Have you ever traveled by plane? How long was your flight? One hour or ten hours? Did you manage to sleep comfortably, rest well or get enough sleep on the plane? If your answer is yes, congratulations, but if no, have you ever thought about the reason? What happened that you could not rest or sleep well? Lack of space? Sunlight falling on your face from the cabin window? Or the traffic of passengers? Would you like to get acquainted with tips for sleeping on a plane?
In fact, there may be other reasons why you could not experience a comfortable sleep on a plane. But is it really impossible to sleep on a plane? The answer is no, because there are many ways that can be used to experience a comfortable sleep during a flight. Best way to sleep on a plane, which humanhealthmag will discuss more in the following. This is you and these are some tips for comfortable sleep during air travel with the elderly.
How to Sleep on a Plane? Top 10 Tips for Sleeping on a Plane
One of the biggest problems that most passengers face when traveling by plane, especially the elderly, is not being comfortable while sleeping. Some passengers are not even able to sleep on the plane. Because there is not enough space in front of their feet and passengers walk in front of their feet and fall on them. Also, the noise of movies and video games and crying children prevent them from sleeping. We are going to examine this issue so that you can sleep comfortably on the plane. So, if you want to get to know the tips for sleeping on a plane in full, stay with us until the end of this article.
Choose Your Seat Wisely
One way to experience a comfortable sleep during your plane trip is to choose your seat wisely. In fact, the way the seat is placed in the cabin and its location plays a significant role in getting enough sleep and proper rest during long flights. Your seat may be located in a place where there is a lot of noise or is close to the airplane’s bathroom and kitchen. Or it may be located in a place where there is a lot of traffic. So, if you have the opportunity to choose your seat during the flight, it is not a bad idea to pay attention to these things and choose your seat wisely.
If possible, choose a seat by the window, because it makes it easy to lean back. Also, sleeping by the window will keep you away from the aisle traffic and no one will pass in front of you for the bathroom or any other task. This will also give you control over the window curtains.
Now, you may be wondering how to choose an airplane seat? This possibility depends entirely on the rules and regulations of the airlines that you can get your boarding pass online and choose your seat when you get your boarding pass. However, if you are unable to get your boarding pass online and choose your seat, we recommend that you discuss your insomnia problem with the check-in counter when you get your boarding pass. Maybe luck will be on your side and you’ll get a suitable seat. Or, if the cost of the flight is not a concern for you, book business class seats so that you have more space to sleep.
Be Careful When Choosing Your Luggage
Another tips for sleeping on a plane that is directly related to your comfort and convenience during the flight is the luggage that you are going to take with you into the cabin of the plane. You should be careful when choosing your luggage. But what do we mean? We mean that you should not take extra luggage and things that you will not use during the flight into the cabin. Because if you have extra luggage in the cabin, you will have to allocate more space for them. Therefore, you will have less space.
If you have two large and full hand bags, you will have to put one of them under your feet. This will reduce your leg space and make it difficult for you to sleep. If you have less luggage, you can take a hand bag and put your essentials such as books, magazines, snacks or water under your head and take them out when placing the hand bag in the overhead rack. Or you can use compact handbags with different compartments.
Use Neck pillows in Flight
Another way to feel comfortable and get enough sleep during long flights is to use neck pillows. Neck pillows is one of the essential travel equipment for seniors that allow them to fall asleep even while sitting. The shape and model of these pillows allow you to keep your head and neck stable and sleep more comfortably. Of course, these pillows must be ergonomically designed correctly.
Some of them have a lot of volume in the front and irritate the neck, but they do not have enough volume in the front and do not support the chin. This causes your head to drop while you sleep and you toss and turn, which can cause you to have a hard time sleeping and be unable to fall back asleep.
Comfortably Sleep on Plane with a Blindfold & Headphone
A blindfold is one of the most effective tips for experiencing a comfortable and sufficient sleep during a flight. A blindfold is actually a mental trick that helps you sleep comfortably during long flights by creating a dark space, simulating your surroundings at night and preventing light from entering your eyes.
Some people fall asleep easily by listening to soft music while flying, and some people sleep in silence. So, if you are one of those people who fall asleep to soft music, you can buy professional headphones and block out the sounds of the outside world. This will prevent you from hearing the sound of the engine, children, and traffic.
Wear Comfortable Clothes on Long Flights
Wearing comfortable clothes on long flights will allow more oxygen to reach your skin and help you sleep better. On the other hand, wearing tight clothes on long flights is uncomfortable and can prevent you from getting enough sleep.
Avoid Caffeine
One tip that can help you sleep better on a plane is to avoid caffeinated drinks and caffeinated foods. Since one of the most obvious and obvious properties of caffeine is to keep people awake, we do not recommend consuming it on long flights unless you need it. So, you should not drink caffeinated drinks such as coffee, cappuccino, latte, or even tea. You can replace these caffeinated drinks with water or fruit juice.
Use a Travel Blanket
Among the facilities and services that are usually provided to passengers on long flights is the provision of blankets and pillows for rest and sleep. Since this option is very popular on long flights, we recommend that you think about this in advance. What do we mean?
You will definitely take a carry-on bag or light backpack with you into the cabin of the plane. Right? So, it is better that if your flight is long, you also take a light travel blanket and pillow with you into the cabin. In addition, there are usually not many pillows and blankets on airplanes. As a result, we recommend that you board the plane early and ask the flight attendant to give you a blanket and pillow.
Use Low-Dose Sleeping Pills
This may not be the right way. So, it’s better not to prioritize this method and only go for it when you have no other option. That is, you have suffered so much insomnia that you cannot fall asleep by any means and if you reach such a point, the drugs that can help you in this case are low-dose sleeping pills. Of course, with the caveat that you should not use these drugs on short trips; because if you are supposed to be awake after the trip, these drugs will not let you. In addition, we must say that you should not take any sleeping pills without a doctor’s prescription and be sure to consult a doctor before taking them.
Don’t Look at Electronic Screens
The light from laptop and cell phone screens prevents you from sleeping. Some people think that if you look at your laptop or phone screen before bed, your eyes will be tired and you can fall asleep easily. But this keeps your brain awake and also damages your eyes. If you have no other choice, you can download the f. lux app and use this app to block the blue light from your cell phone or laptop screen to help you sleep well. But our best option is to read a book.
Concluding Remarks
In this article, we talked about tips for sleeping on a plane. Air travel, especially long trips, is one of the trips that people consider the best opportunity to rest and sleep. However, some people cannot or do not know how to experience a comfortable and restful sleep on such trips.
Some of tips for sleeping on a plane that you can do include taking sleeping pills, adjusting the seat, taking small carry-on bags, using an eye mask, choosing the right sleeping position, using a pillow and blanket, blocking noise and light, listening to soft music, and so on. Anyway, we hope this article helps you sleep comfortably on the plane.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Taking off Your Shoes a Tip for Sleeping on a Plane?
There is some disagreement on this issue, with some travelers taking off their shoes when they board a plane and others not. But taking off your shoes gets the blood flowing in your feet. Some airlines offer socks that keep your feet warm and help circulate blood to your feet.
What Is the Main Advantage of Non-Stop Flights?
On a direct flight, you don’t have to get off the plane mid-flight and transfer to another plane. This way, you can get a better night’s sleep.