Sleep Hacks For Your Next Long-Haul Flight

After getting comfortable in your plane seat, you jump into the world of a book or listen to some tunes to pass the time. It feels as though you've killed hours of the journey being engrossed in these activities, but then you glance at the clock to realize that only a few minutes have passed. Time has a funny way of dragging on like that when you're trapped on a long-haul flight.

Any journey through the air that lasts between six and 12 hours is qualified as a long-haul flight. These types of flights take passengers to some of the most enticing travel destinations on the planet, but they can be doozies. Instead of sitting there the entire time trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel, you could simply drift off into dreamland to make the time fly. 

While falling asleep on a flight is always ideal, it can be necessary when taking one of these lengthy trips, especially if it's an overnight venture. But as anyone who has ever been on a plane knows, snoozing in that environment is easier said than done. However, help is at hand; these effective hacks will lull you right into a comfortable hibernation even as you're soaring through the skies at 40,000 feet.

In an economy cabin, the window seat is far more conducive to sleeping and is largely deemed to be the best place to sit on a red-eye flight. There are a few factors that make a window seat the most comfortable place to sleep on a plane by a landslide. The most obvious is that it provides a place to rest your head against, a prestigious luxury on a long flight. 

Someone in r/TravelHacks pointed out, "I prefer the window seat. I like being able to look out, for longer flights I feel a little claustrophobic if I don't have a window to look out of. Also I like being able to lean against the wall if I want to sleep." Another major benefit of claiming the window seat is that you won't be subjected to the dreaded tap on your shoulder mid-nap by a stranger asking you to get up and let them out to the bathroom. As the person closest to the window, you'll also be the one with the power to keep the shade closed and prevent yourself from being surprised by blinding light as an unwanted wake-up call. 

While you shouldn't show up for a flight so exhausted that you can barely keep your eyes open, a touch of tiredness can actually be helpful once you slump into your seat. There are ways to achieve this state of slight drowsiness without neglecting your recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night as well. For instance, a healthy way to tire your body out before a flight is participating in some form of physical activity the morning or day before your journey.

You could try going on a long hike, hitting a rock climbing gym, or lifting weights before flying to get your body ready for sleep. One analysis of 23 studies by Harvard Health Publishing showed that working out more than one hour prior to a scheduled sleep session appeared to assist people with dozing off and even made them stay asleep longer. Just make sure you have enough energy to get through security and on the plane before conking out. 

You don't realize how crucial your outfit is for sleeping until you attempt to sink into a peaceful slumber on a plane while wearing skin-tight jeans and an itchy sweater. There are a few items you should avoid wearing on a long-haul flight because they're practically guaranteed to keep you wide awake, such as a snug pair of shorts or a romper. Anything too constrictive can make it even tougher to get comfortable enough to fade into slumber. 

One frequent flyer in r/TravelHacks recommended roomy pants made out of cotton gauze, a wool top, and an additional layer like a sweater in case they got cold along the trip. That last part about bringing extra layers is particularly good advice if you're hoping to fall asleep on a lengthy flight, considering that the average cabin hovers around 71 degrees Fahrenheit, and it can feel quite brisk up in the air. A pair of thick socks can also do wonders to keep you toasty on a plane. 

Passengers serious about catching some zzz's on their long-haul flight need to arrive prepared for the event. Investing in a few key pieces of travel gear to make your long-haul flight more tolerable and better your chances of snoring it away. To kick off with the basics, an eye mask is an affordable item that can make a huge difference in your sleep quality in transit. After all, you're surrounded by dozens of other travelers watching screens on a plane, and the blue light that glows off of them can make it much more difficult to get to sleep. 

The next key ingredient to falling and staying asleep on a flight is a supportive neck pillow to prevent yourself from waking up with a painful twinge. There is much discourse about the best one, but many people adore their Trtl neck pillow. One individual in r/travel gushed, "The TRTL allowed me to get some proper rest on a 15 hr flight without neck kinks/pain due to support it provides when leaning in any direction."

A travel blanket can make your airplane seat much more snug, too. Alternatively, you can get a large scarf that doubles as a blanket. Finally, a new travel gear trend that few people know about is foot hammocks. One traveler told Business Insider a foot hammock made her 10-hour flight way better because it allowed her to move her body into more positions without bothering nearby passengers. 

