This is NOT an official government website. We are an independent resource providing information and assistance to travelers.
How can you best deal with jet lag when traveling to Thailand?
Nov 24, 2024
a year ago
Randy ******
ORIGINAL POSTERFile it under Everything else, Boss: How do y'all deal with jetlag in Thailand? It is 12 hours time difference between the East Coast and Thailand. On average, it takes me two weeks to finally adjust to BKK time after I arrive. A full month to adjust back to EST when I return. I hear people load up on Red Bull energy drinks ( guess that's how it become hugely successful) to adjust. I go there for the Nightlife. Take a siesta from 6 pm to 12 am everynight then wake up and go out and meet the hot femininas from Issan.Then sleep two hours in the early morning.
TLDR : Answer Summary
Managing jet lag when traveling to Thailand can be challenging, especially with significant time zone differences. Many travelers suggest adjusting sleep patterns prior to departure, using apps like Timeshifter, or taking melatonin to aid in sleep. Some recommend hydration and avoiding alcohol during the flight to improve rest. Others find that staying active upon arrival and avoiding naps help reset their circadian rhythm faster. Experiences vary, with some adjusting quickly and others taking longer to acclimate.
Pelle Eriksson★★★★★
Absolutely Bangkok's best service I highly...recently on Facebook
Luca G.★★★★★
I used this agency for my DTV Visa...recently on Google
Trusted Thai Visa Agent
OVER 100,000 EXPATS SERVED
#1 VISA AGENT IN THAILAND
Andrew *******
I used to fly West Coast of Australia (Perth) to LA every 4 weeks (and return in between).
I’ve always just set my watch (and all my devices) to the destination time as soon as I get on the plane and behaved as if I’m in that time zone from that point on. If I arrive in the afternoon I just treat it as the afternoon on arrival and honestly apart from maybe 1 or 2 nights of disruptive sleep it’s a non issue.
I used to travel Oz to UK with work when younger and have travelled to US a lot so long flights (20+ hours of flight time) are no big deal but I reckon a decent chunk of jet lag is mental. Just trick your brain and get on with it.
Edit: I also rarely drink anything except water on flights. A long flight dehydrates the crap out of you, alcohol makes it worse, which hurts your in flight rest and how you feel on arrival.
I’ve always just set my watch (and all my devices) to the destination time as soon as I get on the plane and behaved as if I’m in that time zone from that point on. If I arrive in the afternoon I just treat it as the afternoon on arrival and honestly apart from maybe 1 or 2 nights of disruptive sleep it’s a non issue.
I used to travel Oz to UK with work when younger and have travelled to US a lot so long flights (20+ hours of flight time) are no big deal but I reckon a decent chunk of jet lag is mental. Just trick your brain and get on with it.
Edit: I also rarely drink anything except water on flights. A long flight dehydrates the crap out of you, alcohol makes it worse, which hurts your in flight rest and how you feel on arrival.
Carey *********
Retired USAF here you just learn to live with it
Duane *************
I am not sure why but it only takes a few days to adjust going to Thailand but when I go home (19 hours flight time) it takes a couple weeks to get back to normal.
Jay ***********
Best thing to do no kidding aside is get a good drunk on after arriving
Cures everything
Cures everything
Ian **********
I asked a long-haul air steward how she coped with jetlag and her answer was to immediately move on to the time zone you are travelling to as soon as you get to the airport. If possible deprive yourself of sleep so you can sleep easily on the plane at the correct time. I've followed this advice and I time adjust within 48 hours. The worst thing you can do is to have a sleep when you arrive if it is still daytime and don't keep an I on the time back home.
Phil ********
Use Melatonin.
Only takes a few days to reset your circadian rhythm.
Only takes a few days to reset your circadian rhythm.
Joe *****
Jetlag will always affect a cock here in Thailand. Best to set it straight once you arrive.
Randy ******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Joe ****
Your observation works without the L and with a L in the word Co$$. GENIUS! 5555Reply to
Randy ******
Reply
Thomas ********
Doterra essential oil Balance and floating in a body of water
Nick ************
Never had a problem from uk. I prescribe 4 large Leo's before hitting the gin.
Ronald *********
I was told in the nineties by a safety officer in Qatar, for every hour difference it takes a day to recover.
