# Dealing with jet lag



## Teddie2 (May 4, 2009)

This is my first trip that I am taking that is so many hours different than NY..6 hrs earlier  -- the biggest time change I ever dealt with was to Calif..which is only 3 
How do those on the East coast ease into Hawaii time.. any tips??


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## Pat H (May 4, 2009)

When we went to HI, we took the last flight to LA, stayed over near the airport and got a morning flight to HI. Worked well. It's much worse coming back when you lose 5 hours!


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## NJDave (May 4, 2009)

We start the day earlier the first few day when we have jet lag. That allows us to take advantage of the cooler mornings when touring the island and to get back for prime time on the beach.


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## jestme (May 4, 2009)

Teddie2 said:


> This is my first trip that I am taking that is so many hours different than NY..6 hrs earlier  -- the biggest time change I ever dealt with was to Calif..which is only 3
> How do those on the East coast ease into Hawaii time.. any tips??



Step one. Buy stuff for coffee. (milk, coffee, sugar, etc.) when you arrive. You will be awake at 2:00 AM, with little else to do, and you don't really want to be chasing down coffee on the streets in the middle of the night. We have tried to change sleep habits at home before we go, but that doesn't seem to work well for us. It is a LONG flight, so you will be tired and de-hydrated from that to begin with. Drink lots of water on the plane, it does help. The night you get there, you will go to sleep easily and wake up for the coffee I mentioned above. Meals will be off by 5-6 hours as well, so don't be surprised if you feel like a cheeseburger and fries for breakfast. The day after you arrive, plan to take it easy, beach, pool, rest, etc. That night (day 2), try to stay up as late as you can. Usually by the third day, you are in sync with the time. Coming back is a whole different story, and IMHO, much worse. Most of the flights are overnight, and you can't really sleep well, so not only are you dead tired, you are six hours ahead, and it's a different day. 
Honest, it is still worth it.


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## Kauai Kid (May 4, 2009)

Take a nap 40 minutes or so the first few days in the afternoon in Hawaii. Not any longer.

Going back east is much worse.  Get ear plugs or noise cancelers and a good sleep mask.  Always takes me about a week to adjust from Hawaii to Texas time.

It is a miserable experience but worth it.  Sleep aids don't seem to help any.

Sterling


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## DebBrown (May 4, 2009)

I take the No Jet Lag supplement and, amazingly, it works pretty well.  I also take Melatonin at bedtime to help adjust - both on vacation and when I get home.  Finally, if its only a week in Hawaii, I don't try to hard to adjust.  I get up at dawn and go to bed at 8pm.    You might as well go with your bio-rhythms.  Sign up for a early morning sailing trip.

Deb


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## jehb2 (May 4, 2009)

Going isn't so bad.  Before kids I would sit on the lanai with my cup of tea and binoculars and watch the surfers. Now when we wake up early we just go out and watch the sun rise and walk along the beach.  It's great.

Coming back is the worst.  It takes us 3 weeks to get back to normal.  But it's worth it.


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## tombo (May 4, 2009)

If you are going to Honolulu, pack a flashlight and hike to the top of Diamonhead to watch the sunrise from the WW II pillboxes carved into the side of the dormant volcano. I had read about it and when we were wide awake at 3 am we just got showered, dressed, packed the rental car, ate breakfast, and headed to Diamond Head crater to park. 
http://oahu.aloha-hawaii.com/activities/hiking+diamond+head/
http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/oahu/index.cfm?park_id=15

I noticed that the park isn't open until 6am now. Be there at 6 am when they open and when you get to the top the sun shouldn't be far over the horizon (we started hiking at about 5 am when we did it over a decade ago). Then you enjoy the views and are back to your car by 8:30 ready to sightsee (we went straight to Pearl Harbor after the Diamond Head hike and got that knocked out the first morning too).

I LOVE Hawaii but I HATE the jet lag both ways from the east coast. If I lived in California I might make Hawaii an annual trip. From the east coast every time I get home I swear that it will be my last trip to Hawaii. It takes a couple of days to feel normal when you get to Hawaii, but it takes over a week to feel normal after you get home.


