Our cruise from Seattle to Japan did something like this, and it worked really well. We advanced the clock an hour every night for nine nights and didn’t feel the time difference.
I adjust a few hours to what works for my job. Then I sleep on the plane based on arrival time. If I land in the morning, I try to sleep a lot, skip meals, and avoid movies. But if I arrive later, I rest a little but keep myself entertained with food and activities. Staying hydrated helps too, and I skip the alcohol.
Once I get there, I switch to the local meal schedule and keep busy the first few days, so fatigue doesn’t hit me hard.
I do the same on the way back, but it’s harder to stay busy since I have work and chores to deal with.
Honestly, you probably don’t need to worry too much. I stay up late the night before, sleep a bit on the plane, and then stay awake until a reasonable bedtime after I arrive. I wake up the next day feeling totally fine. Returning home is another matter though…
You’re not crazy at all. I used to do the same thing, though I flew from New York. What helped me was booking a daytime flight from New York to London, since I can’t seem to sleep on planes. If you can sleep on the plane and your flight matches European sleep times, it should work out great. Even if you don’t get much sleep during the flight, you’ll be pretty much on European time already, which helps a lot even though you might be tired.
The flight lands at 8 am local time. If you typically sleep for 7 hours, stick to your normal bedtime until you travel. Sleep as soon as you get on the plane. I normally take a sleep aid and enjoy a couple of glasses of wine. By the time I land, I should be all set. Of course, this assumes you have a good seat to actually sleep properly.
There’s this Timeshifter app that helps you adjust your body clock in the days before your flight. I haven’t used it yet, but a colleague really likes it.
Yep, I follow the jet lag sleep calculator leading up to a long flight. Works great for me.
I’ve done this. There are apps to help you get started. The challenge is that sleeping on a plane can be so difficult, I still feel awful by the time I get to my destination.
I bet you still experience jet lag.
Try Ambien and Adderall.
Your plan doesn’t make sense. Just adjust your sleep now. I’ve been there.
Jasper said:
Your plan doesn’t make sense. Just adjust your sleep now. I’ve been there.
Boo! Give it a shot and let us know how it goes!
Jasper said:
Your plan doesn’t make sense. Just adjust your sleep now. I’ve been there.
Boo! Give it a shot and let us know how it goes!
Haha, he’s going to be tired and out of it all week.