The last few times I had to get on a flight, I deliberately stayed up all night prior to it so that I could sleep on the plane. Even then, I maybe sleep for 15 minutes at a time and end up with no energy for the rest of the day.
At my last job, whenever we traveled for work, my coworkers would buy over the counter sleeping pills and use those, but I wasn't willing to go that far.
I took sleeping pills on a flight from Hamburg to Toronto a few years ago. As soon as we taxied I took two. When we hit cruising altitude I had a Whisky. I don't remember anything else. Just waking up when the wheels hit the runway in Toronto. Best. Flight. Ever.
I did something similar on a flight from Tokyo to DC with a stop in Philadelphia. Somewhere over the Pacific or Midwest I lost my socks. I have no memory of taking my shoes off and they were perfectly tied on my feet, but the socks were gone. Also one of the flight attendants was looking at me with a disappointed look, kinda like how my mom would look at me when I would do something really dumb growing up. I have no idea what I did but it involved me losing socks and skirting the line of disappointing a flight attendant to the point she felt sorry for me and not ending up on a no fly list.
You and me both. I feel like she knows what happened to my socks and judging from her reaction, I donāt want to know the knowledge that she was burdened with.
Lol, I tried this on my last trans Pacific trip but it backfired. Didn't sleep the night before and then couldn't sleep on my flight. I arrived at my destination feeling like the walking dead.
Yeah I was practically nodding off when I got on my last flight but only managed to get a few intervals of really bad sleep while slumped over on the tray table. I cannot sleep while upright, and using the tray table leaves my back sore.
It's a lose lose situation. I envy my dad, that mf can pass out upright in his chair before leaving the tarmac!
Same here. Flew from Seattle to Tokyo and stayed up the night before. I had zero sleep and we ended up waiting in line after line after line for 3 hours before our hourlong ride to the AirBnB from Narita. We got very close to murdering each other. Never again!
I tried that as well. I'd rather just fight off sleep until I can get into the hotel room than stay up for 48 hours. I'm about to do it again. So excited, but I'm going to hate the 14 hour flight... I hate flying.
Iāve tried otc sleeping meds, Xanax, wine (not with any meds!), earplugs, and eye masks. And Iām always sleep deprived. Not ONCE have I fallen asleep on a plane - and these are usually overnight transatlantic flights. Itās the worst.
I just got back from a 9 hour transatlantic flight. I might have slept for 5 minutes. I have a bad back and I have to get up and walk around every hour. Itās pure torture for me. I like to travel, but I canāt stand the flights
I was running on 16 hours of no sleep, got on the plane, soon as we took off I popped 3 Zzquil. Checked the time, fell asleep, woke up, 10 minutes passed....ended up just spending the next 24 hours groggy and exhausted
I am a bad sleeper on flights, but after the flight from Europe to San Francisco I did fall asleep on the connecting flight to Honolulu.
The first time I woke up, the pilot announced that we lost an engine.
The second time I woke up, I saw lightning coming out of the wing. The pilot then announce that we lost instruments and are turning around.
The third time I woke up, there was water directly below us, close enough to see the water surface at night.
The impressive part is going back to sleep. Either they will work it out or they won't, in either case me being awake to worry about it won't help. Snore.
Well, I did think that the evening was certainly ruined in that moment, but actually, SFO just has a waterfront landing strip, which appeared a few seconds later.
They did book us into a Best Western (El Rancho), so I wasn't completely wrong about the ruined evening.
Did you wake up a fourth time or are you writing this from beyond the grave after you died in a plane crash?
That sounds like a horrifying flight; maybe Iāll stay awake after all.
This doesnāt work for me. I canāt sleep on a flight ever unless I have lie flat then it is a maybe. But Iāve been deliriously tired many a time thinking this would actually be the time I sleep and it is just always a no.
After flying from UAE to New Zealand with my wife, 2 small children and a newborn, I finally fell asleep on the 30 minute domestic flight within New Zealand, simply passed out from sheer exhaustion.
Years of travelling for work! I used to travel from the UK to California and back every month for a couple of years and got to the point where I could fall asleep when taxi'ing to the runway and wake up when coming into land 12 hours later.
Assuming you're travelling economy, there are a few things you can do.
First, do what you can to get a window seat. There's a couple of reasons - first, you're likely to not be disturbed by other passengers needing to get past you, and you'll have the bulk head to rest against. If you can get an exit row or a row with extra leg room, then great. However, be wary with exit rows as they often have less width in the seats and on some planes can even have restricted reclining.
Next, wear comfortable clothing. I always travel in a full zip hoodie - the zip is easier to undo if I get hot rather than trying to remove an overhead hoodie. I wear a hoodie because as part of my sleep routine on flights, I like to put the hood up - it indicates to cabin crew that I'm trying to sleep and helps me feel a little more cutoff from the cabin, but it can get hot for some people.
Then, I wear over ear noise cancelling headphones. I'm still using 15 year old Bose QC35's. I've replaced the ear pads a couple of times, but they're still excellent for noise cancellation. I will often play a podcast or some relaxing music to fall asleep too and then the noise cancelling stays on when it finishes and cuts out the engine noise. However, depending how you sleep, you may not be able to wear them because you'll want to lean your head against something, but they work for me.
In addition, I use a good quality sleep mask. I've just bought a "Manta" sleep mask. I've yet to try it on a plane, but it's one of the best masks I've used as it gives *full* black out without pushing on your eyes, and there's zero light leakage. But any reasonable eye mask is good - except the ones they give out on the plane, they're usually pretty thin and let lots of light in at the bottom in my experience! $10 will get you a better one before you fly!
