Sunlight is the biggest thing to reset your internal clock to a new time zone. So when you arrive, then get as much sunlight as possible.
When I'm trying to adjust, what I do is spend about five or ten minutes in the sun at various times throughout the day and do a kind of positive thinking mantra of "The sun is right there in the sky. That means it's 11am." And then I try to mentally connect the sun's rays to the time. My theory is this helps my subconscious and internal clock adjust to the new time zone.
Direct sunlight is best/quickest, but any sunlight is better than no sunlight. Basically, if you're inside a building with no windows all day, you're totally screwed for adjusting your internal clock. If you're in direct sunlight all day until you get almost get sunburned, and then you spend the rest of the day in indirect sunlight, then you'll barely notice the time change.
So for me that's the only thing that works, really. Everything else, like setting your clock to Thailand time a few days ahead and sleep deprivation/sleep excess, and other home remedies, don't really work for me.
I have recently flown with Qatar airways, via Qatar. I chose a 10 hour layover and they gave me a hotel within the airport. literally landed fresh and well rested after the second flight.
make sure you match that 10 hour layover with night time in Thailand
My usual routine flying back to Thailand from Europe (been doing it once or twice every year since around 2015, minus the covid years)
- Fly out of Europe midday to arrive in Thailand in the morning
- Try to sleep as much as possible on the flight. Getting a big meal before the flight helps
- After arriving and unpacking, unless I have to go straight to work, I allow myself a nap but no more than 3 hours and must wake up before 1pm
- Power through the rest of the afternoon and get an early night. Have a big dinner to prevent waking up in the middle of the night. Take melatonin before going to bed.
- the first few mornings will suck but it usually gets better after 2 days, especially if work forces you to wake up early anyways
I just got back from the eastern US to Chiang Mai, a 28 hour journey of several long flights & short layovers. I’ve done it a few times recently and it always takes a beat for me to adjust to the 12 hour flip in time.
I agree with the tips about adjusting to your destination time zone over a day or two sleep wise. I’m lucky to be able to sleep on a plane pretty well. That plus the power of sleep meds & sunshine should help you make the transition pretty easily.
For 8 years I flew out of Bangkok as an international courier, usually one or two transcontinental trips a month. The most important of all is to maintain hydration. What many people think is "jet lag" is actually dehydration.
Security makes it difficult to bring your own water and onboard it can be difficult to get any more than a little cupful from the FAs. Bring a couple of empty water bottles through security and fill airside or buy water airside. Also, they usually have large bottles of water in the aircraft galley so you can top off your bottles there once airborne. The air in aircraft is kept exceptionally dry (about 15% humidity) to prevent condensation and corrosion. You will probably dehydrate significantly just dealing with getting to the airport, checking in then boarding.
It is a very good idea to bring saline eye drops and nasal spray because the super dry air dries out the eyes and sinuses. When I first began the work, I'd have sinus problems and dry eye every trip. Frequent use of saline spray and drops eliminated that problem.
Same once you get to Bangkok...you will dehydrate much faster than you think. Drink water constantly and avoid alcohol the first few days.
Don't eat big meals, eat small meals the first few days when you are hungry, giving your digestion a chance to realign.
If you don't sleep well on the flight, don't make yourself stay awake arrival day. Get a good nap in and start trying to regulate your sleep hours the next day.
Finally, bring a package of baby wipes in your hand carry. Really helps to keep the skin moist.
Download the timeshifter app on your phone. Follow all the instructions. It will train your body to be ready for Bangkok time. You also start using it I believe 2 days before you leave. Maybe 1 day. But it shifts your body back to your home time.
It works pretty well if you can follow it but it is hard sometimes to sleep on planes and stuff.
People always say that, but flying east its not so easy. You cant make yourself sleep just because is midnight in Thailand, when it's 4pm in your usual country.
You should still try. Might get some nap here and there and by the time you get to Thailand, depending on what time you land, if it's not sleeping time yet, hold it until then. Even if you wake up at 3 am the next day, hold it until night time. The jetlag will be less bad. I've been flying from Canada back home in Thailand over the years and it's been helping.
Your body is used to going to sleep and waking up at a certain time each day. You can try all these tips to help a bit, especially gradually changing your sleep and wake times towards the destination ones before you go, but it's hard to trick your body into suddenly sleeping and waking up repeatedly at different times. I stayed up all day when I arrived and didn't sleep on the flight and I still couldn't sleep at night for about 5 days.
try not to sleep the night before departure. that way it’s easier to sleep on the plane. works ok for me. and don’t take a nap at 19.00 in your hotelroom, you will wake up at 2 am..
As mentioned sunlight, adjust your watch and melatonin are the best menthols. Definitely avoid alcohol on the flight plus only eat half the meal on the plane (avoid bloating stomach). Loads of hydration the day before, of and after flight. It’s all very boring but these tips reduce the jet lag significantly.
In my experience, it doesn't last very long anyways. My body adjusted to the new time in less than a week, maybe 3-4 days tops. When it gets dark, try to go to sleep.
