on 3 March 2004 : 05:22, Taylor sez:
I would recommend that you do neither. The only way to guarantee good healthy sleep is to be so active during the day (or night; whatever) that when you put your head on the pillow, nighty, night.
I get up at 6-7 a.m. and by 10-11 p.m. that's it for me.
on 3 March 2004 : 07:25, Howard sez:
When your body thinks it is in another time zone, though, an active day is necessary but not sufficient to keep you from popping awake at 3 AM. Alcohol is very bad for jet lag, but ambien, in my experience, works well. After two or three nights of sleep in the new zone, I adjust.
on 3 March 2004 : 08:08, justin sez:
Both of you make good points. In this case, I'm using these substances to overcome a combination of jet lag and a bad cough. In a night or two I believe I'll be sleeping free!
on 3 March 2004 : 08:31, yuko sez:
I've been sick the past 10 days or so (and probably the 10th time getting cold this winter), and while my body so desires for the restful sleep, my mind isn't agreeing (plus congestion and cough making it more difficult). A few nights ago, I treated myself with a few shots of Jameson, and I had the best sleep I hadn't had in a while. No, it didn't cure the cold and yes I'm still sick, but it was worth it and I knew it was when I woke up that morning.
Hope you feel better soon, Justin.
on 3 March 2004 : 10:30, madsax sez:
On my last trip to Tokyo I tried out a homeopathic remedy called No-Jet-Lag. Got it from Whole Foods for about $10. You take it every two hours while you're on the plane.
Peculiarly enough, on both my outbound and inbound flights, my jet lag bump was hardly noticeable. I don't know if it was a placebo effet or the thing actually worked, but I'd recommend checking it out.
on 3 March 2004 : 12:12, willow sez:
Best advice for jet lag...
drink TONS of water, don't drink alcohol on the airplane...
this has the added benifit that you'll be well hydrated for any drinking you want to be doing later, whether to enhance sleep or socializing.
on 3 March 2004 : 16:20, C(h)ristine sez:
on 4 March 2004 : 07:58, Howard sez:
Note the dark rings under the eyes in the bow-tie picture. The face of a cherub, but the eyes of a geezer.
on 4 March 2004 : 10:37, Liz sez:
Ouch! Howard that was harsh. Hehe.
I'm sick myself right now, I too find rock biographies a great source as far as health goes. I have been taking some else's prescription, sleeping all day, and drinking anything I can get my hands on. :)
on 5 March 2004 : 14:53, katherine sez:
world travel . . . jet lag . . . shots of whiskey . . . sleeping pills . . . you *do* live the life of a rock star! is life at the top everything you dreamed of? :)
on 5 March 2004 : 15:01, justin sez:
Chên / The Arousing (Shock, Thunder)
The Judgement:
Shock brings success.
Shock comes - oh, oh!
Laughing words - ha, ha!
The shock terrifies for a hundred miles,
And he does not let fall the sacrificial spoon and chalice.
(so sayeth the I Ching!)
on 5 March 2004 : 15:06, Damanda sez:
Wash your hands. Go to the gym. Listen to the first Black Eyed Peas record while you do 45 minutes of cardio exercise on the treadmill, bike or precor. go to the lockerroom and wash your hands again. Go home. Brush your teeth and wash your hands. Get in bed. Try and read Silas Marner. I guarantee you'll be asleep before you get past friggin page 3. (free advice from someone who's jumping on the redeye flight to JFK Saturday night and taking a south american valium with a glass of red wine...)
on 5 March 2004 : 16:08, Kris sez:
Jetlag 101 - The best way to get over jetlag is very simple. Don't sleep when it's not time to sleep. Let's say you've just spent a month in Tokoyo. Now you've just flown back and you arrive in San Fran at 6 am (11 pm Tokoyo). By the time you get home it's 9 am. Since it's 2 am in Tokoyo and your body's still on Tokoyo time you're really tired. So, what do you do? Leave a trail of clothes from the front door to the bed and collapse in a blissful slumber. Of course not! You have about 3 or 4 espressos and stay totally clear of the bed/couch for the next 12 - 14 hours. If you can make it through the first day it's a breeze.
on 5 March 2004 : 17:05, Philipp sez:
on 6 March 2004 : 11:38, shady sez:
ah. i'm sure one sleeping pill and one shot of whiskey won't hurt you.
i think you have to really pile it in to die from that sort of thing.
you should add me as a friend on orkut mr justin.
on 6 March 2004 : 12:41, anne sez:
Let's face it, exercise and activity are great and all, but there are times when you really just need something to relax with. Personally, I think a shot of whiskey is perfect. I also watch a dvd on the couch, curled up with a blanket- puts me to sleep every time.
The other thing you can try is melatonin pills, which is what your body normally produced for sleep. But while this is great for long term sleep cycle resetting, it's not so useful for that one time god-I-just-need-something-to-help-me-sleep! syndrom.
on 6 March 2004 : 21:10, Darla sez:
Poor Justin, I'm glad you realized that you can't take both... What would TheFeature do without you!!!!!
on 8 March 2004 : 09:11, brian sez:
oh, i don't know about all that -- on my flight back from seoul (the leg from tokyo to chicago) i took that ambien you gave me plus a couple nips of vodka to wash it down, and i was out for the count, woke up about 2 hours before we landed in chicago. worked out fine.
that said, that probably wouldn't be my approach these days. no sleeping pills, just a good strong tea that has chamomile and valerian in it. (i recommend celestial seasonings' "sleepytime extra" -- the "extra" is the one with valerian.)
and for a cough suppressant, try a tea with slippery elm. it makes a mucilage-like coating that soothes the throat, even if it does seem kind of gross. (i recommend traditional medicinals' "throat coat" tea)
on 8 March 2004 : 09:17, justin sez:
Dude, I'm a Throat Coat addict! I've got Throat Coat, Gypsy Cold Care and Echinacia Plus, all from Traditional Medicinals. I travel with their teas in my bag! The best for an achy throat - relief without medicinal hangovers.
on 8 March 2004 : 19:20, brian sez:
ooh, i haven't tried gypsy cold care. i should do that. i also want to find a good tea for headaches (i guess just willow bark or whatever, since it's aspirin.)
anyway, i guess i don't have to sell you on the whole tea thing, then. i was pushing tea on my coworkers during cold season for a while to discourage their heavy doses of zombifying dayquil, until i realized that i had succeeded, which meant that suddenly i was handing out so much tea it was becoming expensive. so i stopped.
on 5 June 2004 : 06:59, KEVIN sez: