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u/Ikerukuchi 1d ago
Get what sleep you can on the flight. When you get to UK spend some time outside doing some physical exercise (ie, go for a walk). Do not have a nap in the afternoon. Have dinner, stay up as late as you can then go to bed.
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u/jamesinyokohama 1d ago
Focus on rest rather than sleep. Even if you’re not sleeping, resting with your eyes closed while listening to white noise or something is still rest. If you get upset that you’re not asleep that ruins your rest.
When you arrive, avoid a long nap if at all possible. And keep your phone away from your bed when you sleep at night for at least a few days. If you wake up in the middle of the night and check the time you’ll 1. be upset at the time you woke up and 2. see alerts etc. and your brain will go into awake mode.
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u/69FireChicken 1d ago
Sleep as much as you can, even a couple hours is better than nothing. I'm never jetlagged arriving in Europe, tired maybe, but it's just the equivalent of a night with poor sleep, just power through it and plan on going to bed early! It's the day after flight home that gets to me, I'm a zombie the day after arriving home!
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u/Quick-Minute8416 19h ago
When you get to your final destination take your shoes and socks off and ball your feet on the carpet. The guy next to me on a flight gave me this advice when I was an NYPD officer travelling to LA to meet my estranged wife at her works Christmas party.
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u/KingOfSeymour 16h ago
Stay hydrated - planes are super dry - people don't hydrate enough on the plane - dehydration is what causes bad jet lag more than anything - I'll die on this hill
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u/gwy2ct 13h ago
I take a red eye flight from NY to Europe 3-4 times a year. Everybody is different but what works for me is this:
I normally go to bed about 11pm and wake up at 7am so a few nights before I force myself to go to bed earlier and to wake up earlier e.g. I usually travel on Thursday night so on the Tuesday night before I'll go to bed at 10pm and get up at 6am, on Wednesday night I'll go to bed at 9am and get up at 5am. That way I'm preparing my body for the time shift. Also, by the time of my flight I'm pretty tired since I've been up since 5am.
I always book the window seat so I'm not disturbed by people going to the bathroom or being whacked by the carts.
I take some Melatonin when I get to the airport and hydrate well.
I eat before the flight so I'm not hungry and don't need the snacks etc they serve. Personally I have a glass of red wine at the bar and that makes me drowsy. As I said everyone is different and that works for me.
When I board I get settled, have my water bottle & snacks nearby etc.
After we take off, I cover myself with the blanket, put on my eyemask and headphones and listen to white noise on my phone to help block out the ambient noise.
Usually I fall asleep in a half hour and get a decent sleep. When I wake up, I go to the bathroom, wash my face, brush my teeth etc.
If you still have jet lag when you arrive, I've found if i sleep an at most two hours before lunch that first day, I'll be fine after that. If you end up sleeping in the afternoon or evening, it's hard to get on a proper cycle.
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u/Jay-Lotab 9h ago
The late flights are great because the lights go off quickly and people generally try to sleep pretty quickly after take off (earlier flights everyone wants to eat and then you arrive before you know it). As others have said, eye covers, ear plugs, white noise on your phone. If you have a window, great, bring a pillow. If not, bring something to pile on your tray (jacket, fleece) so you can rest your head (unless you like sleeping backwards, then bring a neck pillow). Even if you get just 1-2 hours, it will help. Hydrate but not too much (you don’t want to wake up having to pee). Melatonin will help you adjust. If you don’t want to buy the pills (OTC) then eat melatonin containing foods (walnuts, almonds, tart cherries, milk). Do not nap when you arrive. Eat lunch, then dinner. Stay up as long as you can. A 5 hour time difference isn’t THAT bad.
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u/thetruelu 21h ago
Likely when you’re out and about it won’t be too bad if you’re excited and interacting with people. But you’re gonna have jet lag regardless so just rest as much as you can on the plane. I guess if you’re really worried you could tried to start adjusting your sleep schedule asap. Also, there’s always melatonin/caffeine
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u/Easy_Sport_89 14h ago
Unless you are sitting in business class, you are going to be tired the first day. Sleeping in economy is never going to be that restful. I’ve flown to London at least 20 times and I try to nap on the flight, get to my accommodation and grab a shower and 1 hour nap (setting an alarm) then I try to get out and explore or stock up,on groceries if I have a kitchen. I’ll go to bed that first nigt as late as possible in order to sync up my body clock with local time
1
u/Kcufasu 12h ago
Tbh I'd just accept it
I don't sleep well on flights either and it's even worse when you're heading east, all you can do is stay up and brute force yourself into the new timezone
Is there any way you could leave a day or 2's buffer before meeting people if worried about being too tired to leave a good impression? Presumably this scholarship lasts a while, plenty to explore in London on your own while letlagged for a few days
1
u/allow_vera 11h ago
Move your body clock to UK time a week before leaving. As in, do everything 5 hours later than you usually do, so that would mean shifting the time you go to sleep and wake up by 5 hours. I do this before travelling to Asia which is a much bigger time difference and it works.
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u/Bigfoot-Germany 7h ago
what puzzles me, you are qualified for a PhD, yet you ask questions like a toddler....
I am amazed
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u/Scubachocolatelog 6h ago
like 3days before departing start to eat more early or late depending on time in uk and sleep earlier or later if you’re absolutely wanting to get rid of jet lag
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u/siamesekiwi 1d ago
get yourself as tired as possible before the flight and try to sleep on the plane. Take Melatonin if you must. Taking melatonin before sleeping when you get to London will also help with your jetlag.
Get yourself one of those neck pillow things, eye mask, and some orange 3M foam earplugs. Those things will help you sleep on the flight.
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u/MedenAgan101 23h ago
Look into options for using point, miles, cash, or a combination to upgrade to a lie-flat seat. If sleep is super important and you don't sleep well on planes, it's worth a deep dive to figure out an upgrade.
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u/Waste_Impact_4441 21h ago
Do you have to meet people even on the day you land in the UK? That might be tough but doable.
Arrive at your accommodations and have a shower. Take a nap for a few hours. Have a strong coffee, just try and make it through the day until bedtime. Try to stick to UK hours and maybe add a melatonin to your sleep routine. The next day should be better. You might feel a out of sync and a bit jaded throughout the day but you’ll manage it. Especially if you are young! The main thing is not to get over anxious about it, especially on the flight. Even if you don’t or can’t sleep, you’ll be able to salvage more of the first day than you expect.
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u/aromagoddess 23h ago
You will have heaps of time to explore while doing your PhD the 1st day is rest, recovery and getting orientated. 10 hrs flying is nothing