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## MULTIZ321 (May 4, 2009)

Here's a good synopsis on How to Reduce Jet Lag


Richard


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## Mimi (May 4, 2009)

I agree...Hawaii is a long way from NJ. A connection further delays our arrival time, but taking a straight Continental flight from Newark to Honolulu is also a killer. Finally in Hawaii, we usually have to deal with an inner-island flight from Honolulu to get to our final destination, because we always go to at least two islands, often three. On occasion, we have started or ended our vacation with a timeshare in Oahu, using a bonus week, which helps. Trading Places has helped us tremendously obtain extra Hawaii weeks (we don't do points). Despite the problem of jet lag, we have been returning almost every year since 1995. In 2009, we spent 4 winter weeks in paradise (Kauai and Maui) and we will be returning for 4 summer weeks (Big Island and Maui). Hawaii is definately worth it, but I wouldn't go through such exhausting travel for just one week. Since we are retired, we go with the flo and rest when we're tired. When we return to the east coast, it takes many weeks to adjust. At home, I tend to be a night owl and sleep late whenever possible, which is more in tune with aloha time.


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## Mimi (May 4, 2009)

Thanks, Richard. Your article on How to Reduce Jet Lag was very informative. I saved it in My Favorites!


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## kelela92 (May 5, 2009)

Teddie2 said:


> This is my first trip that I am taking that is so many hours different than NY..6 hrs earlier  -- the biggest time change I ever dealt with was to Calif..which is only 3
> How do those on the East coast ease into Hawaii time.. any tips??



I read somewhere on here....if you go to Maui, do the sunset/bike ride at Haleakala. They pick you up at 3am. You'll be wide awake. Ride down, maybe catch a nap.

I have to give it to all you Easterners who go to Hawaii. When I get off the plane in LAX, I'm beat. I can't imagine having to fly another 5 hours to "get home". I'd be very cranky to say the least.


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## hibbeln (May 5, 2009)

The first day or two when you're up early (we also come from EST) go to Diamondhead or get in line early at Pearl Harbor.  If you're on another island, look at tours you might be interested in...they often have a cheaper early a.m. tour.

Coming home IS far worse.  If you have to go to work the day after you get back, you are going to have a TOUGH time getting out of bed.


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## falmouth3 (May 5, 2009)

kelela92 said:


> I read somewhere on here....if you go to Maui, do the sunset/bike ride at Haleakala. They pick you up at 3am. You'll be wide awake. Ride down, maybe catch a nap.



That's exactly what I was going to suggest.  

We woke early each day, but I don't seem to have major problems with jet lag.  Just try to adapt as much as you can.  If you can't - no problem when you get back home.   You'll still be on east coast time.  We generally take the red eye home so we go to bed early on the day we arrive home.

On my last trip, I was in Switzerland the day before we left for HI.  I really expected to be messed up but my body was so confused that I just followed the pattern of the sun and it  worked out.

Sue


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## dougp26364 (May 5, 2009)

We've never had that much trouble when going from East to West. It's always been a daylight flight with an afternoon arrival. We get out of the timeshare and into the sunlight and keep it that way. We'll do our best to stay up until at least 8 or 9 PM. Generally speaking, we're set by the next morming and don't have that 3 AM wake up experience others have reported but, we're only flying from the midwest and not from the east coast. 

Going west to east is a different matter. I'll skip the movie and often dinner on the flight in order to get as much sleep as possible. A brief nap also helps during the day but, I try to keep in brief. I suppose the fact that we're night shift workers and we routinely turn our shifts around from working nights to being off days makes a difference for us.


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## lynne (May 5, 2009)

There is no fool-proof way of handling jet lag when traveling through 4 time zones.  

When we moved from NY to Hawaii, I was commuting back and forth for about six months and it was brutal (there were also more flights available into and out of Kona).  I would take the red-eye from KOA with a quick connection in LAX and then onto JFK where I would arrive around 6AM.  From there, I went straight to the office and attempted to work a full day.  By 2PM I was exhausted but stayed awake until around 9PM before crashing for the night and work the next day.  It took a full two days before I was okay.  

The trip back to Hawaii was easy without any difficulties.  I would take a mid-morning flight connecting in LAX and then back to KOA and would be home by 6PM.  

I was very happy when I no longer had to commute.   We now travel back to NY for friends and family and try to stop in either San Francisco or Los Angeles for a few days on the way back east as the jet lag is much more tolerable.  

Taking Melatonin before the red-eye to relax us and maybe get some sleep certainly helps.


