Traveling long distances can be tough. Not only do you have to take care of your belongings and your schedule, but you have to find a way to sleep on the plane as well. In this post I’ll give you some tips on how to sleep on a long-haul flight.

Sleeping on a plane can be difficult for many reasons, from cabin pressure to noise. However, there are ways that you can help yourself get some rest while travelling abroad.

I’m 6 feet 3 inches tall. And, I’m pretty sure the person who designed the economy aircraft seat wasn’t thinking of me at the time. I’ve also had knee surgery, which makes sitting in one position for any length of time very painful.

Still, if I can get some sleep on a long-haul flight, then you can too.

Why Sleep on a Plane Is Important

There are a few reasons why sleep on a plane is important. Obviously, even if were not on a plane, we need sleep to let our bodies recover and rebuild, as part of our normal process.

But on the plane, there are a couple more factors that come into play.

The first of these is jetlag. Now, when I was younger, I bounce around the time zones with impunity. Never a care in the world. I’ve now come to understand what my parents used to say about it getting harder as you get older.

Without proper planning, I’m like a zombie wandering around the house at odd times, day or night, for 3 or 4 days after the flight.

Getting some sleep at crucial times during the flight, can help sort out your body clock and get you on track for your new destination.

Exhaustion

I know that when we fly from Perth to London, sleep on the plane is crucial. Especially if we have an early morning flight. It can often mean that you’ve been awake for 20 hours before the flight even start.

When you add in 20 or so hours of flying, then you arrive at your destination with a pretty big sleep deficit. This means that for the next few days you get fatigued much more easily.

When you’re in this state, you’re also much more susceptible to catching whatever bugs are going around in your new environment, as your body’s not fully fit to fight them off.

Choose your seat

The first thing you need to do is select your seat. Head over to Seat Guru and check them out. Type in your flight details and they’ll know exactly which plane you’ll be on. They have all the seats listed with comments on them.

This helps you know how far from the exits or toilets you are. Do you line up with a window or not, and whether this is a desirable seat?

I find that there are 3 general areas on the plane. The front of the plane is the quietest, because you’re in front of the engines. But it’s not the smoothest up the front. In the middle is the smoothest because you’re over the wings. However, you have a lot of engine noise.

The back of the aircraft is generally the least desirable for sleeping as it’s noisy, bumpy, and a lot of the toilets and service happens here.

Solutions to Common Problems

Noise, cabin pressure, and turbulence are all common problems people when it comes to traveling by air. These issues make it difficult for people to sleep on planes.

If you’re struggling with trying to sleep on a plane, there are some solutions that you can try. For instance, noise cancelling headphones or earplugs can help block out sounds that are disrupting your rest.

Noise

Modern aircraft have done a lot to remove the cabin noise, but it’s still there. It may only be a little noise, but it continues on and on through the flight. This is where noise cancelling headphones really come into play.

Either use them to remove the noise and leave you in a silent world. Or, alternately play your favourite App or relaxation music through them to recreate your normal sleeping environment.

Personally, I use the Calm App from the Apple store, and have the sounds of gentle waves washing onto a beach. It works well for me. I’m sure that you’ll be able to find something that works with your devices.

Air Pressure

Air pressure is another thing that people struggle, which can affect their sleep. Aircraft design again has done much to combat this. Older aircraft used to be pressurized to about 10 000 feet, but the newer aircraft I believe are now closer to 6000 feet.

The trouble is that most people don’t take the time to adequately equalize their ears as the plane ascends. They end up leaving it a bit late. Then it’s more difficult to do and can be a little bit painful.

Having sore ears is not conducive to restful sleep. The trick is to equalize early and often during the ascent. Indeed, I start when still on the ground. Just to make sure the ears understand what’s going on.

Having a drink with you works. Just a few sips every few minutes should work. If your struggling, try the Valsalva maneuver, which is where you hold your nose and try to blow out through your nose. This causes your ears to pop.

As I said though, do this early and often for best results.

Travel Light

What does traveling light have to do with getting some sleep on the plane.