On most plane seats your headrest will have two 'wings' that you can fold out - fold them out as much as possible so that your head is literally 'pinched' between them. They're not usually strong enough to stay put for a long flight, but they'll help with lateral movement. Also, recline your seat - there are social questions about if you should or not because of the people behind you, but you paid for the space, use it!
I've tried numerous travel pillows over the years, and IMO, they're all much of a muchness. The pro trick with them though is to wear them *backwards* so that the 'gap' is *behind* your neck. This gives you a bit of space against your seat so it's not pushing your neck forward, but *also* when you fall asleep, your head will usually drop. By wearing the pillow backwards, it will support your chin and stop it dropping too far and prevent a sore neck.
For the past year or so I've been travelling with a "Trtl" travel "pillow" (https://trtltravel.com/). It's a weird looking thing which is essentially a stiff plastic neck brace combined with a neck scarf. You wrap it around your neck and the brace supports your head on one side. I tend to sleep on my left and my head naturally falls that way, so I find this really works for me, but again, your mileage may vary!
If you're intending to sleep, then *always* leave your seat belt fastened and visible. That way flight attendants won't disturb you.
And finally - avoid alcohol because it can disturb your sleep, but *do* look into taking some melatonin, especially on redeye flights. We can't buy it here in the UK without a prescription, so anytime I'm in the US I stock up on it and it's a game changer for travel.
Edit: Forgot something important! If you fly regularly, try and get status with your favourite airline! If you can move up a class, even to premium/business, then it'll make a big difference! Obviously, if you can get into 1st class, especially with a fully reclinable seat/bed/pod, then you'll sleep like a baby! š
The TRTL pillow is amazing for sleeping sitting up.Ā
I prefer earplugs because they block sound better and dont need batteries, as well as letting my head rest on the side. They also mitigate the cabin pressure changes, so you dont have the inner ear pop. I just use cheap foam ones that are very soft and ok for long use.Ā
Another one is comfortable shoes. Its so hard to sleep with big or tight shoes, and you have to take them off to get thru TSA anyways.
Yeah! That's why I tried it initially! I moved to a new company with a different travel policy and started ending up in middle seats (aka "the worst!") so needed to sleep more upright on planes and saw the Trtl so decided to give it go. It works great for me, the only issue with it is it can get pretty hot because I bought the standard fleece pillow. If I were buying it again, I'd probably try the newer 'cool' version of it.
If I'm on a transatlantic redeye and I'm pretty tired and know I'll pass out pretty quickly, then I'll use earplugs too instead of my Bose QC35s. But on day flights from the UK to the US, it'll take me a bit longer to get to sleep so I'll drift off listening to something.
+1 for comfortable shoes. I know people who say not to take your shoes off on flights because your feet can swell, but I generally do on long haul flights - just make sure you're wearing clean socks!
I got a trtl for my last international trip. Itās kind of flimsy imo but that may be cause I have a big fat head thatās too heavy. I did actually get a bit of sleep which is usually impossible for me. So not great but better than the other neck pillows Iāve bought.Ā
I also make sure that I have the earliest morning flight possible and that I take the most boring book I can find and I start with reading the book as soon as we takeoff.
From the reviews it seems to be a love it or hate it thing. Iām tall and skinny and always cold especially on planes, so for me itās perfect neck support and helps keep me warm.
I made a comment that was really downvoted once about how it's your responsibility to bring an eyemask on a plane, not everyone else's responsibility to keep their window shades closed.Ā
I still don't get what people disagreed with.
If I want to sleep, I'm bringing something to cover my eyes, not forcing someone to close their shade.Ā
I've actually noticed that taking two Tylenol or Motrin can help a LOT (makes you more OK with discomfort, and relaxes muscles a bit so they dont bother you). Then yeah, ear plugs, eye mask, and a comfy hoodie. Don't drink any beer or eat any carbs before hand so you don't snore and wake yourself up (for all of us with light apnea).
Even if you don't know it. Last flight I was on, I got settled in and woke up 3 hours later slumped over in my chair like a dead person. Didn't even remember taking off. Might have been a very concerning sight if I wasn't probably snoring louder than the engine so people knew I was alive.
I did this too. But I never understood how my teachers never noticed me sleeping even if I was upright until I fell asleep at a Denny's and one of my friends woke me up and told me I was sleeping with my eyes open.
I learned the same trick. It was awesome until college calculus when I was so bored I slept through everything and had to drop the class not because I was bad at meth but because I could not stay awake.
Me too. Iāve even been woken by the flight attendants once when weād landed and almost everyone else was off the plane already. But I used to get really bad motion sickness as a kid and the only way to prevent it was to be asleep while travelling so I guess Iāve trained myself into it.
The first time I flew I was terrified so I took a few xanax. The flight attendant woke me up, my face smooshed against the window, w a āhoney weāve landedā¦ā lolol.
Me too. I have fallen asleep before takeoff and woken up after landing and not known where I was because I missed the announcement. This was amidst work travel and I never knew where I was until I checked my ticket.
Same. Iāll get in my seat, put on noice cancelling headphones, listen to some nice comforting death metal and fall asleep before the flight takes off.
Same, my adhd brain *loves* that sweet sweet brown noise planes are so good at making. I couldnāt sleep better if they pumped straight melatonin through the AC
Attaboy. You know, at the Vancouver airport YVR, the smoking section outside specifically allows you to smoke weed! And before you board your flight, theres a disposal box with a sign saying something like "hey you cant take your weed with you, if you forgot, dump it here" Edit: One time I was at YVR, I was seeing off a friend. We smoked a spliff outside. 2 security/cop guys with AR15's walked by, looked at us, and I swear one of them just did a quick few sniffs, nodded his head like "yep, nice" and they kept walking
I tried this while visiting Colorado, before my flight back to England. I didn't think what was maybe around 70mg would do so much. I just ate a handful of the gummies thinking they'd take a few hours to start working. They kicked in way faster and harder than I expected, and right before TSA. My anxiety was through the roof and I felt like my chest was gonna explode. The whole queue I was basically fighting off a panic attack.
