Provigil for Jetlag
Jetlag can put a major damper on several days of an overseas trip, and few people I know are truly happy with the typical solutions.
We've tried many approaches and have generally found that the Argonne Laboratories' plan of strategically-timed fasting works really well. The idea is that you fast for 10-ish hours during the hours when you'd be sleeping in the target timezone. Yes, it means being "hangry" for a bit and occasionally skipping an airplane meal, but it beats wasting a whole day of your trip being exhausted and sleepy and mentally checked out.
Sometimes the fasting schedule clicks really well with your travel plans, and occasionally it doesn't. Our return trip from Frankfurt was poorly-timed so I decided to try another approach I'd read about – Provigil. It's a prescription drug that keeps you awake without any type of stimulants. It can keep you awake for 10 or so hours, so it's important to time your dose correctly vis-a-vis your bedtime.
We took off in Frankfurt at 8am and landed at JFK around 11am. At noon I took 100mg of Provigil and was awake and productive and not the least bit jittery the rest of the day. At 11pm, I look a melatonin tablet and fell asleep with no problem. I slept soundly for 8-ish hours and then had a normal, productive day without any more Provigil.
Obviously this is a solution you'd have to discuss with your doctor, but depending on your travel patterns and physiology, it might be an option. I see it as just another tool in the toolbox. I've had these tablets for well over a year and this was the first time that it seemed the best option. Also, Provigil is considered a controlled substance in a few countries, so check that before bringing it along.
More information over on the BBC's website.
We've tried many approaches and have generally found that the Argonne Laboratories' plan of strategically-timed fasting works really well. The idea is that you fast for 10-ish hours during the hours when you'd be sleeping in the target timezone. Yes, it means being "hangry" for a bit and occasionally skipping an airplane meal, but it beats wasting a whole day of your trip being exhausted and sleepy and mentally checked out.
Sometimes the fasting schedule clicks really well with your travel plans, and occasionally it doesn't. Our return trip from Frankfurt was poorly-timed so I decided to try another approach I'd read about – Provigil. It's a prescription drug that keeps you awake without any type of stimulants. It can keep you awake for 10 or so hours, so it's important to time your dose correctly vis-a-vis your bedtime.
We took off in Frankfurt at 8am and landed at JFK around 11am. At noon I took 100mg of Provigil and was awake and productive and not the least bit jittery the rest of the day. At 11pm, I look a melatonin tablet and fell asleep with no problem. I slept soundly for 8-ish hours and then had a normal, productive day without any more Provigil.
Obviously this is a solution you'd have to discuss with your doctor, but depending on your travel patterns and physiology, it might be an option. I see it as just another tool in the toolbox. I've had these tablets for well over a year and this was the first time that it seemed the best option. Also, Provigil is considered a controlled substance in a few countries, so check that before bringing it along.
More information over on the BBC's website.
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