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Thread: Jetlagged!!!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
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    UK to USA to Waikato, NZ
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    Smile Jetlagged!!!

    I have just flown from NZ to the UK with 6 and 8 yr old and we have been here for 3 days. Waking up at 0230(them) and me at 0400 and then knackered by days end. Keeping them up until around 7-8pm and keeping them really active in the day. How long does it take to get over jetlag?
    (never flown to uk from nz before)
    Flights were brutal too. Will never fly via Shanghai again or Virgin or AIR NZ AKL to Shanghai route. Sorry sounding negative but just exhausted!
    On the positive having a really good vacation and enjoying cheap shopping, cheap food out, decent curry and amazing old buildings everywhere. Great to catch up with family and friends.
    I forgot how many people and cars there are everywhere!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    UK
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    Not sure you do completely, but it's about forcing yourself to stay up.

    Bit easier for us as we had 8 month old. It meant the flights were a killer, but when we got there, he soon adapted (as he slept in the day anyway), and I just forced myself to stay up on day one until normal nighttime. Guess must be hard with 6 and 8yr olds!

    However bad Air NZ/Virgin were, I'd wager they can't have been worse than Lufthansa from Chch-Sing-Frankfurt-Birmingham. Flight from Sing - Frk took almost 15hrs, then 8hrs at Frankfurt as missed connecting flight. Just what you want after two long hauls and a screaming 8 month old.....

    Definitely jealous of the curry - was in AKL the other week and got taken to a "special" curry house by locals, excellent naan but they still don't know how to do a Dhansak....

  3. #3
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    Nov 2010
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    Jet lag = usually about a week but if you're lucky, it'll pass in 4 or 5 days.

    Wonderful that you're having a great holiday. Don't forget where home is!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Essex, UK
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    We don't normally experience jet lag going that way too much, just a couple of days of waking up earlier, I normally have it worse coming back. As others have said, not much more you can do than try to get into a 'normal' routine as soon as possible.

    Have a good holiday!

    Daniela

  5. #5
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    Apr 2009
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    Jetlag is a test of will! Try and get outside as much as possible- all day if you can. Drink lots, don't watch TV or eat or use a screen if you do wake in the night but stay in the dark or dimly lit room. Get up early and go to bed late. We usually nail it within a couple of days doing this but it's like bootcamp the first few days. You're probably starting to adjust already but be militant about getting outside and getting up early and you'll soon be on UK time. We had toughest jetlag a few years ago arriving in the UK midwinter in the snow because it never really got light and we had had such a delayed flight that we got to bed around 1am first night- and were all still asleep at 2pm! That took over a week and was a bit of a holiday spoiler. I'm sorry to say that I concur jetlag is tougher coming back to NZ but at least you're in your own home and NZ light levels help, imo.

    Have fun- eat lots of cheese!

  6. #6
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    May 2009
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    Blenheim
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    It doesn't really help your situation, unfortunately, I know.., - we came here on a holiday in 2003 (two weeks only) before we emigrated and our youngest was 9 at the time. We were very tired when we arrived here and went to bed very early the first four days, up early then on the other hand, too. Because it got dark around 6pm it felt about the right time to go to bed :-). On the way back the children did have to go to school the day after we arrived, which worked out pretty well, since they were up extremely early anyway, they just went to bed early, as well.
    Personally I don't have a lot of issues with jetlag, I usually arrive at 6am, then stay up until around 8pm, have a good nights sleep (better than I usually sleep!), get up relatively early because I am awake and then gradually ease into the 'normal' schedule.
    As Kanga said- it seems to be a test of will!

  7. #7
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    Feb 2008
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    Another tip is to get outdoors at breakfast time - apparently, the daylight on your face/eyes helps to reset your body clock.

    I seriously believe that using the tag 'jet lag' is no favour to anybody needing to travel across time zones. It reinforces the impression that it's almost an illness *, instead of just the personal inconvenience of tending to be awake/asleep at different times from people where you've arrived.

    * My NZ family had another family's UK visitor tell them in all seriousness that they'd been in bed for 10 days after they arrived 'with jetlag', by which they meant running a temperature and having sickness and diarrhoea. When the suggestion was made that they'd had an infection and it would have helped to see a doctor, the answer was, 'Oh, no, we knew it was jetlag.'

  8. #8
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    Oct 2007
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    Nrth Wellington from Tadley UK
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    Quote Originally Posted by JandM View Post
    Another tip is to get outdoors at breakfast time - apparently, the daylight on your face/eyes helps to reset your body clock.
    Thanks for that JandM.

    I'm dreading it, we are traveling back to the UK on Thursday with a 7 1/2 yr old & almost 5 yr old, the day after we land we are trying to squeeze a whole day of visits in, it's the only day we have to see these people, I can't see it being quality time with them after 5 years but hey ho.

    The other thing I'm dreading is the packing which I should be doing now rather than sitting here making up lots of excuses not to.

    Hope your all feeling OK soon Hagabel

  9. #9
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    Jun 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by Georgebulldog View Post
    Thanks for that JandM.

    I'm dreading it, we are traveling back to the UK on Thursday with a 7 1/2 yr old & almost 5 yr old, the day after we land we are trying to squeeze a whole day of visits in, it's the only day we have to see these people, I can't see it being quality time with them after 5 years but hey ho.

    The other thing I'm dreading is the packing which I should be doing now rather than sitting here making up lots of excuses not to.

    Hope your all feeling OK soon Hagabel

    Thanks Lindsey,
    Still being woken up at 0400 but apart from a cold feeling slowly better. I did go out for lunch and dinner next day and should not have gone to bed so late. At least visiting people will keep you busy. I have been going to bed when they are about 8pm so if they do wake me up I have had about 7 hrs sleep! Have not had to nap for last 2 days!
    I hope you are not flying Virgin....hope u had a great flight and a good holiday!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    Lindsey, another tip is to try as far as possible to live at the time of where you're going, as soon as you get on the aeroplane. (I know this isn't always easy with children, but some will treat it as a game and make the effort to join in.) You don't HAVE to eat a full meal just because the airline provides it, or sleep or wake according to what they do with the cabin lights.

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