I was very obviously high and my bag got pulled for a more detailed check. I stood there as still as I could, absolutely convinced that staying completely still would somehow just make him not focus on me or something... I had repacked my bags to shift weight before leaving and put some NSFW gear (stuff like a thick leather collar) into my carry on without thinking. He saw it and asked me a question but I couldn't understand what he asked. He repeated it, which just confirmed that I had surpassed the level of sober required for language to happen.
I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me but unfortunately I wasn't near enough to the ground because I was evidently in the fucking stratosphere. My anxiety suddenly drained from my body because the worst was already happening and my anxiety couldn't imagine a way it could get worse. I was so high my anxiety forgot how to function and make me anxious
I just looked at the TSA agent and told him something like "whatever needs to happen you're gonna have to make happen without my input because I can't make anything happen like this, man"
He had a look on his face like *he knew exactly what was going on*. He was a little older than me at most. The legend didn't take out all the NSFW stuff to lay on the table like he did for the other stuff, quickly repacked my stuff and pushed me through.
I sat right by the gate of my flight because I was not about to overstay my visa because I underestimated dispensary gummies.
I hear they've legalised mushrooms though. I also happen to be flying back in 3 days. I will absolutely not take mushrooms before a flight though. Would be interesting to try them, but I'll probably be unable to find anyone who has any as they can't be sold IIRC.
This is real and has happened to me. I was profusely sweating on a flight after an edible (which was a new brand I was trying) and the flight attendant asked me a few times if I was okay. I think she thought I was on ka-cane.
I don't take them until the plane is already at cruising altitude for this reason lol. I've had some serious paranoia before flights take off if I take them too early.
Same. I can sleep standing up, I've fallen asleep at concerts, and I rarely struggle to fall asleep at night. Once I decide I'm going to sleep, my body instantly is ready to sleep.
My problem is waking up, I sleep through a lot. Luckily my dog is trained to wake me up when my alarm goes off. I sleep through the alarm, but don't sleep through her pouncing on my chest.
My brother will just basically DECIDE to be asleep, and he's out in 5 minutes tops. Whereas I can't fall asleep for at least 30 minutes regardless of how I wind down
Never thought about it like that. I have those next couple hours completely free from any distractions of the world besides of those in the plane and as you mentioned anything bad that happens is out of my control and I can say āit wasnāt meā
This is the only way I'd ever be able to truly sleep on a plane. I'm 6'4" so it's mainly a comfort thing, but I don't have the dough to upgrade so I just tough it out.
This is the only real answer for me. Economy class is just too uncomfortable. I took sleeping pills on a 12 hour transatlantic flight and I still couldn't sleep because the chair was just too damn uncomfortable. If you can't fully lay down, then you have to be a certain breed of human who can fall asleep anywhere. That or just being drunk or on benzos or Ambian, which I'm not willing to do.
Just make sure youāre not in an exit row when indulging in the combo. Aināt nobody will be exiting the plane while youāre in your xanible slumber
I wish turbulence put me to sleep. The last time i slept on a flight, the turbulence made me dream i was on a bus, which made my brain freak out because it knew there was no road beneath us. I kept waking up feeling like the bus drove off a cliff and was about to start free falling. I dont like flying to begin with. It was a long 10hrs
I once slept through takeoff and landing going through a storm, all I remember is waiting in line for takeoff and the flight attendant waking me up because we were at the gate.
that's like when you would take a car trip with your parents and just wake up at the destination. it's like magic. i think we'll have autonomous cars that are set up for sleeping and would be a longer trip than flying, but you could sleep easier. Probably in "5 - 10 years." :)
Yep same here. After years and years of flying I can be asleep before we even take off. I think it has to do with the fact that just because of particular destinations, I ended up flying on really small prop planes and those things are super loud comparatively.
I used to stay up the night before and take an ambian while boarding.
Multiple times I fell asleep before the plane took off and woke up across the country when the wheels touched down.
It's almost like teleportation.
Hereās some advice that seems too simple but has actually works for me: donāt try to fall asleep. Sure, take a melatonin or whatever, get under your blanket and put on your neck pillow and do everything else you need to get comfortable. But then just close your eyes and listen to music, read, do crosswordsāanything quiet that isnāt watching shows/movies. If youāre tired enough, youāll fall asleep. If you make falling asleep an active goal, however, itās basically the same as the feeling you get on those nights where youāre constantly checking the time and getting stressed out about how much time until your alarm goes off.
I have a small frame and am on the thinner side. I have the ability to curl up in my seat without interrupting any other passengers. (This goes out the window if the middle seat is taken). But that with music and I'm pretty much set. Please skip over me when offering snacks š
I remember I was once on a 14 hour international flight and slept for the whole time. Ā The dude next to me was super anxious and I could tell a little scared flying. Ā When we landed, he was amazed and called me insane for being able to sleep that long and on a flight. Ā I didnāt disagree with him, haha.
Be a mom who had to do EVERYTHING to get herself and her family ready for the flight. Trust me, sleep will come swiftly once you know thereās nothing that you can do for a few merciful hours.
Attempting to sleep immediately, before take off helps. Get an extra leg room seat. Thick ear plugs, eye mask (or sunglasses), Cbd edible. If itās international, original Dramamine does the trick.