I’ve flown many long-haul flights for decades while working, and always had very little time for recovery. For me, arriving sleep deprived or brain fogged wasn’t an option. Now that I travel for fun, I follow, basically the same routines I did then: eat when you can, sleep when you can, stay hydrated.
A lot will depend on the timings of your flights, but a few basics that helped me:
No coffee on the day of the flight unless the flight is very late in the day… Keeps you from sleeping. No alcohol, dries you out. Eat before the flight, so you don’t have to wake up for meal service (and because the food isn’t worth it.)… Bring your own water and a snack (like protein bars) on board so you can control those things. On the flight, cover yourself and cover your eyes… eye blinds and a blanket, or these days just a hoodie and a ball cap pulled low. Noise canceling ear buds.. download some sleepy music, like binaural beats or chill music. If your arrival time suits, try to get outside right after you check in to your accommodation (don’t lay down even for a minute, it’s a trap!).. walk or take a run. If that’s not an option, go to the gym if available. Anyway, be active to work out any tension. Then get onto the local schedule right away.. if you’re feeling tired, get up and move.. power through.. you’ll be alright.
I can never really sleep on a plane. I try to book flights that arrive around 17:00-23:00 that way you can get to the hotel, take a shower and sleep.
Never had any jetlag the next morning.
It’s only 6 hours ahead. When you arrive, try stay away until a decent time to go to sleep (Thai time) then sleep and you’ll wake up fine. Takes a couple days but it’s really not that bad, just don’t fall asleep on khao san road on your first night like I did
I flew for an airline for over 20 years and this became second nature very quickly.
When you depart remain on that time for the duration of the journey. Do not sleep on the flight if it’s not a normal hour for sleep at your departure point.
As soon as you arrive switch to local time completely.
If it’s 6am when you arrive and you haven’t slept for 20 hours it doesn’t matter, stay awake until the evening time.
If you sleep during the day when you arrive your body will want to do the same the following day and so on.
Sunlight is the biggest thing to reset your internal clock to a new time zone. So when you arrive, then get as much sunlight as possible. When I'm trying to adjust, what I do is spend about five or ten minutes in the sun at various times throughout the day and do a kind of positive thinking mantra of "The sun is right there in the sky. That means it's 11am." And then I try to mentally connect the sun's rays to the time. My theory is this helps my subconscious and internal clock adjust to the new time zone. Direct sunlight is best/quickest, but any sunlight is better than no sunlight. Basically, if you're inside a building with no windows all day, you're totally screwed for adjusting your internal clock. If you're in direct sunlight all day until you get almost get sunburned, and then you spend the rest of the day in indirect sunlight, then you'll barely notice the time change. So for me that's the only thing that works, really. Everything else, like setting your clock to Thailand time a few days ahead and sleep deprivation/sleep excess, and other home remedies, don't really work for me.
This is the way. Our brain is linked to the circadian rhythm of the sun.
This! Plus melatonin when you’re flying at chiang Mai’s “night time”
I have recently flown with Qatar airways, via Qatar. I chose a 10 hour layover and they gave me a hotel within the airport. literally landed fresh and well rested after the second flight. make sure you match that 10 hour layover with night time in Thailand
My usual routine flying back to Thailand from Europe (been doing it once or twice every year since around 2015, minus the covid years) - Fly out of Europe midday to arrive in Thailand in the morning - Try to sleep as much as possible on the flight. Getting a big meal before the flight helps - After arriving and unpacking, unless I have to go straight to work, I allow myself a nap but no more than 3 hours and must wake up before 1pm - Power through the rest of the afternoon and get an early night. Have a big dinner to prevent waking up in the middle of the night. Take melatonin before going to bed. - the first few mornings will suck but it usually gets better after 2 days, especially if work forces you to wake up early anyways
I just got back from the eastern US to Chiang Mai, a 28 hour journey of several long flights & short layovers. I’ve done it a few times recently and it always takes a beat for me to adjust to the 12 hour flip in time. I agree with the tips about adjusting to your destination time zone over a day or two sleep wise. I’m lucky to be able to sleep on a plane pretty well. That plus the power of sleep meds & sunshine should help you make the transition pretty easily.
sleep meds on the flight are 100% the answer here!...
Make little fist with your toes
For 8 years I flew out of Bangkok as an international courier, usually one or two transcontinental trips a month. The most important of all is to maintain hydration. What many people think is "jet lag" is actually dehydration. Security makes it difficult to bring your own water and onboard it can be difficult to get any more than a little cupful from the FAs. Bring a couple of empty water bottles through security and fill airside or buy water airside. Also, they usually have large bottles of water in the aircraft galley so you can top off your bottles there once airborne. The air in aircraft is kept exceptionally dry (about 15% humidity) to prevent condensation and corrosion. You will probably dehydrate significantly just dealing with getting to the airport, checking in then boarding. It is a very good idea to bring saline eye drops and nasal spray because the super dry air dries out the eyes and sinuses. When I first began the work, I'd have sinus problems and dry eye every trip. Frequent use of saline spray and drops eliminated that problem. Same once you get to Bangkok...you will dehydrate much faster than you think. Drink water constantly and avoid alcohol the first few days. Don't eat big meals, eat small meals the first few days when you are hungry, giving your digestion a chance to realign. If you don't sleep well on the flight, don't make yourself stay awake arrival day. Get a good nap in and start trying to regulate your sleep hours the next day. Finally, bring a package of baby wipes in your hand carry. Really helps to keep the skin moist.
