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ME and 12 hours jet lag, need tips!

Thinktank

Senior Member
Messages
1,640
Location
Europe
I'll be visiting the US next month and the time difference with where i'm currently staying is 12 hours!
I usually deal with 6 hour jet lags and it takes me about a week to adjust. 12 hours is quite extreme for me so i need a solid plan on how to beat the lag!

I was thinking about the following:
- Try to adjust to the new time zone as close as possible for a few days before taking the trip, that means going to bed later.
- Take melatonin before going to bed in the new timezone.
- Flying business class so i can lay down flat and sleep. I can't sleep in an upright position and spending 22 hours in economy class with dysautonomia and ME is impossible!
- Take a non-benzo sleep medication during the first days in the new timezone.
- Book a hotel with very good noise isolation.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good non-benzo sleep med. to change the circadian rhythm? Herbs don't work, i need something solid.

So far on my list are:
Doxepin (TCA and anti-histamine)
Remeron (TCA)
Ambien (Z-drug)

I also have a problem staying asleep, i wake up easily if disturbed by noise or light.
 
Last edited:

tyson oberle

Senior Member
Messages
210
Location
tampa, florida
I'll be visiting the US next month and the time difference with where i'm currently staying is 12 hours!
I usually deal with 6 hour jet lags and it takes me about a week to adjust. 12 hours is quite extreme for me so i need a solid plan on how to beat the lag!

I was thinking about the following:
- Try to adjust to the new time zone as close as possible for a few days before taking the trip, that means going to bed later.
- Take melatonin before going to bed in the new timezone.
- Flying business class so i can lay down flat and sleep. I can't sleep in an upright position and spending 22 hours in economy class with dysautonomia and ME is impossible!
- Take a non-benzo sleep medication during the first days in the new timezone.
- Book a hotel with very good noise isolation.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good non-benzo sleep med. to change the circadian rhythm? Herbs don't work, i need something solid.

So far on my list are:
Doxepin (TCA and anti-histamine)
Remeron (TCA)
Ambien (Z-drug)
I also have a problem staying asleep, i wake up easily if disturbed by noise or light.


I don't have any suggestions for a non-benzo sleep medication, but I would consider taking coffee or caffeine during the morning hours of the new time zone for the first few days to force yourself to stay awake when you normally would be sleeping in your home time zone and then at the night time of your new time zone the caffeine should wear off so you can hopefully sleep.
 

Thinktank

Senior Member
Messages
1,640
Location
Europe
I'm caffeine intolerant, unfortunately it makes me feel very wired and it's very erosive on my intestinal lining.
I don't do well on any stimulant. :(
 

anciendaze

Senior Member
Messages
1,841
Twelve hours is about the difference between my home and Japan. Past experience says you can't avoid several days of being out of sync, but you can cut the time it takes to adjust. My own formula, without drugs, was to take a short nap soon after arriving, with something reliable to wake you, then get out in the sunlight at your destination. Sunlight helps to reset your internal clocks. Continue to do this for several days after you arrive, getting about an hour of morning exposure, even if you go back to sleep afterward. Stimulants and sleep aids are more likely to suppress your natural diurnal cycle, when it is already messed up. The chemical half-life in your body is unlikely to match the timing you need.