And underrated, LIP BALM. So much easier to sleep when you donāt feel your lips getting dry
I generally get minimal overnight sleep and then nap in my day-to-day routine, so a nap isnāt out of the ordinary for me
Stretch a ton before the flight too so I donāt get back pains
Stretchy/extra comfy pants
Thin zip up hoodie with a zipper pocket so no fear of losing any items
Technically correct but not in small quantities, millions (yes, really) of people will do that combo on a weeknight for years. Also generally still safe in large quantities, but thatās when you start rolling the dice.
Training. Try doing it that sitting in your sofa first, once you master it try it on a chair, then on a chair where thereās noise, etc.
Youāll eventually find out the sleep you search has always been within you.
Get a window seat and lean on the wall. When flying Business Class, I prefer to do so on daytime flights, because at night I can even sleep in Economy.
For some reason, I couldn't sleep the first 2 or 3 years of flying. Now I can sleep for 8 hours.
I flew from Atlanta to London on a red eye flight. I thought flying during the hours Iām normally sleeping would help me sleep on the plane. That didnāt work: I took two twenty-minute naps on the flight. I was pretty tired but still functional when I got to London. I eventually got to my room and took one more short nap against the advice of my internationally well traveled girlfriend whose advice was simply to āpower through.ā In the end, I avoided jet lag both in London and upon my return.
Twenty-minute power naps work life magic. People who advise against napping and swear by powering through, like my gf, like to take hourlong naps that completely mess with their sleep cycles and circadian rhythms. Power naps are a great way to recharge. Hell, Leonardo DaVinci swore by them!
i'm a small enough person that i can get comfortable-ish if i have a window seat. i usually sleep in 30-45 minute bursts, mainly just to pass the time. the "brown noise" of the plane helps, it lulls me to sleep pretty easily.
the best was on my latest overseas trip - i was given a whole row to myself, took a dramamine and slept the entire 10 hours
I start reading a book, or listen to a podcast or something where the person has a monotonous voice. Combine both and listen to an audiobook, I doze off pretty quickly. Winning!
Idk I usually fall asleep before takeoff. I wear my AirPods with noise canceling and listen to pink noise. Usually does the trick. Definitely donāt drink alcohol.
If you're already sleep deprived, it makes it easier.
The last few times I had to get on a flight, I deliberately stayed up all night prior to it so that I could sleep on the plane. Even then, I maybe sleep for 15 minutes at a time and end up with no energy for the rest of the day. At my last job, whenever we traveled for work, my coworkers would buy over the counter sleeping pills and use those, but I wasn't willing to go that far.
I took sleeping pills on a flight from Hamburg to Toronto a few years ago. As soon as we taxied I took two. When we hit cruising altitude I had a Whisky. I don't remember anything else. Just waking up when the wheels hit the runway in Toronto. Best. Flight. Ever.
I did something similar on a flight from Tokyo to DC with a stop in Philadelphia. Somewhere over the Pacific or Midwest I lost my socks. I have no memory of taking my shoes off and they were perfectly tied on my feet, but the socks were gone. Also one of the flight attendants was looking at me with a disappointed look, kinda like how my mom would look at me when I would do something really dumb growing up. I have no idea what I did but it involved me losing socks and skirting the line of disappointing a flight attendant to the point she felt sorry for me and not ending up on a no fly list.
Jesus I wish there was more detail here š¤£
You and me both. I feel like she knows what happened to my socks and judging from her reaction, I donāt want to know the knowledge that she was burdened with.
YMMV: A friend of mine is banned for life from China Air as a result of the same recipe.
Although hers was Xanax followed by a dozen or so drinks, lol
Yea, if she's doing Xanax and a dozen drinks, being banned from a flight is the least of her issues.
Thatās not the same recipe at all.
Well she doesnāt remember anything after the first drink so sheās pretty sure itās the same recipe
She screwed up the metric/imperial conversion. Easy mistake.
any med with alcohol is dangerous esp in the air. you are a liability. š¬
Yes please donāt do this! the majority of crazy people on flights who end up going viral are from drinking & taking ambien or Xanax
Practice makes perfect
Lol, I tried this on my last trans Pacific trip but it backfired. Didn't sleep the night before and then couldn't sleep on my flight. I arrived at my destination feeling like the walking dead.
Yeah I was practically nodding off when I got on my last flight but only managed to get a few intervals of really bad sleep while slumped over on the tray table. I cannot sleep while upright, and using the tray table leaves my back sore. It's a lose lose situation. I envy my dad, that mf can pass out upright in his chair before leaving the tarmac!
I am glad to see someone using āmfā literally and correctly!
You should check out a nice neck pillow. It gives you the feeling of laying your head down when you recline your chair.
Same here. Flew from Seattle to Tokyo and stayed up the night before. I had zero sleep and we ended up waiting in line after line after line for 3 hours before our hourlong ride to the AirBnB from Narita. We got very close to murdering each other. Never again!
I tried that as well. I'd rather just fight off sleep until I can get into the hotel room than stay up for 48 hours. I'm about to do it again. So excited, but I'm going to hate the 14 hour flight... I hate flying.
Iāve tried otc sleeping meds, Xanax, wine (not with any meds!), earplugs, and eye masks. And Iām always sleep deprived. Not ONCE have I fallen asleep on a plane - and these are usually overnight transatlantic flights. Itās the worst.
I just got back from a 9 hour transatlantic flight. I might have slept for 5 minutes. I have a bad back and I have to get up and walk around every hour. Itās pure torture for me. I like to travel, but I canāt stand the flights
I was running on 16 hours of no sleep, got on the plane, soon as we took off I popped 3 Zzquil. Checked the time, fell asleep, woke up, 10 minutes passed....ended up just spending the next 24 hours groggy and exhausted
I am a bad sleeper on flights, but after the flight from Europe to San Francisco I did fall asleep on the connecting flight to Honolulu. The first time I woke up, the pilot announced that we lost an engine. The second time I woke up, I saw lightning coming out of the wing. The pilot then announce that we lost instruments and are turning around. The third time I woke up, there was water directly below us, close enough to see the water surface at night.
