To wit: I flew in to San Francisco this past Sunday, and by Wednesday (a mere 3 full days later!) felt completely human-in fact, I was feeling pretty good on Tuesday-except for the falling asleep at 10pm part.
What's different from this trip, you ask? I think it comes down to one thing: keeping it simples. Normally, my return trips to the US, whether for work or personal or a combo of two mean that by the 2nd day in the US, I'm working a full day AND going out with friends in the evening-or simply running 'life admin' errands all day long from the moment I'm awake (usually at 5am the first few days. sigh), until I hit a wall around 8pm.
This time, as I was staying in Sunnyvale, CA-and knew NO ONE within a 50 mile radius, I simply woke up each morning, went to the gym, went to work, went out for dinner, and went back to the hotel. That's it. No burning the candle at both ends. No running myself crazy. Just a very simple schedule. Yes, I was awake at 5am on the 1st three days, but as I eased into my routine, staying awake until 10pm-and even midnight on Wednesday were both possible and pain-free!
It sounds silly, but I think this is a complete milestone in how I'm able to cope with the 8 hour time difference from London to the West Coast (London/East Coast has never been a problem)! It just pains me to think about what 'could have been' the past 3 years. :) I'll have to test this theory again the next time I'm back in the US.
Fingers crossed I may have just stumbled across my 'jetl ag miracle cure'!
I find it more difficult to go from US to UK than UK to US... although I'm still tired when I get home... I think it's just from the traveling itself and emotional exhaustion (from leaving my boyfriend of 11+ years) :(
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