Falling asleep on a plane can often feel like an impossible task. Except for those fortunate passengers who purchase first-class, flat-bed plane seats, getting a good night’s rest high above the clouds presents a unique challenge.
Despite the fact that nearly 40% of people aged 18 and older unintentionally drift off during the day at least once a month, even individuals who normally sleep soundly can find themselves struggling to catch z’s on a flight.
The good news is that you don’t have to resign yourself to sleepless journeys. Drawing on wisdom from experienced travelers, there are savvy tricks you can try implementing to help you get some much-needed rest while in the sky.
These tips, shared by frequent flyers, offer practical approaches to navigating the often uncomfortable and noisy environment of an airplane cabin.
By incorporating some of these strategies, you might find your next flight becomes a much more restful experience.
Here are 11 tricks from frequent travelers to help you catch some z’s during your next flight:
1: Channel Your Inner High School Self
This first tip takes a page from a familiar experience for many – sleeping during a boring class. Several travelers have found that one of the easiest ways for them to fall asleep on a plane is by adopting a position reminiscent of dozing at a desk.
This involves sleeping with their arms folded on the tray table and their heads resting directly on their arms.
It’s a position that allows you to lean forward and support your head, potentially finding a comfortable angle despite the upright or slightly reclined nature of most economy seats.
However, while this position might feel natural for sleep, there is a crucial safety note: you should not sleep on your tray table during take-off and landing.
This is considered a no-no for safety reasons, so be sure to return to a standard seated position during these critical phases of the flight.
2: Deprive Yourself of Sleep
This strategy might sound counterintuitive, perhaps even a bit brutal, but for some travelers, it’s a method worth trying.
The idea here is to arrive at the airport already significantly tired by intentionally not sleeping much the night prior to your flight.
The rationale is that if you’re operating on limited sleep, your body will be more inclined to succumb to drowsiness once you’re settled into your seat, even in the less-than-ideal conditions of a plane.
While deliberately cutting back on sleep isn’t a universally recommended health practice, some travelers report that this approach genuinely helps them sleep well on planes.
It leverages your body’s natural need for rest to overcome the environmental challenges of sleeping in the sky.
3: Don’t Overthink It
Stress and anxiety can be significant barriers to falling asleep, and this is especially true when you’re trying to sleep in an unfamiliar and potentially uncomfortable environment like an airplane cabin.
One frequent flyer shared that their easiest path to sleep on a plane is to actively remove the pressure they put on themselves to fall asleep.
How do they achieve this state of reduced pressure? By engaging with something that helps them relax but doesn’t demand their full attention or stimulate their mind.
This means listening to something that is relaxing but crucially, doesn’t capture their interest too much.
The key insight from this flyer is that whenever they started stressing about not being able to fall asleep, all hope would be lost for catching any zzz’s.
By letting go of the need to force sleep and instead focusing on simple relaxation through passive listening, they found sleep became more attainable.
4: Using a Crutch
For some frequent flyers, achieving sleep on a plane involves a little external help, or a “crutch”. Two common aids are mentioned: alcohol and melatonin.
Some travelers find that alcohol is key to helping them fall asleep on planes. However, it’s important to note that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibits passengers from consuming their own alcohol on board.
Fortunately, many airlines do offer alcoholic beverages, either for free or for a fee, which passengers can purchase and consume legally during the flight.
The alternative mentioned is melatonin, which is an over-the-counter sleep aid. Melatonin is a natural hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles, and taking a supplement can help signal to your body that it’s time to rest.
It is suggested that you can take melatonin shortly before boarding your flight to help prepare your body for sleep.
5: Prescription Medicine
Beyond over-the-counter options, some travelers utilize prescription medications to aid sleep during flights.
Travelers who use doctor-prescribed Xanax or Valium have reported that they find it significantly easier to fall asleep on planes compared to before they started using these medications.
These types of medications are typically prescribed for anxiety but can have sedative effects that facilitate sleep.
While they may be effective for some, it is absolutely essential that you discuss the pros and cons with your doctor before considering using any prescription drugs to help you sleep on a plane.