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## Teddie2 (May 5, 2009)

Ah such useful information.. thanks.. We will be leaving JFK at 9:AM ET and then have 5 hr layover in LA.. not by choice..it was supposed to be 3hrs but they recently changed it. So now we get to Kauai  7:30 Hawaii time which is about 1:30 AM so we are going to be zonked when we arrive.. I guess we will just sleep that night so maybe won't be so bad.. that way.. maybe we will adjust better?? who knows
Going back we are leaving at 9PM on Sunday and arriving 4PM NY --not going to work the next day and only have to work three days then the weekend although I have to work one day on the weekend so not so great
Anyway I think you are all right it will be worth it. 
We just have trouble adjusting to one hr..daylight savings time so I can only imagine.. what this will be like
Might try the no Jet lag supplement..


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## tombo (May 5, 2009)

Buy the book Kauai Revealed http://www.wizardpub.com/Kauai/kauai.html
Rent a Jeep and go offroading to the gate where they filmed Jurrassic Park. Ride down logging and deer trails at the grand canyon of the pacific, and make the dirt road trip to Polihale beach. The guide book showed us where to go and where to eat. Make a reservation for the Monastery tour : Parking is very limited, therefore reservations are required. Please call toll free 1-888-735-1619 to find out upcoming tour dates and reserve your parking space.
This is their web site: http://www.himalayanacademy.com/ssc/hawaii/visiting.shtml

They are constantly building a temple by hand out of granite and the stonesmiths will be working while you are there and they havedemonstrations where you can use the stoneworking tools yourself. Their lush valley is one of the prettiest sights I saw on the whole island. A Tugger told me about this or I would have missed it.

Also I was informed that the Beach House restaurant was the best sunset dining on the Island and an ocean front sunset table needed to be reserved months in advance. I called 3 months in advance and said I know I am reserving very early and they said not really. They said usually a couple of weeks in advance is too late to get a table by the windows for the sunset. Here is the web site in case you are interested:http://www.the-beach-house.com/


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## Jim Bryan (May 6, 2009)

Never had much trouble going over. I take an Ambian on long flight and sleep all the way. Get up next morning at regular time, no problem. Coming back is a different story but with an Ambian taken after an hour from Hawaii, I usually sleep most of the trip. Am tired a couple of days when I get back to Florida.


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## lolibeachgirl (May 16, 2009)

teddie2-the later you can stay up the first night, the better off you will be for your vacation.  First trip, I had an extra 3 hours layover when I landed in LAX and landed in Kona at 11:30 Hawaiian time (about 5:30 am the next morning East Coast time) so we were exhausted beyond all reasoning....BUT we were set on our sleeping pattern from the start.  We had an awful time finding the office (and the night guard) at Paniolo Greens office, and it was about 1am until we got to sleep, but that helped in the long run.  Until you pick up your bags, get the rental car, find your place and check-in, then get unpacked....you should be in great shape to go to bed at the right time to avoid waking up in the middle of the night.

Everyone else is right, coming back is the worst....but it is always worth it to have been in Hawaii.  That was my first flight ever, so I am used to it now.  What was a killer was a 14 1/2 hour flight from LAX to Australia.....but Qantas is first rate in economy class, felt like business class (almost first class), and on the way home, the flight back was 9 1/2 hours with a 7 hour layover in Honolulu.  Managed to rent a convertible and see Pearl Harbor!

I am thinking about taking a sleeping pill on the way home this time, as I have a horrible time falling asleep on the plane.  I'll use earplugs and an eyemask too.  I just about drift off, then I hear something or get uncomfortable and restless.  Even when I upgrade with miles to first class, I still don't sleep more than an hour, but it is still worth it!!!

good luck and aloha!!!


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## Jaybee (May 16, 2009)

I really appreciate all these suggestions and advice.  In Oct., when we go to Kauai, with another week on Oahu, my son and his wife will be flying from PIT/LIH, and only for one week.  It will be a grueling trip.  They got it through Travelocity, and it's weird.  I was able to use my Delta miles to upgrade their trip out to 1st, and that eliminated one stop in LA, but the trip home will seem even worse, I'm sure.  I told them to just hang on to the mantra that..."It's worth it. It's worth it!"  Thanks, everyone.


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## Teddie2 (May 17, 2009)

Thanks to all.. right now I am thinking about trying to sleep on the leg from LAX to Kauai -- that is 6 hrs and will be about 9PM NY time to 3AM  so if I can get a bit in I won't be too wonky when we arrive and have to then drive to our condo.. 
I am guessing keeping a schedule of early to bed early to rise may make sense here which is sort of what we do in NY but not usually on vacation.. although we are not night owls.
Thanks for all the tips..


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