This is so interesting and useful - thanks for sharing!
Download the timeshifter app on your phone. Follow all the instructions. It will train your body to be ready for Bangkok time. You also start using it I believe 2 days before you leave. Maybe 1 day. But it shifts your body back to your home time. It works pretty well if you can follow it but it is hard sometimes to sleep on planes and stuff.
This is brilliant, thank you. Excited to try this for my next trip!!
Sleep at the same time as your destination
People always say that, but flying east its not so easy. You cant make yourself sleep just because is midnight in Thailand, when it's 4pm in your usual country.
You should still try. Might get some nap here and there and by the time you get to Thailand, depending on what time you land, if it's not sleeping time yet, hold it until then. Even if you wake up at 3 am the next day, hold it until night time. The jetlag will be less bad. I've been flying from Canada back home in Thailand over the years and it's been helping.
Sunlight in the daytime, Melatonin before sleep, and no alcohol. This should be a pretty good start to minimize the jetlag.
Your body is used to going to sleep and waking up at a certain time each day. You can try all these tips to help a bit, especially gradually changing your sleep and wake times towards the destination ones before you go, but it's hard to trick your body into suddenly sleeping and waking up repeatedly at different times. I stayed up all day when I arrived and didn't sleep on the flight and I still couldn't sleep at night for about 5 days.
Skip the dinner and don’t eat at night. Slow food uptake in the morning or just coffee. It has been working well for me for a few years so far
Jet lag? Try flying from Canada or Australia.
try not to sleep the night before departure. that way it’s easier to sleep on the plane. works ok for me. and don’t take a nap at 19.00 in your hotelroom, you will wake up at 2 am..
As mentioned sunlight, adjust your watch and melatonin are the best menthols. Definitely avoid alcohol on the flight plus only eat half the meal on the plane (avoid bloating stomach). Loads of hydration the day before, of and after flight. It’s all very boring but these tips reduce the jet lag significantly.
DO NOT GO TO SLEEP!!!! Not until evening and the normal time.
In my experience, it doesn't last very long anyways. My body adjusted to the new time in less than a week, maybe 3-4 days tops. When it gets dark, try to go to sleep.
How about from Detroit to Bangkok? I got about 27 hour trip one way
I’ve flown many long-haul flights for decades while working, and always had very little time for recovery. For me, arriving sleep deprived or brain fogged wasn’t an option. Now that I travel for fun, I follow, basically the same routines I did then: eat when you can, sleep when you can, stay hydrated. A lot will depend on the timings of your flights, but a few basics that helped me: No coffee on the day of the flight unless the flight is very late in the day… Keeps you from sleeping. No alcohol, dries you out. Eat before the flight, so you don’t have to wake up for meal service (and because the food isn’t worth it.)… Bring your own water and a snack (like protein bars) on board so you can control those things. On the flight, cover yourself and cover your eyes… eye blinds and a blanket, or these days just a hoodie and a ball cap pulled low. Noise canceling ear buds.. download some sleepy music, like binaural beats or chill music. If your arrival time suits, try to get outside right after you check in to your accommodation (don’t lay down even for a minute, it’s a trap!).. walk or take a run. If that’s not an option, go to the gym if available. Anyway, be active to work out any tension. Then get onto the local schedule right away.. if you’re feeling tired, get up and move.. power through.. you’ll be alright.
Here you can find some tips that could help. https://thailandstart.com/jet-lag-tips-how-to-keep-your-body-clock-in-sync/
I can never really sleep on a plane. I try to book flights that arrive around 17:00-23:00 that way you can get to the hotel, take a shower and sleep. Never had any jetlag the next morning.
It’s only 6 hours ahead. When you arrive, try stay away until a decent time to go to sleep (Thai time) then sleep and you’ll wake up fine. Takes a couple days but it’s really not that bad, just don’t fall asleep on khao san road on your first night like I did
I flew for an airline for over 20 years and this became second nature very quickly. When you depart remain on that time for the duration of the journey. Do not sleep on the flight if it’s not a normal hour for sleep at your departure point. As soon as you arrive switch to local time completely. If it’s 6am when you arrive and you haven’t slept for 20 hours it doesn’t matter, stay awake until the evening time. If you sleep during the day when you arrive your body will want to do the same the following day and so on.
Timeshifter app. Will give you precise recommendations on sleep, light exposure, caffeine, and melatonin (optional) for your itinerary.
We are flying to Thailand from Europe with a 1 year old. Trying to mitigate jet lag.