Prescription medications come with potential side effects and interactions, and a medical professional can help determine if this is a safe and appropriate option for you.
6: Book a Bed Seat
This tip is perhaps the most straightforward, but it comes with a significant caveat – the cost. If you are in a fortunate position to have the financial means to cover the expense of an expensive Business Class or First Class seat, doing so could very well be your ticket to a good “plane’s” sleep.
Seats in Business and First Class cabins are specifically designed for enhanced comfort and rest. They offer a much larger reclining angle than standard economy seats.
Furthermore, on some fancier planes, these premium seats can even fold down completely into flat beds, providing an experience much closer to sleeping in a real bed than a standard airline seat could ever offer.
While not accessible to everyone, booking a seat that transforms into a bed is arguably the most effective way to ensure quality sleep on a long flight.
7: Treat Your Head
Standard airplane seats are notoriously uncomfortable, and this includes the headrest area, which does not function well as a pillow.
If an airline does offer pillows, they are often described as flimsy and provide little support. This is why it is highly recommended to bring your own travel neck pillow.
A good neck pillow can make a world of difference in helping you find a comfortable position to rest your head without straining your neck.
The best part about bringing your own dedicated head support like a neck pillow is that it significantly reduces the chances of needing to use the stranger’s shoulder beside you as a pillow while you sleep.
It provides a personal, hygienic, and more supportive option for resting your head throughout the flight.
8: Cancel That Noise
Airplanes are noisy environments. While the low hum of the plane engine might seem like a form of white noise, for many people, it’s simply not strong enough to effectively override the numerous other distracting sounds present in the cabin.
These include the noise from passengers talking, children crying, and the various sounds associated with beverage and meal services.
These disruptions can easily pull you out of a state of relaxation or light sleep. Therefore, to combat this auditory assault, it is highly recommended to invest in a good pair of noise-canceling headphones.
Noise-canceling technology actively works to block out ambient sounds, creating a much quieter environment around you.
Using noise-canceling headphones can significantly help improve how well you sleep on a plane by minimizing external disturbances.
9: Listen to a Sleep Meditation
Building on the previous tip about noise cancellation, once you’ve put on your noise-canceling headphones, you can further enhance your chances of sleeping by turning on a sleep meditation soundtrack.
Many apps and streaming services offer guided meditations specifically designed to help listeners relax and fall asleep.
One frequent flyer highlighted a significant benefit of listening to a sleep meditation: it prevents their mind from racing with all of the things they need to get done.
A busy or anxious mind is a major impediment to sleep. By focusing on the calming voice or sounds of a meditation, you can quiet these thoughts and guide your mind towards a state conducive to sleep.
10: Practice Breathing Techniques
Breathing techniques are powerful tools for relaxation and can be incredibly effective in helping you fall asleep.
These techniques aren’t limited to your own bed; they can be just as beneficial when you are 30,000 feet in the air.
Conscious, controlled breathing can help calm the nervous system and prepare your body for rest. There are several different breathing techniques you could try.
One specific suggestion offered by a frequent flyer is to practice the breathing technique of your choice while simultaneously counting backward from 100.
This combination of focused breathing and a simple, repetitive mental task can help distract your mind from stressors and lull you into a more relaxed state, making sleep more accessible.
11: Use an Eye Mask
Even when the cabin lights are dimmed, an airplane cabin is rarely truly dark. Flight attendants turn off the main cabin lights during the bulk of the flight, but ambient light from emergency signs, personal reading lights, and light filtering through windows can still be present.
This is why eye masks are an excellent tool to help travelers sleep on planes. An eye mask effectively blocks out all external light, creating the pitch-black environment that is often ideal for sleep.
This is particularly crucial for travelers who are sensitive to light. Furthermore, eye masks are indispensable for anyone flying during the daytime, when natural sunlight streaming through the windows would otherwise make sleep difficult or impossible.
Using an eye mask ensures your body receives the signal that it’s time to rest, regardless of the external lighting conditions.
Alicia Richards