Getting ready for Hawaii Time Zone, help!

[mitsguy2001]

To be honest, I had no trouble at all adjusting from the Eastern time zone to the Hawaii time zone. Then again, I am natrually a night owl, so that helped.

[hvsteve1]

I guess we're lucky with the time zones. We're in the Central Zone and will spend a week in California prior to the cruise. Then we're taking HAL to Hawaii, which gives us four days to move the other few hours. Hopefully, this will have us up during enough normal hours to eat ourselves into a coma.:p

[cb at sea]

I find jet lag worse going west than east.....

 

Since your internal clock will be screwed up, do any early morning (think sunrise) excursions on the 1st or 2nd day....that's when you'll likely be awake VERY early!!!!

[bigtoeswim'n]

I find jet lag worse going west than east.....

 

Since your internal clock will be screwed up, do any early morning (think sunrise) excursions on the 1st or 2nd day....that's when you'll likely be awake VERY early!!!!

 

 

I think this is good advice. We are 56/60 from the CST zone. I found myself waking up at 2 am and 3 am for the whole week we were in HI. I just went back to sleep. It was very hard staying up, say around 6 pm, but I found if I pushed thru that sleepy time, I became almost manic and wanted to stay up. DH doesn't like rushing out early on excursions while on vaca, but if I was alone, I would have booked those early ones and done 2/poc. We be just different people. Hope you have a wonderful time.

[chachi]

I am from Michigan (6 hour difference). I have been several times. It is not a big deal. Your body adjusts. It is a 13 hour flight which leaves me worn out. I arrive in Hawaii in the afternoon. I am tired, but so excited to be there. I keep busy until the evening and go to bed around 10 or 11. I wake up in the morning and am fine.

[moviesign]

I find jet lag worse going west than east.....

 

Since your internal clock will be screwed up, do any early morning (think sunrise) excursions on the 1st or 2nd day....that's when you'll likely be awake VERY early!!!!

 

I also think this is good advice. Last year we went on POA (flew in from Atlanta), but spent a few days on Oahu up front. It was early December and we wanted to go to Sunset Beach to watch the surfing competitions, so we planned that for our first full day. We told our innkeeper that we'd be up & out early, so she left us some do-it-yourself breakfast stuff, we were up by 3:30am, and we just got going. Out the door by 5:00, not too bad traffic going through downtown, and we were at the beach early enough so that parking was no problem. Spent the whole day on that side of the island, went out for dinner and were pretty wiped out by the time we got back to our B&B, but we slept through the next night and the internal clock was right for the rest of the trip.

[debster818]

I cannot sleep on the plan either. My husband is asleep before the plane takes off. Have done tylenol PM and that didn't work. Any other recommendations for a sleep aid?

[Just4You]

I cannot sleep on the plan either. My husband is asleep before the plane takes off. Have done tylenol PM and that didn't work. Any other recommendations for a sleep aid?

 

We go to Hawaii every year and have learned how to manage the time change. The trick is to keep up on your sleep (i.e., don't get sleep deprived).

 

1. Book your flight on a large jet, like a 767. It has more leg room so you can sleep easier than on a smaller jet. The 767 also has more overhead compartment space so you can stretch your legs under the seat in front of you rather than have to straddle a carryon bag. Another tip is to pay the extra for a bulkhead seat (usually $49 to $69 each way). Also try to book a direct flight instead of multiple trips with layovers (this may not be possible for some).

2. Take melatonin 5mg about 1 hour prior to the time you want to fall asleep as long as you are not driving anywhere. If you have to drive, take it when you arrive at airport.

3. Eat a meal at the airport and drink lots of fluids just prior to boarding plane.

4. Once on the plane, set your watch to the new time zone time.

5. Take a sleeping pill the minute you board the plane. Make sure it's one you can take (experiment with it at least two weeks prior to the trip). Example, some can't take Ambien as it causes sleep walking in a small percentage of patients. Wouldn't want that in a crowded plane. Bring an extra dose in case you awaken with more than 4 hours from your destination.

6. Change into a nice soft pair of slippers. The air gets COLD on the flight to/from Hawaii, especially around the feet. Also wear compression hosiery/socks to avoid clots in your legs. You can buy Futuro compression socks in the foot products area of a drug store or walmart.

7. Bring a pillow, blanket and ear plugs. If you can get the window seat, you can put the pillow on window/wall and lay head on it. I also like to have a large enough blanket to cover my head (or you can use a sleep mask). If in the middle or isle seat, you can turn sideways and place pillow on back of seat.

8. Instruct the person next to you that you are trying to sleep so they don't keep waking you up when cabin steward comes around for beverage service requests.

 

We do this for the trip to Hawaii and back and have always managed to sleep the entire trip. We are recouperated and refreshed when we arrive at our destination and our clocks are already reset to the new time zone.

 

The hardest thing for me to get over when returning from Hawaii is the natural 'high' I get from being in this magical place. I never want it to end.