I am in the throes of the most hideous jetlag imaginable. Starving at 1 a.m., still wide awake at 3 a.m., finally nodding off at 5 a.m., up at 7:30 a.m. to go to work. Please help before I give up and just slump over my compu......zzzzzzzz
deep sympathy - i went thru this on recent business trip to Australia - all you can really do is tough it and impose the local hours on yourself - make sure tonight you're in bed at say 9pm/10pm and not at 6.30! Also if you wake up just stay calm and relax don't wind yourself up and let greater tension keep you awake. i also higly recommned valerian which is a herbal extarct that may help you nod off. The main though is acceptance - the more stessed you are, the less likley you are to impose a new body clock. And rememeber, teh anxiety and frustration you are feeling now is a CLASSIC syptom!
The supplement I use is melatonin, available from Boots, Holland and Barratt and other health food shops. It works by fooling your body into thinking it is tired and therefore induces sleep. For the days that you are suffereing, take one half an hour before you go to bed, they really work. They are also good when you aren't sleeping for other reasons, not just jetlag
Why, thank you, Tartanwizard! I missed you all too and have, in fact, been reading this site obsessively since I got back to see what's been going on in my absence . . .
Good short term alternative to caffeine - oxygen canisters available from lastminute.com, to give a lift and clear hangovers, migraines, jetlag and such. Quite cheap, and relieve short term tiredness, can be bought mail order.