. Then its an early dinner and I crash into bed at about 8 or 9 pm American time (whichever timezone I'm in). I will wake up in the American daytime ready to go and fully acclimatized. But that's me.

 

[brettystar]

Thanks for your reply Princess in Oz. I LOVE my caffeine - but I had heard someone else say this so I think I will give this a try.
I have a few shows in Broadway my second full day in New York so want to be as chipper as can be - and not fall asleep.

 

[Toy Story]

Hi Brettystar,
I do think everyone is different. We had not problems in NY staying up at night - our problem was for the first three days everyone was up between 3 to 4 am, for an hour or so. Our children's stomachs needed to eat at this time.

We spent our first full ay in NY just walking around Central Park, and the zoo, going to FAO Schwartz etc - so we tried ti be outdoors most of the day.

 

[shushh]

I tend to change the time on my watch to local time of my destination as soon as I clear immigration and security. Then I try my best to do things as per the local time. I think the hardest thing will be to try and stay awake during the flight to New york!

I do try to get a good nights sleep before I go. Unless you are fortunate enough to get a flat bed, sleep quality is never optimal on planes! As everyone has mentioned though, we are all different and do things differently/cope differently.

Best of luck!

 

[brettystar]

Thank you toystory and shushh - I love hearing everyone's tips.
It is true we are all different. I guess I will just play it by ear.

 

[Busy Busy]

I think that you'll be fine. Try to sleep at least some between here & LA (if only to relieve some of the boredom!), then you can nap between LA & New York....but the best bit is arriving into New York at night - you get the amazing lights as you drive in from the airport then you can sleep when you get to your hotel & wake up ready the next morning!

Although, my DH insisted on dragging me around Times Square at 11.30pm the first time that I went - after being in the same clothes for all of that traveling - all I wanted was a shower & bed....instead I got me & a bazillion people along with 34 degrees (crazy hot), and it was unforgettable!!

We are doing the trip from Sydney to New York again, but with kids this time, so maybe no wandering at 11.30pm (at least not on the first night!)

 

[hjd0411]

I'm with PrincessinOz on this - I don't change my routine before I leave, but I try to adjust to the time zone where I'm going as soon as I get there. That is, I stay up as long as I can on my arrival day, then go to bed at night - it might be 7pm, but I find I'm tired enough. I then wake up the next day rested and ready to go.
But as everyone says, we are all different - I am a shift worker as well, so I tend to be in a state of jet-lag all my life!!! Maybe that helps too!!
You will work out what is best for you, I'm sure.
Good luck.

 

[brettystar]

Thanks Busy Busy and hjd0411 - I think I will be ok but love your tips.

It IS great we get there late afternoon - I will probably be so pumped by this time I will want to stay up. Just hope I don't get the 4am wake ups that I have experienced in the past.

 

[HappyFingers]

be careful stopping coffee if you drink it regulary

approx 24hrs after stopping coffee you should start to experience a 3 day blistering headache that is very painful

ive given up coffee a few times so i know exactly what to expect

i dont drink coffee now but i will drink it once we get there
i love coffee but dont link its addictive effects

then i will cold turkey again once we get back

we plan to wake up early before our morning flight (like 3am type early)
then go for a walk around the block are just stay active so we get to sleep on the plane

i snore so that will be a laugh
feel sorry for the people within earshot of me

the longest flight ive been on was to india so ive never had to sleep on a plane

we are all looking forward to it (the holiday)

ive been working and working and working to get some extra cash
3 public holidays last fortnight plus overtime has sure helped

still it has left me a little puffed out

 

[platypus67]

Jet lag is definately different for everyone and until you experience it it's hard to plan for it. In our family of three we are all different. Me I don't seem to suffer at all most of the time. I can't sleep anywhere but in a bed so if my journey is 48 hours I'm awake for the duration and then crash when I get a bed. DH sleeps off and on during the flight no problem, but once we arrive he takes a good 4-5 days to adjust. He can't sleep at night and is usually a grump until he finally adjusts. DD is like her dad as far as sleeping on the plane, but she will adjust pretty quick normally good after a day. We've tried tablets to ward off jetlag aand they made little or no difference. Anyway my advice for what it's worth- keep well hydrated, do sleep as normal before you leave, no sense starting the trip feeling yuck and don't plan too much on the first day or two. With all our different experiences we manage to have a great time despite the jet lag.

 

[brettystar]

Oh I know!!! I had planned to ween off it before I went but time is running out. In my experience you can't get great coffee as easily in NY like you can here in Sydney (not a starbucks fan). I notice if I do not have coffee for a day I get a headache - this fact alone should be enough to make me want to give it up for good - but it brings me much pleasure.

Ah oh well, I might just have 'less' coffee rather than cut it out completely.

be careful stopping coffee if you drink it regulary

approx 24hrs after stopping coffee you should start to experience a 3 day blistering headache that is very painful

ive given up coffee a few times so i know exactly what to expect

i dont drink coffee now but i will drink it once we get there
i love coffee but dont link its addictive effects

then i will cold turkey again once we get back

we plan to wake up early before our morning flight (like 3am type early)
then go for a walk around the block are just stay active so we get to sleep on the plane

i snore so that will be a laugh
feel sorry for the people within earshot of me

the longest flight ive been on was to india so ive never had to sleep on a plane

we are all looking forward to it (the holiday)

ive been working and working and working to get some extra cash
3 public holidays last fortnight plus overtime has sure helped

still it has left me a little puffed out

 

[jacs1234]

I'll hope you'll be doing a trip report for us Brett! I'd love to hear about all the different things you'll be doing.

 

[brettystar]

I will certainly do my best ;P
To be honest I am a little bit bummed that so much scaffolding is gonna be around the place. Though not having kids this hopefully will not affect us too much as we do not want to do many of the attractions aimed at the really young kids.
It is a trip of a lifetime because my three favourite things are all combining in one - New York, Disney and theatre

Win win win!

 

[PrincessInOz]

i dont drink coffee now but i will drink it once we get therei love coffee but dont link its addictive effects

then i will cold turkey again once we get back

Why? There's not a lot of good coffee over there......

 

[HappyFingers]

Why ?

Because I will be on holiday

 

[dabecs]

Thanks for the great tips, don't know how I would go giving up the good stuff (coffee) before flying - getting one at the airport before boarding is usually a big part of our travel plans

Does anyone have any tips for jetlag and children?

 

[Lulu83]

Like a few others have said I don't make any changes to my routine before I go (I wouldn't dream of giving up coffee in a million years! ) but I try to adjust to the new time zone and adjust my watch as soon as I get on the plane.

I'm a somewhat anxious flyer (flier?) and struggle to sleep on planes so on my last few holidays I've used some pharmaceutical relief to help. I find that I then sleep pretty solidly on the flight, and wake up feeling reasonably refreshed on arrival. I love my naps and sleep-ins so I'm not the kind of person that finds it really difficult to sleep if I've had a rest during the day though. I still sleep very soundly when I get into a real bed after arriving at our destination, but at least I can face a full day if I arrive in the morning..

I spoke to my GP about this before I did it and she recommended what medication I should take and gave me the okay. I also had a trial run at home first because I was scared of becoming comatose and unrousable or something on the plane.