Originally Posted by
Mach86
The thread reviver seems new to international and wants to have fun on layovers. So while the sleep when you’re tired is a great strategy for a boring layover, it doesn’t allow for the fun factor.
Agreed. When I was new to international and had my hair on fire to see everything and do everything, I'd often hit the ground running and just fuel on caffeine till dinner. But don't over do it! Id usually grab an espresso leaving the hotel and maybe another or a coke at lunchtime. My technique when I had a big layover planned was to ask for 3rd break and then on some of the longer van rides, I'd intentionally try to grab at least 20-30 mins of shuteye on the way to the hotel. Make no mistake, you will feel like death at a certain point but its doable. Personally, keeping moving/active really took the edge off some of the circadian swaps.
Originally Posted by Mach86
Everyone has their techniques on how yo deal with it, but it’s hard not to believe that this lifestyle doesn’t take a toll on your health in the long term.
Oh it absolutely does. After a year or two of "gotta do everything, see everything" I settled into the standard 4-5 hour nap at the hotel, wake up feeling like death but drag my butt to the gym or out for a run, meet for dinner routine. My personal rule was to cut off caffeine after lunch and alcohol 3 hours before my planned bedtime. I had good results with these techniques but I still had to deal (like most people do) with the 2am-5am unforced wake up period from time to time.