My boyfriend says that I act like I’ve been through a war. I wouldn’t say it was that bad but I’m not beyond comparing it to recovering from a tragic ordeal.

This is my first experience with jet lag. Why did no one warn me? I stumble off the plane at 7.30am after a short nap during my 8 hour flight. Mainly concerned with getting home, I grabbed my bags and hopped on the tube. The underground is busy but I manage to get a seat. This is where my nightmare begins.

Since then I sleep all day, sleep twice a day and even almost fall asleep during a conversation. Now, I’m awake at night and there’s no amount of wine that will help me. So in a panic, I rang friends who had been through it before.

They all seem to share my pain and sympathise but no one had cures until I spoke to my friend Aaron. His advice was to wake up early and fight sleeping in. I have to get back on London time. So I wake up at 9am after two hours sleep. My eyes are red and I have a huge headache but I force myself to get up. I grab my aviators and head to the café for a coffee.

His next advice was to eat at the proper times. I usually eat twice a day so this isn’t easy for me. I munch on a dry toast, unable to open a jar of Marmite due to my fatigue. I wonder if I manage to make it through the whole day.

After reading an issue of Conde Nast Traveller I decide to go for the third bit of advice I received, get some natural daylight. I’m a bit ginger so I don’t need an awful lot but at least half an hour could help. I grab my Marlboro Lights and get ready for the great outdoors. Luckily, it’s a nice day so I walk through Angel Islington and take a look at the boutiques. If anything is going to make my eyes stay open, it’s clothes.

The afternoon hits and I ache, longing to curl up into a duvet abyss. I soldier on by making a fish supper whilst watching Eastenders. I promptly follow that with a glass of white wine which really helps me wind down.

By this point, my eyes are furiously burning, so I give up at exactly 9.34pm and hit the hay. I wake up the next day at around 8.30am refreshed and alive. It worked! I’m my old self again and my brain is working. So I grab my Mac and begin typing this story because I wish someone had warned me how horrible jet lag is. Consider yourself informed.

What do you do when you get Jet lag?