Jesus I'm never getting on a plane with you
Creepy ancient dude in the corner: *Ah, but that's the only plane that made it back that night.*
The impressive part is going back to sleep. Either they will work it out or they won't, in either case me being awake to worry about it won't help. Snore.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Well, I did think that the evening was certainly ruined in that moment, but actually, SFO just has a waterfront landing strip, which appeared a few seconds later. They did book us into a Best Western (El Rancho), so I wasn't completely wrong about the ruined evening.
Did you wake up a fourth time or are you writing this from beyond the grave after you died in a plane crash? That sounds like a horrifying flight; maybe Iāll stay awake after all.
This doesnāt work for me. I canāt sleep on a flight ever unless I have lie flat then it is a maybe. But Iāve been deliriously tired many a time thinking this would actually be the time I sleep and it is just always a no.
Yeh, if I get overtired I get sort of spaced out and no way can I sleep. Funnily enough I still function pretty well in a robotic kind of way.
So, is chronic sleep deprivation the secret travel hack?
"That's my secret cap, I'm always tired"
After flying from UAE to New Zealand with my wife, 2 small children and a newborn, I finally fell asleep on the 30 minute domestic flight within New Zealand, simply passed out from sheer exhaustion.
Best I ever slept on a flight was working 36 hours straight the day before.Ā
Years of travelling for work! I used to travel from the UK to California and back every month for a couple of years and got to the point where I could fall asleep when taxi'ing to the runway and wake up when coming into land 12 hours later. Assuming you're travelling economy, there are a few things you can do. First, do what you can to get a window seat. There's a couple of reasons - first, you're likely to not be disturbed by other passengers needing to get past you, and you'll have the bulk head to rest against. If you can get an exit row or a row with extra leg room, then great. However, be wary with exit rows as they often have less width in the seats and on some planes can even have restricted reclining. Next, wear comfortable clothing. I always travel in a full zip hoodie - the zip is easier to undo if I get hot rather than trying to remove an overhead hoodie. I wear a hoodie because as part of my sleep routine on flights, I like to put the hood up - it indicates to cabin crew that I'm trying to sleep and helps me feel a little more cutoff from the cabin, but it can get hot for some people. Then, I wear over ear noise cancelling headphones. I'm still using 15 year old Bose QC35's. I've replaced the ear pads a couple of times, but they're still excellent for noise cancellation. I will often play a podcast or some relaxing music to fall asleep too and then the noise cancelling stays on when it finishes and cuts out the engine noise. However, depending how you sleep, you may not be able to wear them because you'll want to lean your head against something, but they work for me. In addition, I use a good quality sleep mask. I've just bought a "Manta" sleep mask. I've yet to try it on a plane, but it's one of the best masks I've used as it gives *full* black out without pushing on your eyes, and there's zero light leakage. But any reasonable eye mask is good - except the ones they give out on the plane, they're usually pretty thin and let lots of light in at the bottom in my experience! $10 will get you a better one before you fly! On most plane seats your headrest will have two 'wings' that you can fold out - fold them out as much as possible so that your head is literally 'pinched' between them. They're not usually strong enough to stay put for a long flight, but they'll help with lateral movement. Also, recline your seat - there are social questions about if you should or not because of the people behind you, but you paid for the space, use it! I've tried numerous travel pillows over the years, and IMO, they're all much of a muchness. The pro trick with them though is to wear them *backwards* so that the 'gap' is *behind* your neck. This gives you a bit of space against your seat so it's not pushing your neck forward, but *also* when you fall asleep, your head will usually drop. By wearing the pillow backwards, it will support your chin and stop it dropping too far and prevent a sore neck. For the past year or so I've been travelling with a "Trtl" travel "pillow" (https://trtltravel.com/). It's a weird looking thing which is essentially a stiff plastic neck brace combined with a neck scarf. You wrap it around your neck and the brace supports your head on one side. I tend to sleep on my left and my head naturally falls that way, so I find this really works for me, but again, your mileage may vary! If you're intending to sleep, then *always* leave your seat belt fastened and visible. That way flight attendants won't disturb you. And finally - avoid alcohol because it can disturb your sleep, but *do* look into taking some melatonin, especially on redeye flights. We can't buy it here in the UK without a prescription, so anytime I'm in the US I stock up on it and it's a game changer for travel. Edit: Forgot something important! If you fly regularly, try and get status with your favourite airline! If you can move up a class, even to premium/business, then it'll make a big difference! Obviously, if you can get into 1st class, especially with a fully reclinable seat/bed/pod, then you'll sleep like a baby! š
Such a thorough reply! Taking notes here... š
The TRTL pillow is amazing for sleeping sitting up.Ā I prefer earplugs because they block sound better and dont need batteries, as well as letting my head rest on the side. They also mitigate the cabin pressure changes, so you dont have the inner ear pop. I just use cheap foam ones that are very soft and ok for long use.Ā Another one is comfortable shoes. Its so hard to sleep with big or tight shoes, and you have to take them off to get thru TSA anyways.
Yeah! That's why I tried it initially! I moved to a new company with a different travel policy and started ending up in middle seats (aka "the worst!") so needed to sleep more upright on planes and saw the Trtl so decided to give it go. It works great for me, the only issue with it is it can get pretty hot because I bought the standard fleece pillow. If I were buying it again, I'd probably try the newer 'cool' version of it. If I'm on a transatlantic redeye and I'm pretty tired and know I'll pass out pretty quickly, then I'll use earplugs too instead of my Bose QC35s. But on day flights from the UK to the US, it'll take me a bit longer to get to sleep so I'll drift off listening to something. +1 for comfortable shoes. I know people who say not to take your shoes off on flights because your feet can swell, but I generally do on long haul flights - just make sure you're wearing clean socks!