I travel from the UK with a six hour difference, and it is always a week for me to adjust either way.
I travel from the UK with a six hour difference, and it is always a week for me to adjust either way.
Dave ********
On arrival, NEVER give in to the urge to sleep. Get straight into the rhythm of whichever country you are in. I find a good shower, a nice meal and a few drinks to take me to around midnight, sorts me out. I wake up the following morning feeling fine.
Katrin *******
Melatonin
Kevin *********
Work 12 hour night shifts for 15 years it's a breeze after that !
George *******
Long way to go for some fornification 😆
Andy *********
Flying from the US east coast, seems like it's always around 21-22 hours flying time, not including layover time. I worked nights for a couple decades, so going and coming was pretty easy to adjust. Since I retired, age and sleeping at night has complicated it a bit. We just got back Thursday, about 10am. Last 3 nights, I've been awake between 12 -3 am, lol.
Wally ******
Melatonin on the ground. Sleeping pill on the plane. I used to party right through it in Bangkok on arrival but thats just not on anymore for me. Good luck
Chester *******
I started before I arrived this time and flipped my schedule
George ************
Always fly into the rising sun. No jet lag.
Aaron *******
Get off the plane, drink a red bull, and hit it until the early AM. Go to sleep 6 AM, wake up whenever and repeat.
Jo **********
I am flying intercontinentally every month for my whole career. It depends on you specific biology. I have tried everything nothing works for me
David **********
Last time I flew from the West Coast at midnight. Woke up early morning in Taiwan. Arrived in Thailand early afternoon. Went to sleep that night in Thailand.
No jet lag.
No jet lag.
Lisa ********************
Get melatonin from the Pharmacy
James **********
Why do you need to beat jetlag if you only go over to pester Thai women in the middle of the night? Sounds like your schedule would be the same.
Jon ********
Go to a club and party all night.....
John ************
This is best handled by drinking large amounts of whiskey on the arrival day, and passing out around 4 - 5am.
Brian *********
My best average is about 3 days after attempting to sleep as much as possible. No stimulants or drugs will fix this.
Remember it has been proven, one night of lost sleep takes two full weeks to recover. There is no supplement for sleep. So attempting to stay awake just amplifies the problem.
Remember it has been proven, one night of lost sleep takes two full weeks to recover. There is no supplement for sleep. So attempting to stay awake just amplifies the problem.
James *********
Pee, pee a lot is best...
Shane *******
Lol amitriptaline will help u sleep on plane .. then just recuperate at your room . Jetlag is for pansies 😂..time to soldier up when you arrive ... don't be worrying about gaylag...oops I meant jetlag 😂
Greta *****
Write a book about it. Seems like you already have the first chapter
Wayne *********
Do it every 2 weeks via Singapore from Perth luckily Perth is only 1 hour ahead of Thailand. Still 12 hours after leaving. Just used to flying been doing it so long.
Must be hard adjusting when one doesn't fly often and big time difference.
Must be hard adjusting when one doesn't fly often and big time difference.
Tracy *********
We flew from Costa rica. 3 flights and 13 hrs time difference. Night flight from LAX to Tokoyo. Slept most of it...by the time we got to Bangkok i was pretty rested....hardest thing for me was the bloody matttres....Brutal!
Nicole ****************
No alcohol on the commute over, water and chamomile tea on the plane to sleep, raw fruit and vegetables on the flight, no salt, and eat when they serve food it’s designed to help your body adjust to new time zones, download sleep music to your device, noise canceling headphones, blackout eye mask, travel blanket, sleep when your new time zone is sleeping and book your flight so you are arriving in the late afternoon so you can go to sleep at the normal time but refrain from going out that first night. Flew to Bali from Texas and never had jet lag. 30 hour commute door to door. Woke up at 6am ready to begin my adventure
Sylvia ********
Done umpteen trips back and forth to UK but never had jetlag. I wear myself to a frazzle day I travel and get an evening flight, sleep a min of 8 hours whilst on board. When arrive I party as late as possible first night, NOT lay on the bed, but shower and get out. Then so tired sleep all night again and day 2 I am in Thailand time zone. The US may be different but also have UK friends who can't adjust as at the least sign of tiredness they go lay down irrespective of the clock
Steven *********
The secret is to have as your meal the fruit platter, no jet lag. Works for me every time.
