It is 1:53am in Da Nang on November the 14th. It is 1:53 pm on November 13th in Atlanta. I actually tried this time to prepare for jet lag and try and adjust before I arrived. I landed at about 7 am in Da Nang on the 13th and had slept most of both flights. Fueled by ZZZQuil and Cognac. I had hoped the extra sleep would reset my bodies internal clock a bit more quickly.
The first day was fine. looking back I don’t think my body had attempted anything in the hormonal reset game. Probably letting things ride out and waiting for a longer period to make it’s chemical adjustments. Diem and I spent the first day sipping coffee, preparing dinner and just enjoying a day of reunion. We had taken the girls for a stroll on the beach with some ice cream and everything was wonderful.
The next morning I woke up at 5:00am, also nothing to be alarmed about as that’s a relatively common hour for me to rise back home. I got a little work done, Diem got the girls off to school and we headed out to get some coffee. More people watching, some delicious coffee and just enjoying her presence. After coffee we headed to Vin Com plaza for a little shopping for some items for the apartment and everything was going well.
For The Angel of Death Spreds His Wings
Around 3pm we were elbow deep in the kitchen frying tempura vegetables, rolling sushi and preparing dinner. By 3:30pm my body mut have realized that the gig was up and it freaked out. Suddenly my eyes wouldn’t stay open, I couldn’t concentrate. Again the jet lag Angel of Death was coming for me and there was nothing I could do. My body was dumping melatonin into the system so fast I could feel myself losing consciousness.
Diem sensed what the deal was almost instantly, we paused dinner and I laid down and blacked out. Before my vision went out Diem informed me she was going to get Xu and we could wait later for dinner. As the door to the apartment closed everything, and I mean everything was gone. I was immediately transported to a place far beyond sleep and dream. A place void of thought, color and light. I floated in the emptiness of oblivion for several hours.
The Science
I have come to realize that like a drug our body always and easily becomes addicted to our time zone. Whichever one your in, just know that if you change it for one many timezones away, you will go through withdrawals. Our bodies are programed to be consistent, methodical and slow to adjust. As the sun rises in the morning your system is filled with serotonin to make the brain alert and wake you up for the day. As the sun sets serotonin levels decrease and slowly melatonin levels increase, you know that wonderful sleepy time hormone. Eventually the levels reach a critical state where sleep is the only thing your going to do.
These adjustments are most often triggered by sunlight and habit. If sunlight isn’t always available i.e. in the 6 month darkness of the Arctic, then the body relies more heavily on your natural rhythm to keep things operating smoothly. However UV rays tend to win out. When your body needs to adjust, like a junky, it resists. Your body always wants to maintain the status quo, it does not do well with spontaneous change.
The Trigger
At 3:30 when my body lost it’s mind something was going on outside that may have triggered my episode. For you see it is monsoon season here in Da Nang and around 3 o’clock yesterday the clouds rolled in, the sky went dark and it almost appeared as night was falling. Hence my body kindly said would you like to sleep, oh by the way, I’m not asking.
At around 7 pm I was able to at least grip consciousness long enough to finish dinner and enjoy some time with my wife. We ate a wonderful meal and talked about the days ahead and our month together. It really is a joyous occas sion. After dinner the Angel of death returned quickly and out I went. A few hours later I was up again and sleepless.
And Away We Go
And so here it is now 2:24am in Da Nang on November 15th and I am wide awake and explaining to anyone who will read this why I can’t sleep. Which really stinks. In less than 8 hours I will be getting on a bus and heading out of Da Nang for 10 days of I don’t know what. I know that the first few days will be to visit my in-laws who I haven’t seen in a few months. I’m very excited about that. They are awesome in-laws, the absolute best. Beyond that I don’t know. My wife Diem is very good at surprising me and keeping things insanely amazing. A few vilages here some waterfalls there, who knows were we’ll end up.
Stay tuned and keep a close eye. I have no idea what all is in store over the next week, but I’m sure there will be plenty to write about. After that we’ll be headed to Thailand for some elephant treks, cooking classes and mountain climbing. In the mean time, so long for now, I’ve got to try and get some sleep.
Click Here for more stories of coping with Jet Lag
