Timeshifting to avoid jetlag

March 18, 2007 | ,

GMT +2 but still GMT -7 (+1 DST)

I don’t do very well on limited amounts of sleep. It’s just not my strength.

And when I travel, I like to hit the ground running. This is particularly true on long-haul flights from the US to destinations in the GMT to GMT -9 range. These flights typically land early to mid-morning unless you have a heinous layover at Charles de Gaulle which I do not recommend.

So I’m trying a new self-concocted anti-jet lag strategy. I’m time shifting myself before the trip. At first I thought I’d do it in stages, adjusting to the new time zone over several days.

It was supposed to work like this:

sleep   wake
-----   ----
Day 1
Local time         8 PM     4 AM
Destination time   4 AM    12 PM
Day 2
Local time         6 PM     2 AM
Destination time   2 AM    10 AM
Day 3
Local time	        4 PM   12 AM
Destination time   12 AM    8 AM
Day 4
Local time	        4 PM   10 PM (depart at midnight)
Destination	time   10 PM    6 AM

Of course, I was off-schedule the very first day so I had to cut it short to three days plus a huge doses of melatonin:

sleep   wake
-----   ----
Day 1
Local time         7 PM     3 AM
Destination time   3 AM    11 AM
Day 2
Local time	       4 PM    12 AM
Destination time   1 AM	8 AM
Day 3
Local time         1 PM	9 PM (depart at midnight)
Destination time   9 PM	5 AM

I think that this strategy will work well for time offsets less than or equal to 10 hours when travelling east. Optimally, four days should probably be allowed to recover — the first day of the series is a long one. In a crunch, two days — with the time offset divided in half — would give a great headstart to adjusting to the time zone at your destination.

Realistically, this isn’t a solution for those with normal work hours, children, or hobbies!

Share on FriendFeed | | TrackBack URI

Viewing 1 Comment

Trackbacks

close Reblog this comment
Powered by Disqus · Learn more
blog comments powered by Disqus
TrackBack URI