Mike *******
Traveling feom the west coast of the States. Try and book a late evening or early morning flight , like 1 or 2 am..... which gets you into Bangkok in the morning. Do not drink!!! Take a sleeping pill and chill out on the flight. When you arrive, buck it up and saty up until 11pm and the next day you will be almost swung around.
Cliff *********
Different people’s biological clock adjust at different rates. Generally it’s 1 day per hour of time zone difference.
So from Los Angeles it’s 12+
I find it takes about a week to adjust to arriving in Thailand and about 2 weeks on returning to Los Angeles.
You can help your clock adjust by having a lot of daylight during the daytime of your new place and really limiting bright light at night time.
Also try to have a quiet place for sleeping.
Melatonin is the sleep hormone that adjusts the clock.
It is helpful to take it at your new bedtime.
Don’t push yourself too hard.
So from Los Angeles it’s 12+
***
=14-15 hours time zone difference.I find it takes about a week to adjust to arriving in Thailand and about 2 weeks on returning to Los Angeles.
You can help your clock adjust by having a lot of daylight during the daytime of your new place and really limiting bright light at night time.
Also try to have a quiet place for sleeping.
Melatonin is the sleep hormone that adjusts the clock.
It is helpful to take it at your new bedtime.
Don’t push yourself too hard.
Alan ******
I board USA and force a sleep cycle opposite of departure sun/moon status. When I arrive bkk, I’m pretty close to the tempo.
Frank *********
I’m from east coast too
I adjust my body on the 18-20 hours of flying time it takes to get to bkk
I adjust my body on the 18-20 hours of flying time it takes to get to bkk
Gorgon *****
try to "follow the sun"...rise with it no matter how early, go to sleep exactly when it goes down..should take three days of so, during which you occasionally nod off, but resist it and modify detailed and complicated tasks for a few days..you will "reset".
Ralph *******
Dunno. I just get on with it. It sorts itself out if you try a regular routine.
Jeff *******
Gummies are the answer.
Rayona ****************
I’m a flight attendant so I had no choice but to get used to this: I sleep in 4 hour blocks at a time, a couple times a day, no matter where in the world I am. Because I also do business/work remotely, I have to keep US hours to talk to clients. I will choose my sleep hours based on when I need to talk to them and plan to be awake for that, as well as my Thailand plans. Yes, that means sleeping sometimes in the daytime, but I use a sleep/face mask to block out light. My body is now accustomed to going right to sleep when I put it on, and my alarm wakes me 4 hours later. (SN: I live in Chiang Mai, but am based in LAX for my company!)
Lisa *****************
It is all about my bedtime routine! I use the Calm app and I am usually out within 15 minutes unless something super stressful is going on. I've also found that travelling East makes it harder to adjust than travelling West. Coming back to the US is always harder.
Ellen *************
@Rayona ***************
me too with the sleep mask! When I put it on, it’s like when you put the blanket over a birdcage. My brain immediately gets the message. 😆Reply to
Ellen *************
Reply
John **********
I just stay up and do not go to sleep until 10 pm the next day Thai time ... never have an issue but sometimes you're up 24 hrs or more
Mark **********
Just stay up until you can’t anymore and it’s past 7pm. Sleep and reset.
Adam *************
It was interesting my sleeping schedule in Thailand was better than my sleep schedule in the US. I had no jet lag woke up at 6:30am everyday I was in Thailand. While in the US my sleep schedule is always pretty messed up.
Derek *******
The best possible thing is to have as restful of a flight as possible, then jump right in. Get on the schedule immediately as best you can. In the morning, get up and go outside in Thailand. Get the sunshine hitting your skin. That’s what resets your circadian rhythm
Heath ***********
In United States i worked nights over 35 years so I never noticed any different feelings in any of my trips. Just normal for me to be all messed up.
Wendy ********
@Heath **********
me too. I work nights and sleep during the day, so I small nap on the plane and I'm good to goStephen ***********
I never have a problem sleeping. I go to bed the same time at night in Thailand as I do in Rhode Island. Never had jet lag
Reply to
Stephen ***********
Reply
Jay *******
I usually stay for 6 weeks so I'm not in a big hurry to start partying all night. So the first few days I drink lots of water, get plenty rest and try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. After 2 or 3 days of taking it easy, I'm ready to roll. At 58, that 30 hour plane ride does require some recovery time.