Whether you get sat in the unlucky spot right in front of a wailing baby or can't reach slumber with random plane noises buzzing around you, you'll be happy to have headphones. Unexpected sounds that enter your ears will work against you because they stimulate the brain too much for your body to reach a significant level of deep sleep. However, you'll want to have the most comfortable pair possible when trying to pass out mid-flight. 

Most folks seem to agree that over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation (ANC) are your best bet to block out everything around you without your ears hurting after wearing them for hours on end. One airport employee in r/HeadphoneAdvice said that nothing beats the quality of their Bose QuietComfort headphones. They said, "For flights/over ear option I actually really love the Bose quietcomfort gear. Its comfortable, great noise cancellation and generally feels fantastic. It absolutely cuts through engine noise while in flight and I'm often asleep before take off."

Many travelers rely on a constant stream of coffee to keep them going through a stressful travel day. Contrary to popular belief, this might not be the wisest idea. Even if you only have one cup early in the morning, this can still greatly hinder you from falling asleep on a flight. 

Caffeine is everyone's go-to morning beverage because it stops a brain chemical called adenosine from functioning properly. This stuff builds up the longer you stay awake and is the reason you eventually become overwhelmed by that nagging exhaustion that forces you to crawl into bed. With caffeine's influence, you bypass that sleepy feeling entirely, which might be useful before work, but it can ruin your shot of sleeping on a long flight. It's possible to feel the stimulated restlessness of caffeine pumping through your body for up to 12 hours, so it can easily last throughout the entire journey. 

Another beverage you should stay away from before boarding a plane is alcohol. Many travelers assume that a drink will just take the edge off a flight and maybe even allow you to fall asleep in a buzzed haze. This is one of the worst mistakes that first-time flyers can make at the airport, though. One study published by the National Library of Medicine found that combining alcohol with the high-altitude conditions of a plane cabin lowers sleep quality and causes a range of other negative side effects, like limiting cardiovascular function. In addition to improving your nap, passing up on alcohol can help you avoid getting sick during the flight. 

There are many different auditory tools you can use on a plane to coax yourself into slumber. Lots of travelers enjoy the sounds of an even-toned show. Funnily enough, there is an entire community of people on Reddit who all specifically play the television program "Futurama" in the background to help them sleep. One individual in r/Futurama_Sleepers detailed his preference, saying, "I also have been falling asleep to Futurama for years. I think this is because the scenes are short or either I can tune them out better or I can roll over and listen to it and still know what is happening by the character's voice and/or dialog."

If that sounds like too much plot for you, perhaps ASMR is a better choice. Autonomous sensory meridian response — commonly known as ASMR online — is a relatively new type of content designed to provoke relaxation, pleasant feelings, and encourage sleep. During these podcasts or videos, there will be intriguing sounds and whispering used to soften your mind into a sleepy state. 

For those who can't drift off while listening to any talking, there is always white noise. This almost electric sound is a hodgepodge of every frequency together and kind of resembles the hum of an air conditioner. Surprisingly, this odd noise playing on a loop is the magic trick to sleeping for many people. 

When all else fails, an over-the-counter sleep aid can be the last resort to induce a mid-flight nap. Even if you don't decide to take anything, it's better to have the option waiting in your bag just in case. There are a few types of sleep remedies that you can pick up before your trip, like melatonin or CBD. 

Melatonin is the substance that your body organically releases at night to tell your body it's time to lay down and close your eyes. On rare occasions like long flights, taking a melatonin pill can be a highly effective relaxant. However,  Dr. Luis Buenaver told John Hopkins Medicine that people should only take around 1 to 3 milligrams of melatonin two hours before the desired knock-out time. Luckily, that should be plenty. As one user in r/sleep explains, "I can take 2 mg and I pass out like a baby on a long haul flight."

CBD is another tool that could potentially help soothe bad plane anxiety and inspire drowsiness. This product does not make you feel intoxicated at all and comes in many forms, from oil to gummies. It's legal to fly with FDA-approved CBD that has less than 0.3% THC within the United States, but you'll want to do a bit of digging to determine whether international destinations allow it before your flight. Whether you use melatonin, CBD, or another over-the-counter sleep aid, it's crucial to try it out before you attempt to use it on a flight. 

Did you know that your nose could be the gateway to slumber? According to the Sleep Foundation, the scents around you can have a large influence on how much time it requires you to pass out and the caliber of your sleep quality. When you're stuck on a plane with a hundred questionable smells swirling in the air, it's no shock that falling asleep can be much more difficult. 

