Tips for Sleeping On Planes

Trip Planning Tips
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I love travelling, but the first day of my trip overseas is always a write-off. Partly because this is just how travelling is, but also because I can’t get a minute of sleep on the plane.

I use earplugs, a eye mask, a neck pillow, and wear comfortable clothes, but I can never sleep. What am I doing wrong? Am I doomed to be a groggy mess forever lol?

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@BrokeSinceBangkok there are some great tips here: Getting through long-haul flights

:smiley:

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I could never sleep on planes either, for years, and I had long haul flights (Aus to Europe) pretty often.

My top tips:

  • Invest in some noise cancelling headphones (if you fly often) - they are a huge upgrade from earplugs, and if you get an adaptor you can use them to watch movies too and it is much more relaxing than the whirring sound of a plane (you don’t even realise how loud and disruptive it is until you cancel it out - and see what peace sounds like)
  • Neck pillow - you mentioned you have one - but do you have a good one? I used a basic one for year and made no difference as it doesn’t actually support your neck when you try and sleep, so as you nod off you often wake back up. There are big differences, I have one like this (not specifically this one) - and it made a big difference
  • Skip dinner - the airlines like to fill you with food, but naturally you probably don’t eat right before you’re about the sleep. I try to follow the same pattern and skip the ‘dinner’ so i have more chance of sleeping
  • Stay hydrated - due to very low humidity it is easy to become dehydrated on flights. Drink a lot of water - take a water bottle and ask the airline staff to fill it up after takeoff so you don’t have to wait for the occasional waters they bring by. This won’t help you sleep as suck -but it definitely will make you feel better after you’ve landed, part of the reason you might feel so drained is dehydration which will make you feel more tired!
  • Sleeping bag - I have on several occasions taken one on board with me and got in it like a cocoon :rofl: You feel really cozy and in your own world, especially if it has a hood! Sometimes I am too self conscious, but if I travel with my partner he gives me the seat that is not next to a stranger. Or if I have a seat spare next to me, I do it!

Bonus risky tip:

  • I always opt for seats at the back 2 rows of the plane which has resulted in me getting the seat next to me free, or on several occasions a whole row to myself! Yes, more times than I expected, and they I can definitely sleep lying doen. The logic is - airlines usually fill seats front to back + people often pick there own seats closer to the front.
  • It is a risk because these are not good seats if the plane is full and it doesn’t pan out - you are near the toilets, you get your food last, your last off the plane and through all the airport queues - but for me it is worth the risk to get that extra room and therefore sleep I need!

Hope you find some of these helpful :smiley: