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Pre-pandemic, I used to fly over 150,000 miles a year and I’ve seen all kinds of methods and gadgets that passengers use to try and sleep better on airplanes. Everyone is different but flying as much as I do, I know what works. Here are 10 ways to help you sleep better on a plane. RELATED: 6 Ways to Get the Best Seat on a Plane
1. An eye mask
Eye masks help you create an ideal sleeping environment by blocking out all the light. Instead of using the cheap, scratchy eye masks that the airlines sometimes pass out on long flights, I bring my own fluffy one. I might look silly in it but it feels so good and does the trick. My favorite is this sleep mask by Lewis & Clark but if you’re looking for something that’s 100% blackout, check out the Manta sleep mask on Amazon (you can read more about it here.)
2. Earplugs
Bringing earplugs is self-explanatory and is essential for a good night’s sleep.
3. Noise-cancelation earbuds or headphones and soft music
If there’s a screaming baby near you, earplugs aren’t going to do the trick. In that case, pop on your noise-cancelation earbuds or headphones and play soft music, an audio book or meditation music to drown out the noise and put you to sleep.
4. Wear comfortable clothes
The temperature on planes always varies. One minute it can be freezing cold and the next, hot as hell. Be sure to dress in layers and wear comfortable clothes. On long flights, smart business travelers usually wear their suits when boarding and deplaning but in between, they change out of their restrictive clothing and into pajamas or sweats. Don’t forget to wear cozy socks, too.
5. Buckle up
One way not to be disturbed by the flight attendants is wear your seatbelt over the outer garment of your clothing or blanket so they don’t have to wake you when they do their safety checks if the seatbelt sign goes on. If your seatbelt is visibly fastened, they won’t wake you.
6. Pack food and water
If you don’t want to be restricted to the flight crew’s schedule, bring your own food and drink. At some major U.S. airports (ahem, EWR) taxi time can be up to an hour and once you are in the air, it’s usually 40 minutes before the crew brings out the food and drinks.
7. Get a window seat
If you want to sleep on a plane, the best seat is usually next to a window so you have something to lean against and you don’t have to worry about your seatmates waking you so they can use the loo. Consult SeatGuru.com for your best options.
8. Communicate
Be sure to let the flight attendant know not to wake you for food or drink if you don’t want any, and kindly tell your seatmate when sitting down that you plan on sleeping and not to let the flight attendants wake you if they’re not going to sleep.
9. Bring a pillow or blanket
There are tons of different neck pillows on the market. Find out which one works for you and go with it. Also, many airlines no longer provide blankets unless you’re flying first class on a long-haul flight so you might want to bring your own … or at least a cozy sweater.
10. Sleeping pills
I personally don’t take any kind of pills (including melatonin) and I don’t recommend them since I think everyone should be fully aware in case of an emergency. But I know many people who swear by them. Usually, the drug of choice is Ambien but always consult your doctor first and don’t try a medicine for the first time on a plane.
Am I leaving anything out? What works for you? Do you have a favorite travel gadget? If so leave your comment/suggestion below.
*This post was originally published in 2013 but has been updated.
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I backed this travel sleep solution on Kickstarter…and what a difference it has made on the ability to sleep on a plane!!!!
I immediately thought of you…
Sleeper Hold – A travel pillow that actually works! via @Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sleeperhold/travelpillow?ref=android_project_share
https://sleeperhold.com/products/sleeper-hold-travel-pillow-pro
I have the opposite problem. I can’t stay awake on a plane. As soon as the engine revs I get fuzzy like a hit of melatonin, and my eyes go dark. I wish I could stay awake and multitask. The irony is that I don’t sleep fast at home but I always konk out on a plane.
If a person is going to use ambien or similar, make sure it’s from an MD who really knows you medically. Get a few and see how you respond to them – drug sensitivity can vary dramatically from person to person, e.g. it will knock me out for 12 hours and dramatically reduce my awareness for 24 hours. I always fly first / business class if over a six hour flight. One beer good for four hours of sleep.