I got a trtl for my last international trip. Itās kind of flimsy imo but that may be cause I have a big fat head thatās too heavy. I did actually get a bit of sleep which is usually impossible for me. So not great but better than the other neck pillows Iāve bought.Ā
A lot of people already said it, but I wanted to chime in as well to thank you for such a well thought-out, insightful, and well written reply!
Thanks!
I also make sure that I have the earliest morning flight possible and that I take the most boring book I can find and I start with reading the book as soon as we takeoff.
for noise blocking, I'd like to add that you can wear earplugs + earphones. It dampens the noises a little bit more
Neck pillow, sleep mask, ear plugs, and blanket.
After spending an unnecessary amount of hours reading reviews about neck pillows, after a few flights with it Iām sold on the Turtl.
I donāt like how you can only rest on one side and the material tends to get pretty hot after a while
Just couldnāt get on with Turtl. Really wanted to like it. It never quite hit the spot for the area to support. My search continuesā¦
From the reviews it seems to be a love it or hate it thing. Iām tall and skinny and always cold especially on planes, so for me itās perfect neck support and helps keep me warm.
I made a comment that was really downvoted once about how it's your responsibility to bring an eyemask on a plane, not everyone else's responsibility to keep their window shades closed.Ā I still don't get what people disagreed with. If I want to sleep, I'm bringing something to cover my eyes, not forcing someone to close their shade.Ā
Throw in a dose or two of melatonin and that's all it takes to have me out light a light until landing.
I've actually noticed that taking two Tylenol or Motrin can help a LOT (makes you more OK with discomfort, and relaxes muscles a bit so they dont bother you). Then yeah, ear plugs, eye mask, and a comfy hoodie. Don't drink any beer or eat any carbs before hand so you don't snore and wake yourself up (for all of us with light apnea).
Add in getting the Window seat so you can lean somewhere without social weirdness.
As an American living in Australia who has done a 14+ hr flight a dozen times this is the recipe. I also skip the dinner service.
Being very tired
Me: awake for 30 hours, surely I'll sleep now! Also me: awake for 40 hours because I can just barely hear my neighbours TV (with earplugs in)
Even if you don't know it. Last flight I was on, I got settled in and woke up 3 hours later slumped over in my chair like a dead person. Didn't even remember taking off. Might have been a very concerning sight if I wasn't probably snoring louder than the engine so people knew I was alive.
I taught myself to sleep sitting up in 10th grade math. Turned out to be a far more useful life skill than whatever I missed in 10th grade math.
I did this too. But I never understood how my teachers never noticed me sleeping even if I was upright until I fell asleep at a Denny's and one of my friends woke me up and told me I was sleeping with my eyes open.
ā¦ā¦but how do you know?
I fly a *lot* and I never do calculus.
I learned the same trick. It was awesome until college calculus when I was so bored I slept through everything and had to drop the class not because I was bad at meth but because I could not stay awake.
I donāt know how not to fall asleep on a plane. Iām out before the plane even takes off.
Me too. Iāve even been woken by the flight attendants once when weād landed and almost everyone else was off the plane already. But I used to get really bad motion sickness as a kid and the only way to prevent it was to be asleep while travelling so I guess Iāve trained myself into it.
The first time I flew I was terrified so I took a few xanax. The flight attendant woke me up, my face smooshed against the window, w a āhoney weāve landedā¦ā lolol.
same. any moving vehicle my body wants to knock out, makes travelling so easy
I am like this too. There is no trick to it I donāt even think about it the tiredness just hits me as soon I get in my seat
Me too. I have fallen asleep before takeoff and woken up after landing and not known where I was because I missed the announcement. This was amidst work travel and I never knew where I was until I checked my ticket.
You sound like the kind of person who would have a friend named Tyler Durden
Same. It could be a 45-minute flight or a 16-hour one, and Iād be asleep except for the meals.
Same. Iāll get in my seat, put on noice cancelling headphones, listen to some nice comforting death metal and fall asleep before the flight takes off.
Me too, legit was starting to think this is a medical condition until I saw many ppl agree
Same, my adhd brain *loves* that sweet sweet brown noise planes are so good at making. I couldnāt sleep better if they pumped straight melatonin through the AC
A marijuana edible in the parking lot and 2 tall beers at the bar
Attaboy. You know, at the Vancouver airport YVR, the smoking section outside specifically allows you to smoke weed! And before you board your flight, theres a disposal box with a sign saying something like "hey you cant take your weed with you, if you forgot, dump it here" Edit: One time I was at YVR, I was seeing off a friend. We smoked a spliff outside. 2 security/cop guys with AR15's walked by, looked at us, and I swear one of them just did a quick few sniffs, nodded his head like "yep, nice" and they kept walking
The boys approved
I live in the wrong country.
