Not enough legroom, sunlight pouring in your neighbor’s window at 35,000 feet, with all the distractions and hassles of air travel, sleeping on planes can sometimes feel impossible.
Whether you’re jetting from coast to coast or around the world, jet lag is a downright drag. A little background on the traveler’s worst enemy. Jet lag occurs when we experience a desynchronization between our internal body clock and the external time clock of our destination.
One of the best ways to avoid that desynchronization is to sleep on the plane on your way to the destination. There’s just one problem, airplanes are a terrible place to sleep. Read on for travel-tested tips for sleeping on a plane.
1. Eat Before You Get on the Plane
It’s part of the circadian rhythm where you’re trying to tell your body that this is dinnertime. Plus, you don’t have to wait on the plane until they give you the bad meal and you can just go to sleep.
2. Bring a Sleep Mask
Avoiding bright lights, including phones and computers to avoid wakefulness. That means no movies, e-readers, or lights once the plane takes off, and packing an eye mask to avoid as much light as possible on late-night flights.
3. Use a Neck Pillow
Neck pillows help a lot if you’re in coach, because people’s necks just snap when they can’t really recline.
4. Bring Something From Home
In order to actually sleep on the plane, travelers should try to mimic the ideal bedroom environment, which is dark, quiet, cool, and comfortable. Bring an eye mask, ear plugs, wear comfortable clothing, and if possible, bring an item of bedding from home.
5. Drink Water
While a nightcap may sound like an easy way to slip into slumber, alcohol before bedtime can actually act as a stimulant. That’s the last thing you want on a long-haul flight. Instead, request room-temperature water, herbal tea, or warm milk.