When wearing comfortable clothes, try to stay away from polyesters and other highly flammable items in case (GF) the worst might happen. Cotton is usually a good choice. I take an infinity scarf that I can wrap around my neck and drape over my face like a hoodie.
Thank you for the excellent ideas and great added suggestions!
I love all these suggestions as I’m a nervous flyer. Ambien may be a bad idea for another reason: You aren’t supposed to take it unless you have 8 full hours to sleep.
Sleeping on planes is really one of my biggest difficulty. If I take a neck pillow & sleeping mask, then I can sleep only. I am truly hoping that these ideas will work for me and also really helpful to those people who travel by air frequently. Thank you for such an informative post and I really appreciate your tips & suggestions. keep sharing like this.
Johnny, Thanks for the tips, finally get some sleep)
I am a poor plane sleeper – which is tough luck at 100k/yr. I am always trying something different hoping to hit on some method to sleep but not so desperate as to take Ambien. it is probably different for everyone, but for me, putting my feet up buys me a couple of hours for some reason. Jonny’s roller bag trick under the feet is brilliant and works great for me. Even without a bulkhead I will put something under my feet to raise them the extent that I can.
My newest experiment is a really small shiatsu massager that I have used when I have a plug. Ten minutes of that can get me in the mood and if I don’t end up sleeping, I find it was worth the space it takes in my bag just to find taht level of relaxation. I almost always check a bag so I have the room in my carry on.
Most helpful for me is just not to worry so much about how uncomfortable the trip might be and just recognize exactly what you are doing when you travel by air, which is quite amazing, really. Nowadays we enjoy and abuse our privileges. Next time you find yourself in an uncomfortable seat, in your mind compare conditions of the trip with what you would have had to endure 200 years ago. Besides the time required and abject discomfort, a member of your family actually might not have made it. Kind of like counting your blessings like sheep. for most of us you will fall asleep before you exhaust that list.
Ambien has its medical uses and thank God for that -but to use it to catch some sleep on a plane seems short-sighted. It works by temporarily (I hope) interrupting the brain’s ability to store memories. That takes a little while to ‘half-life’ away in the morning. I worked with a guy whos ‘doctor’ prescribed it for him on a nightly basis. He could not remember half the things we talked about, and worse, forgot the things we took time together to plan and decide. Absolutely annoying. He might have been happy but the people around him were not.
When it comes to me, I’ve always relied on my playlist which actually makes me sleep. This is different from songs I listen any other time. Anyways, thanks for this post, Johnny! Will try some of these too and let you know if it works for me.
Excellent tips. Here’s another: Bring a pair of slippers or flip flops. This way you can take off your shoes – also, be more comfortable.
Another really cool tip! A hat is a really useful tool I always ensure I bring on a flight. Often the air conditioning is way too cold beating down on your head to induce for a proper sleep environment. Along with the sleeping mask, neck pillow and a hat, you got a recipe for a good flight’s sleep!
A few additional comments. Regarding food and drink – if you have a chance to have something light in the airport (salad, etc…) that’s a good option rather than waiting for taxi, drink service, then food service. Also – try to take a longer flight if going to Europe. I fly to Dublin often. The non-stop from Atlanta is a full two hours longer than the non-stop connection from JFK. Those extra two hours can translate to more sleep. A few years ago I was about three rows back in Delta Comfort – International. They had a change of aircraft and changed my seat (which I learned at boarding.) The “new” seat was adjacent to the lavatory and the door was slammed about every 2-3 minutes for pretty much the entire flight. So “avoid seats near the lavatory” would be good advice. Finally if you use a CPAP machine when you sleep consider a portable unit which is rated for use in-flight. Can be powered by a power port or optional battery. And especially handy when you’re on the road.
the best thing that I’ve found that has worked for me is white noise. Major tip for most people.
I’ve travelled over a hundred thousand miles as well. My favourite picks on this list are the noise cancelling headphones and wearing comfortable clothes. The sleeping pills are an overkill, you might end of sleeping through an emergency!!