Zolpidem (US:Ambien)
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2000
Aviation Qualifications: SLF
Posts: 1,572
Likes: 309
From: UK and Italy
Zolpidem (US:Ambien)
Zolpidem is a drug that makes you sleep. It's addictive and habitative, and you need to declare it at the border as in most countries it's a scheduled drug. If you take it three days on, one day off, you won't get addicted.
I don't know how aircrew manage without it. A different timezone every day? How do you manage?
I don't know how aircrew manage without it. A different timezone every day? How do you manage?
Joined: Nov 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 3,139
Likes: 740
From: UK
Brain altering drugs of any sort are not a good thing for aircrew.
I just got used to time zones, and long-haul aircrew are (usually) given extra days off after trips to recover. You either stay in your original time zone down route, or you adopt the new one, depending how long you will be there.
You have to be disciplined about it and I found that keeping fit helped a lot, along with no smoking and minimal alcohol, i.e. avoiding brain altering drugs.
Setting two independent alarms helped me sleep properly too, since my brain wasn't staying half awake in case the alarm didn't go off.
My brain adapted and if I stay awake much after local midnight - for example when flying back to the UK overnight - it says, "Ah right are we staying up ? OK, that's fine, but I will need some more food"
I just got used to time zones, and long-haul aircrew are (usually) given extra days off after trips to recover. You either stay in your original time zone down route, or you adopt the new one, depending how long you will be there.
You have to be disciplined about it and I found that keeping fit helped a lot, along with no smoking and minimal alcohol, i.e. avoiding brain altering drugs.
Setting two independent alarms helped me sleep properly too, since my brain wasn't staying half awake in case the alarm didn't go off.
My brain adapted and if I stay awake much after local midnight - for example when flying back to the UK overnight - it says, "Ah right are we staying up ? OK, that's fine, but I will need some more food"