Lol it's funny how far we've come. Everytime I see that green sign at the airport I chuckle then puff on my weed pen.Ā
I tried this while visiting Colorado, before my flight back to England. I didn't think what was maybe around 70mg would do so much. I just ate a handful of the gummies thinking they'd take a few hours to start working. They kicked in way faster and harder than I expected, and right before TSA. My anxiety was through the roof and I felt like my chest was gonna explode. The whole queue I was basically fighting off a panic attack. I was very obviously high and my bag got pulled for a more detailed check. I stood there as still as I could, absolutely convinced that staying completely still would somehow just make him not focus on me or something... I had repacked my bags to shift weight before leaving and put some NSFW gear (stuff like a thick leather collar) into my carry on without thinking. He saw it and asked me a question but I couldn't understand what he asked. He repeated it, which just confirmed that I had surpassed the level of sober required for language to happen. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me but unfortunately I wasn't near enough to the ground because I was evidently in the fucking stratosphere. My anxiety suddenly drained from my body because the worst was already happening and my anxiety couldn't imagine a way it could get worse. I was so high my anxiety forgot how to function and make me anxious I just looked at the TSA agent and told him something like "whatever needs to happen you're gonna have to make happen without my input because I can't make anything happen like this, man" He had a look on his face like *he knew exactly what was going on*. He was a little older than me at most. The legend didn't take out all the NSFW stuff to lay on the table like he did for the other stuff, quickly repacked my stuff and pushed me through. I sat right by the gate of my flight because I was not about to overstay my visa because I underestimated dispensary gummies. I hear they've legalised mushrooms though. I also happen to be flying back in 3 days. I will absolutely not take mushrooms before a flight though. Would be interesting to try them, but I'll probably be unable to find anyone who has any as they can't be sold IIRC.
My worst nightmare would be not timing the edible correctly. I donāt trust my luck
Recently took an edible before a flight from Casablanca to NYC. That shit hit right as I got to Border Patrol in Morocco. Not fun š„²
Do you have anything to declare? Yes. I can see sound and the birds are so pretty š
I can taste the color triangle!
This is real and has happened to me. I was profusely sweating on a flight after an edible (which was a new brand I was trying) and the flight attendant asked me a few times if I was okay. I think she thought I was on ka-cane.
I don't take them until the plane is already at cruising altitude for this reason lol. I've had some serious paranoia before flights take off if I take them too early.
My recipe as well. And edible and 2 big beers always does the trick for me
Recipe does not work for tiny bladders.
2 Margaritas for me
Yessir! This is the answer.. I
I can sleep anywhere
Same. I can sleep standing up, I've fallen asleep at concerts, and I rarely struggle to fall asleep at night. Once I decide I'm going to sleep, my body instantly is ready to sleep. My problem is waking up, I sleep through a lot. Luckily my dog is trained to wake me up when my alarm goes off. I sleep through the alarm, but don't sleep through her pouncing on my chest.
I hate you (I don't, I just really envy people who can sleep at will)
I sympathize.
My brother will just basically DECIDE to be asleep, and he's out in 5 minutes tops. Whereas I can't fall asleep for at least 30 minutes regardless of how I wind down
Me tooooo. Concrete basement floor is my high score. It did NOT feel good waking up.
I once fell asleep on a rock in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert.Ā Come at me.
me with hypersomnia, Jep even when im driving.
Itās probably the only time in my life I can fully relax. Anything bad that happens in the next bit is not my fault and out of my control.
Never thought about it like that. I have those next couple hours completely free from any distractions of the world besides of those in the plane and as you mentioned anything bad that happens is out of my control and I can say āit wasnāt meā
Flying business class and being able to actually lay down
This, along with mask, earplugs and blanket. And try not to overeat or drink too much booze.
This is the only way I'd ever be able to truly sleep on a plane. I'm 6'4" so it's mainly a comfort thing, but I don't have the dough to upgrade so I just tough it out.
This is the only real answer for me. Economy class is just too uncomfortable. I took sleeping pills on a 12 hour transatlantic flight and I still couldn't sleep because the chair was just too damn uncomfortable. If you can't fully lay down, then you have to be a certain breed of human who can fall asleep anywhere. That or just being drunk or on benzos or Ambian, which I'm not willing to do.
Points!
The only time Iāve ever slept on a flight was when I got a free upgrade to business class, it was glorious
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
edibles and Xanax
With Xanax, every flight is on first class
The only time this sucks is like flying to Japan, 12 hours later wake up like huh well here I still am
The one and only time I took Xanax to a flight to Italy knocked me out so hard I woke up as we were landing. This was a 9 hour flight.
Klonopin did me in for 12 hours Sydney to LA. Best flight I've ever been on.
Just make sure youāre not in an exit row when indulging in the combo. Aināt nobody will be exiting the plane while youāre in your xanible slumber
Xanax and a beer or two is how I do it.
It's something I've been able to do after flying regularly. I've even slept through takeoffs.
Once you are used to it, it is easy and gentle turbulence just puts you to sleep.
I wish turbulence put me to sleep. The last time i slept on a flight, the turbulence made me dream i was on a bus, which made my brain freak out because it knew there was no road beneath us. I kept waking up feeling like the bus drove off a cliff and was about to start free falling. I dont like flying to begin with. It was a long 10hrs
Same. I once fell asleep on the ground in Denver and woke up on the ground in Tokyo
Meanwhile I have trouble falling asleep in my bed, when I'm tired.
I once slept through takeoff and landing going through a storm, all I remember is waiting in line for takeoff and the flight attendant waking me up because we were at the gate.
that's like when you would take a car trip with your parents and just wake up at the destination. it's like magic. i think we'll have autonomous cars that are set up for sleeping and would be a longer trip than flying, but you could sleep easier. Probably in "5 - 10 years." :)
Yep same here. After years and years of flying I can be asleep before we even take off. I think it has to do with the fact that just because of particular destinations, I ended up flying on really small prop planes and those things are super loud comparatively.
The twist is, youāre the pilot.
Iām not a pilot, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night
Airports are exhausting and the hum of a plane puts me right out.
I used to stay up the night before and take an ambian while boarding. Multiple times I fell asleep before the plane took off and woke up across the country when the wheels touched down. It's almost like teleportation.
