Winging It: A compendium of cures for jet lag

Before my recent trip to Europe, I promised to let you know how I coped with the jet lag that inevitably affects travelers crossing multiple time zones. I also asked readers for their own tips for overcoming jet lag, and I'm grateful to those who responded.

The goal is to avoid the sluggishness and disorientation that a long plane trip can bring on. These are the basic rules that the readers and travel experts suggest. On my trip, my wife and I mostly followed these tips, and we kept jag lag to a minimum:

When you get on the plane, set your watch to the local time at your destination.

Drink little or no alcohol or caffeine on the flight.

Drink lots of water.

Eat light meals.

Sleep as much as possible.

When you arrive at your destination, keep moving and soak up as much sunshine as you can.

Eat and sleep at normal, local times.

There is no agreement among my readers or other travel advisers on whether, on an eastbound trip to Europe when you arrive in the morning, you should sleep a few hours. For some it helps, and for others it only makes matters worse.

The same is true for sleeping pills, such as Ambien, Tylenol PM or other drowsiness-inducing medication. They work for some people and not for others.

One remedy that Phil Arkow, a Stratford, Camden County, resident, says works "fabulously" is called "No-Jet-Lag," a homeopathic medication from New Zealand that you take during a flight and just after landing. I have seen other endorsements of the same over-the-counter medication.

Another reader, Sandra Levine of Hatfield, says that for a trip to Europe she packs her own meal and asks for only water on the plane. She takes an Ambien, sleeps several hours, drinks more water after awakening, and walks around the plane.

After arriving in Europe, Levine said she visits friends, has a light meal or snack, takes another mild sleeping pill, and naps for no more than three hours. After that she is able to stay up until near midnight, and is able to wake up at a normal time the next morning.

"At least 12 times I have traveled to Europe, and it worked every time I took that late morning nap," she said.

Merion residents Peter Gardner and his wife, Patty Smith, wrote that they had a good experience finding a hotel at the Shannon, Ireland, airport that had a "day rate" that let them occupy a room as late as 4 p.m. They checked in after an early-morning arrival and were able to wake up refreshed about 2 p.m. for the drive to their destination, Gardner said.

On that topic, if you do feel the need for sleep before driving on your first day, look for information online or ask your travel agent if your arrival airport has any accommodations with showers and day rates.

In another message, Marianne Ham of Huntingdon Valley said she takes the standard steps for the flight, but she also finds two pillows, uses noise-canceling headphones, and wraps in a shawl "to close myself off." In addition, she allows enough time before departure to avoid rushing through security so she can stay relaxed.

On regular business trips he used to make to Japan, Charles Law of Malvern said he would take an 11-hour nonstop flight that left about noon and arrived in Tokyo in late afternoon the next day, local time.

Law said he drank no alcohol and ate lightly on the flight, working for the first five hours or so, taking a nap of two or three hours, and doing more light reading and walking around the plane in the last three hours or so. Once he arrived at his hotel, he ate a light dinner with one glass of wine and was able to sleep normally. Flying first class was big help, too, he said.

So what happened to me and my wife, Janice? We had dinner on the flight but since we were in coach, of course it was "light." We each had a glass of wine, put on the headphones, and managed to get a few hours of sleep. Once we arrived in Amsterdam, we got to our hotel before 10 a.m., dropped our bags, and spent about five hours walking around a beautiful city.

Once we got in our room, it was almost 4 p.m., and we were flagging. We decided to take a short nap. When we woke up about 7:30, the disorienting effects of jet lag took over. Janice was convinced it was the next morning and began bustling about the room, saying, "We're going to The Hague today. We've got to get moving!"

I suggested she watch the sun go down over the canal we could see from the room. It took another half hour to convince her we had not lost a full day. We had a relaxed dinner, and by the next morning felt practically normal for our excursion to The Hague.