You can use certain aromas to prompt sleep. One study (available on Taylor and Francis) that wanted to see how lavender impacted people's rest discovered that sniffing this oil encouraged participants to fall asleep and even made them feel more energized upon awakening. As such, lavender is a favorite scent for sleeping, and it's become so popular that there are plenty of portable lavender sprays available that are easy to bring on a long flight. 

A Redditor in r/sleep swears by it, stating, "I received Monsuri's lavender pillow spray as a gift a few months back as I have difficulty sleeping too and it's honestly worked wonders for me. Not only does it smell good, but I also felt that it helped me calm down and release tension in my body as I'm sleeping." There are plenty of other fragrances that can enable sleep, too. Cedar, jasmine, and rose have all been known to have similar sedative impacts. 

There are specific cues to inform your body that it is time for bed. You start getting into comfy clothes, maybe read a book, or turn on a guilty pleasure show in the background. One of the steps that you've likely integrated into your evening process is a bedtime hygiene routine. 

Little habits such as removing makeup, exfoliating your skin, brushing your teeth, combing your hair, using a gua sha, and slathering on moisturizer can become deeply integrated into your evening procedure. Yet, you might skip out on this part of your routine when you're on an extensive flight. Not only will all this caked-up makeup and debris make it more difficult to get comfortable on a plane, but it could wreck your skin and oral hygiene. There are many parts of a plane that are dirtier than most passengers realize, and you'll want to scrub all that muck off of you.

One thing to keep in mind is that you should try not to use the plane's water to accomplish these tasks. As a traveler in r/30PlusSkinCare urged, "first off, don't use the airplane bathroom water to wash your face or brush your teeth. It's non-potable and, according to flight attendants, pretty gross." Instead, you can use bottled water to brush your teeth and micellar water to freshen your face. 

When falling asleep for the entire duration of your flight is out of the question, naps at shorter intervals might help maintain your sanity. Many people who work in intense careers requiring lots of travel say that napping is actually what gets them through. For example, one person in r/LifeProTips shared, "I'm a truck driver. If I ever start feeling tired while driving, I pull over and take 15-20 mins. You wake up feeling refreshed." This can be just as effective for travelers on a mind-numbingly long flight. 

There is actually a fair amount of research to support the positive impact of power naps. According to a study by the University of College London and the University of the Republic (available on Sleep Health), a quick snooze during the day can improve your general health and keep the mind sharp. The habit of napping has also been found to make you happier, lower stress levels, and strengthen memory skills. Plus, it's much less pressure to take a little nap than try to get a full eight hours in. 

You actually don't need any outside forces to push you over the edge of snoozing because your mind can be a powerful enough instrument if you know how to use it properly. A natural approach to getting some rest on a plane is working through a sleep-inducing meditation. There is evidence to suggest that committing to a pre-sleep meditation practice makes you calm enough to experience a rejuvenating slumber. You can find a medley of guided sleep meditations through apps or podcasts that you can silently do from the comfort of your plane seat.

One person in r/Meditation proposed using the Nighttime SOS meditations on the Headspace app because they make them for particular circumstances, like soothing a racing mind or feeling better post-nightmare. Alternatively, there is a huge fanbase for the podcast "Sleep With Me" as a less stringent form of meditation. As one individual in r/Podcast shared, "I'm a massive fan of Sleep With Me. It's kinda strange. In the way that sleep and dreams are strange. Drew has this amazing way of talking in complete sentences that are almost, but not completely, void of any meaning." 

The pressure of desperately trying to fall asleep is often the biggest thing standing in the way of dreaming. A significant portion of the population suffers from sleep anxiety, which is basically mounting stress around failing to fall or remain asleep. That one dollop of a worry becomes a series of inescapable racing thoughts and before you know it, your heart races and you have no hope of getting any rest. 

One individual described this phenomenon in r/insomnia, explaining, "on nights where I've been laying there for an hour and still haven't fallen asleep yet, I start to freak out. Then another hour goes by, and I create even more pressure, hoping that I just get any amount of sleep to not feel terrible. This cycle lasts ALL night long, and I get so frustrated and disappointed in myself that I often will not even sleep at all." Getting trapped in this spiral can make it even more troublesome to go to bed on a flight. If you don't get too bogged down by the prospect of physically falling asleep, you'll likely doze off without even realizing it.