Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE

8 tricks for sleeping on a plane, according to a sleep specialist

woman sleeping on plane
Shutterstock/Matej Kastelic

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,” explained Natalie Dautovich, Ph.D., an Environmental Fellow at the National Sleep Foundation. “Symptoms of this desynchronization include fatigue, difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating, indigestion, and a negative mood.” 

Advertisement

None of those symptoms make for a very fun vacation. 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,” said Dr. Carl Bazil, a sleep specialist and professor of neurology at Columbia University.

So how do you actually get a good night’s sleep on a plane? “Travel first class,” said Dr. Bazil, with a laugh. If that’s not an option, the sleep experts had a few suggestions for how to get something resembling a good night’s sleep on an economy budget.

Book Your Plane Ticket Carefully

Airline ticket boarding pass and passport
Shutterstock

“Select a flight that allows early evening arrival,” suggests Dautovich, which could mean skipping sleeping entirely and making it easier to stay up until 10pm local time, which is the suggested bedtime when visiting a destination that adheres to a different time zone.

Set Your Watch

Apple Watch ip6aw
Flickr/LWYang

Having a visual cue can help your body adjust to the time more quickly. That’s why Dautovich recommends adjusting your watch or the clock on your phone to the time at your destination as soon as you get on the plane. That way you your mind will begin to adjust to the new time zone.

Advertisement

Take Melatonin

melatonin
Flickr Creative Commons/Michael Reuter

“Melatonin is a hormone that your body naturally produces around bedtime,” said Dr. Bazil. “Taking melatonin from a drug store can help your body adjust to the new time zone when you take it at what you want to be your new bedtime. If you take the melatonin your body says ‘oops, I messed up, now it’s bedtime,’ and you fall asleep.” Dr. Bazil says the body only needs one milligram of the drug, even though it’s typically sold in larger dosages. “Larger doses will help induce drowsiness, but you only need one milligram,” he explained.

Eat Before You Get on the Plane

Food, table, restaurant, eating
Unsplash/Dan Gold

“Eat before you get on the plane,” said Dr. Bazil. “It’s part of the circadian rhythm where you’re trying to tell your body, ‘okay, 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.”

Bring a Sleep Mask

woman sleep mask
Shutterstock/George Rudy

“Light inhibits melatonin,” says Dr. Bazil. “It encourages wakefulness.” Bazil suggests 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.

Use a Neck Pillow

Cabeau Travel Pillow
Amazon

“Neck pillows help a lot if you’re in coach, because people’s necks just snap when they can’t really recline,” said Bazil. “You have to do whatever you can to make yourself more comfortable.”

Advertisement

Bring Something From Home

ear plugs
Shutterstock/pathdoc

Dautovich recommends that 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,” she said.

Skip the Drink

View on friends having alcoholic drinks in the bar, close-up
Africa Studio/Shutterstock

While a nightcap may sound like an easy way to slip into slumber, according to Dautovich, alcohol before bedtime can actually act as a stimulant. That’s the last thing you want on a long-haul flight.

Read the original article on Travel + Leisure. Copyright 2017. Follow Travel + Leisure on Twitter.
Travel Sleep Health
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account