Jay ***********
@Jay ******
tell me about it ! It’s getting awful! About to turn 70 in 5 weeksJohn ***********
@Jay ******
30 hours, that's insane, where are you flying from?I would stay a couple of days at one of your lay overs.
Its only 21 hrs from Boston, easy peasy Logan to Tokyo, to Bangkok .
Jay *******
@John **********
it's 30 hours total including 2 short layovers and 3 flights from Baton Rouge La. I usually have 2 layovers of 2-3 hours each, the rest is flying time.John ***********
@Jay ******
yuk! I personally don't mind flying, I bring everything i need, food, drink, dress comfortably. Party my ass off the night before so I sleep halfway there..lol I like Louisiana, stayed in the French quarter once, great food, antique shops and fried bread. drove thru a couple times. I guess you like Thailand as much as I do
Jay *******
@John **********
love Thailand. Here now getting set up for a move next yearJohn ***********
@Jay ******
perfect!Reply to
John ***********
Reply
Bo ********
Nothing. 7-10 days every time, but I just roll with it and if I’m awake all night I go find something to do. The worst is waking up at 0400 wide awake on an island and no one else is moving until 11.
Shy-Anne **********
Melatonin!! It helps with the bodies natural circadian rhythm and helps you to sleep at times your body isn’t used to. After 3 days I’m good and I’m from Canada 14hr time difference
Chris *****
Timeshifter app. This and only this really works.
Instantly be free of any jet lag. Science! Thank me later.
No offence, but some shite advice here so far.
Instantly be free of any jet lag. Science! Thank me later.
No offence, but some shite advice here so far.
Michael ********
I try and sleep according to time of place i am arriving.
Just flew from Virginia and was no problem.
Got to add since i gave up alcohol this may seem strange but actually sleep better on planes and havent really had jet lag since giving up
Just flew from Virginia and was no problem.
Got to add since i gave up alcohol this may seem strange but actually sleep better on planes and havent really had jet lag since giving up
Brandon ************
I can't sleep on planes, so I'm usually awake for about 30 hours or so when I travel to Thailand. Makes it easier for me to knock out for 12-14 hours and then adjust my schedule based on when I land to even things out.
Terry *********
@Brandon ***********
Same. I can't sleep on planes also. Arrive at Suvarnabhumi at 11pm....exhausted and ready for sleep. The next couple days are a little groggy but adapted to Thai time.
Brandon ************
@Terry ********
My biggest problem is that my back hurts for 2-3 days now that I'm getting older :(Terry *********
@Brandon ***********
Same! I have tried several different seat cushions. Helps a little.Luit *****************
@Terry ********
I also recognize all this, I am jealous on people that are able to sleep, and hate the airlines darken the plane inside, making not sleeping even worse.Luckily from Europe it is possible to fly with Middle Eastern companies like Emirates and Etihad with a stop in the middle, giving the possibility to stretch legs and eat something decent.
Reply to
Luit *****************
Reply
35 comments
2 years ago
59 comments
2 years ago
25 comments
2 years ago
52 comments
2 years ago
64 comments
2 years ago
66 comments
2 years ago
141 comments
2 years ago
14 comments
2 years ago
19 comments
2 years ago
22 comments
3 years ago
58 comments
3 years ago
73 comments
3 years ago
4 comments
3 years ago
9 comments
4 years ago
9 comments
4 years ago
13 comments
4 years ago
19 comments
4 years ago
16 comments
4 years ago
41 comments
5 years ago
55 comments
5 years ago
67 comments
6 years ago
45 comments
6 years ago
0 comments
7 years ago
0 comments
8 years ago
7 comments
a month ago
9 comments
a month ago
21 comments
a month ago
16 comments
a month ago
8 comments
a month ago
The ask:thailand community, consisting of multiple Q/A groups with over 100,000 members, powers this platform. It is not an official government resource. Our members actively contribute to this resource, and while we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee its complete reliability. Assistance to travelers is provided as a community service.