Well, if you’re one of those people who insists on traveling with 13 carry bags and walking down the aisle like a hobo who just won a free flight. Then guess what.

Maybe 2 of those bags are going to fit in the overhead bins. The rest of them are sitting with you. That’s not going to make for a restful night’s sleep.

As you may have gathered from the introduction, I value my legroom. I want nothing down there except my legs, so that I’m free to wriggle about and change position when needed.

You might think you’re comfortable with all your bags around you for the first 15 minutes, but the next 15 hours will be hell.

What to Wear for Sleeping On The Plane

Comfortable and warm, that’s it.

Some people take this a bit far and turn up in pyjamas. That’s fine if you’re 10, but not if you’re pretending to be an adult.

I remember when air travel was an event, and it was business attire all round. Thankfully we’re not there now, but still, there must be a line in the sand.

Remember, you still have to impress the immigration officials at the other end, who decide how difficult it’s going to be for you to get into their country.

So, the best bet here is to leave your Bananas in Pajamas onesie in the bag till you get to your hotel.

A comfortable pair of pants, shirt and a light sweater, that are presentable enough to be able to wander through town will serve you well.

Unfortunately, I recommend pants for women as well. There are sadly, too many cases out there of unsavoury men trying to cop a feel or photograph women while they’re sleeping.

If you have to worry about this when sleeping, then sleep may be harder to achieve.

I mentioned a light sweater, because you will get cold. The planes are set to a cooler setting anyway. But even so, your body naturally cools off a bit when you sleep. So, it’s best to start a bit warmer.  

Earplugs and Eye Mask

If noise cancelling headphones don’t work for you, then earplugs may be your best bet. For many people, the bulkiness of headphones can make it difficult to get to sleep.

There’s a huge range of ear plugs out there, and they’re not that expensive. So, buy a selection and try them out. What works for you may not work for someone else, as our ear canals are all different.

Personally, I prefer the push in style that are connected with a cord. The cord helps remind me that I have them in. Far too many times, I’ve found myself shouting at people because I can’t hear properly.

A comfortable eye mask is a godsend. Even with the lights turned down on the plane, there is still a lot of stray light in the cabin. This may be coming from the service area, seat back screens, or even mobile devices belonging to other passengers.

A good neck pillow will make things a lot easier, as well as save your neck. Originally these were just blow-up pillows. And to be honest they work well and are excellent for saving space.

But then in came foam beads, and now there are some excellent memory foam pillows which work really well. These can be adjusted around your neck to give you a truly restful sleep. We have moved onto these pillows now and they work really well.

If you’d like to check them out, click the link here to go to Amazon. If you do decide to purchase this item a small commission comes to me.

Alcohol

Not a strategy I would suggest. Although I do have a cousin who swears by it. But I believe that’s more to do with her having a fear of flying.

In general alcohol works far quicker on you during flight due to the reduced cabin pressure. The trouble is people think that they need a certain amount of drinks to get to sleep and end up with way too many.

Medications for Insomnia

Some folks swear by medication for sleeping. Not just on planes but also during their normal lives.

If this is you, then hopefully you know what works best for your body. My advice here is to make sure that what you take doesn’t leave you groggy when you wake up.

Just remember that upon arrival you will probably have official forms to fill in and need to be interviewed by an official. This is not when you need to look drugged up.

Relaxation Techniques

Meditation or mindfulness techniques can work very well to help relax you, and help get you ready for sleep.

Just closing your eyes and concentrating on taking 5-10 deep breaths can work very well.

Another method is to close your eyes and think, what can I hear? What can I feel, what can I smell? What can I taste?

This method works to close out other thoughts that maybe racing through your mind at the time.

Conclusion

So, that’s the basics of getting some sleep on a long-haul flight.

Get the right seat, make sure you’re not cramped with extra luggage, block light and sound, stay off the booze, and off to sleep you go.

If only it were that easy. But with these few tips you’ll give yourself the best chance to catch some shuteye and arrived at your destination ready to hit the ground running.

Here’s a couple of extra posts to help you survive your journey.

24 Tips to survive a long-haul flight

25 Tips to survive at the airport

Cheers and happy travels