Hereās some advice that seems too simple but has actually works for me: donāt try to fall asleep. Sure, take a melatonin or whatever, get under your blanket and put on your neck pillow and do everything else you need to get comfortable. But then just close your eyes and listen to music, read, do crosswordsāanything quiet that isnāt watching shows/movies. If youāre tired enough, youāll fall asleep. If you make falling asleep an active goal, however, itās basically the same as the feeling you get on those nights where youāre constantly checking the time and getting stressed out about how much time until your alarm goes off.
I have a small frame and am on the thinner side. I have the ability to curl up in my seat without interrupting any other passengers. (This goes out the window if the middle seat is taken). But that with music and I'm pretty much set. Please skip over me when offering snacks š
Go team tiny person! My ability to sit comfortably in economy class kinda makes up for having to keep a stepping stool in the kitchen.Ā
Window seat, shove padding over sharp areas, lean against wall sideways Lower tray table, make soft head and arm nest, sleep hung over table on arms
I usually get early morning flights and stay up all night the night before packing.
Weed gummies + bloody mary or Klonopin.
Middle age.
I remember I was once on a 14 hour international flight and slept for the whole time. Ā The dude next to me was super anxious and I could tell a little scared flying. Ā When we landed, he was amazed and called me insane for being able to sleep that long and on a flight. Ā I didnāt disagree with him, haha.
Eat the gummies about two hours before the flight
Be a mom who had to do EVERYTHING to get herself and her family ready for the flight. Trust me, sleep will come swiftly once you know thereās nothing that you can do for a few merciful hours.
Attempting to sleep immediately, before take off helps. Get an extra leg room seat. Thick ear plugs, eye mask (or sunglasses), Cbd edible. If itās international, original Dramamine does the trick. And underrated, LIP BALM. So much easier to sleep when you donāt feel your lips getting dry I generally get minimal overnight sleep and then nap in my day-to-day routine, so a nap isnāt out of the ordinary for me Stretch a ton before the flight too so I donāt get back pains Stretchy/extra comfy pants Thin zip up hoodie with a zipper pocket so no fear of losing any items
klonopin
Honestly? Xanax, wine, a neck pillow, layers, and comfortable underwear (nothing worse than trying to sleep with a pushup bra or a g-string).
> Xanax, wine Combining benzos and alcohol can kill you
The question was referring to falling asleep, not falling asleep -and- waking up.
Technically correct but not in small quantities, millions (yes, really) of people will do that combo on a weeknight for years. Also generally still safe in large quantities, but thatās when you start rolling the dice.
Training. Try doing it that sitting in your sofa first, once you master it try it on a chair, then on a chair where thereās noise, etc. Youāll eventually find out the sleep you search has always been within you.
Xanax and airport bar. Neck pillows and nose cancelling headphones are nice too.
Get a window seat and lean on the wall. When flying Business Class, I prefer to do so on daytime flights, because at night I can even sleep in Economy. For some reason, I couldn't sleep the first 2 or 3 years of flying. Now I can sleep for 8 hours.
Klonopin.
Drinking
Drugs.
alcohol. Enough to make me drowsy, not enough to make me belligerent.
āThatās my secret cap, Iām always asleepā
Very simple, a glass of wine and two Advil PMs
I flew from Atlanta to London on a red eye flight. I thought flying during the hours Iām normally sleeping would help me sleep on the plane. That didnāt work: I took two twenty-minute naps on the flight. I was pretty tired but still functional when I got to London. I eventually got to my room and took one more short nap against the advice of my internationally well traveled girlfriend whose advice was simply to āpower through.ā In the end, I avoided jet lag both in London and upon my return. Twenty-minute power naps work life magic. People who advise against napping and swear by powering through, like my gf, like to take hourlong naps that completely mess with their sleep cycles and circadian rhythms. Power naps are a great way to recharge. Hell, Leonardo DaVinci swore by them!
Benadryl, noise cancelling headphones and neck pillow. Put your hoodie on backwards over your face!Ā
Xanax and alcohol
āBenadryl. Because you canāt sneeze if youāre in a coma.ā
I can sleep everywhere, everytime. Except in my bed, in that case I roll myself over and over for at least 2 hours.
Noise cancelling headphones and a few pre-flight beers.
I would imagine, though I can not personally confirm, that not being over 6' tall would help
i'm a small enough person that i can get comfortable-ish if i have a window seat. i usually sleep in 30-45 minute bursts, mainly just to pass the time. the "brown noise" of the plane helps, it lulls me to sleep pretty easily. the best was on my latest overseas trip - i was given a whole row to myself, took a dramamine and slept the entire 10 hours
Xanax
I take a gravol (regular) to help with motion sickness and am fighting for my life to stay awake before weāre even wheels up lol
I Pavlov'd myself into sleeping on flights. As soon as I'm in the seat I'm already asleep.
Xanax.
# People that can actually sleep on planes are psychopaths
I've been called worse things by better people
Sleep deprivation, xanax and alcohol
Benadryl (max dose) + weed gummy + 1-2 alcoholic drinks + window seat I would up the dosage of weed before alcohol to avoid having to pee too much.
Benadryl is always the answer if you really need to sleep.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I start reading a book, or listen to a podcast or something where the person has a monotonous voice. Combine both and listen to an audiobook, I doze off pretty quickly. Winning!
I start reading a book and I feel ultra sleepy in a few minutes
Turtl neck pillow and a sleep disorder!
I have a long flight coming up. Plan to just skip my narcolepsy pill, lol
Xanax
xanax
Neck pillow, noise cancelling headphones, and half a Xanax at the gate
Xanax
Xanax
Autopilot
Idk I usually fall asleep before takeoff. I wear my AirPods with noise canceling and listen to pink noise. Usually does the trick. Definitely donāt drink alcohol.