The Lag
Ah, here we are back in Germany after spending the holidays in the US. We’ve made the transatlantic journey dozens of times by now, and while I still dread the long flights, at least I’ve gotten pretty good at dealing with jet lag (although people who have repeatedly watched me fall asleep in my first-night-in-the-US dinner might disagree). Given that I’ve never been good with sleep deprivation (even in college I couldn’t swing all-nighters), I’m feeling rather accomplished.
There are many approaches to jet lag, but mine is a simple one: you need to be overtired going into your first night in the new time zone. That way, when you finally fall into bed, you’ll sleep for a a good solid night and wake up at a reasonable time the next morning. After that first night, you’re most of the way home.
Traveling from Europe to the US is the easier direction. Flights usually depart Germany in the morning and arrive in the US in the afternoon, giving you a day that’s six hours longer than normal (to the East Coast). Napping on the flight is fine, if you can manage to sleep in such conditions. Once you arrive in your destination, stay up! It’s probably just a few hours more before a reasonable bedtime rolls around. We usually end up crashing around 9 or 10 pm, and then waking up at 5 or 6 am. Usually I’m a night person, so I actually enjoy the novelty of the first couple days of being an early riser in the US. We use this as a rare chance to enjoy the sunrise or go out for an early-morning walk or run. Just don’t plan any late dinners for your first couple evenings in the US, and you’re fine (but if you do need to be alert for late nights, try to hold out for a later bedtime that first night to aid your adjustment).
Traveling from the US to Europe is a little more painful, but by following my own rules I can at least limit the pain to a single day. Flights in this direction are usually overnight, arriving in Germany in the morning. Sleep as much as you can on the plane, but if you’re not a plane-sleeper (as I am not), don’t torture yourself with neck pains and dry mouth – enjoy a book or a movie instead.
What you do after you land is the important part: stay awake! If you absolutely must nap, do it for no more than 1-2 hours in the morning. Then get up and stay active – distract yourself from how tired you are. When we have visitors arriving from the US, I take them out for a walk around the city on their first day, keeping them away from the temptations of bed. For myself, I try to stay active with tasks that don’t require too much brain power: unpacking, getting groceries, organizing my studio, etc. Reading (or any other activity that involves sitting on the couch) is verboten, as the temptation to sleep is too great. I turn on all the lights in the apartment and listen to music or podcasts to help convince myself that now is the time to be awake. Then around 9 pm I allow myself to crawl into bed for the most anticipated night of sleep of the year. If I’ve done it right, I’ll sleep all night and be able to wake up the next morning without too much difficulty (although I’m often groggier than usual – to be expected given that wake-up is occurring 6 hours before my body expects it to). That’s another key – wake up to an alarm the first few days back in Europe, rather than letting yourself sleep in. Otherwise the temptation to become nocturnal can be overwhelming.
Another tip I follow is trying to avoid carbohydrates as much as possible during and after the trip, as they tend to enhance drowsiness. I drink coffee strategically and try not to overdo it, as feeling overtired and jittery is even worse than just plain overtired. Water is your friend – drink lots of it before, during, and after the flight.
What’s your approach to jet lag?
