How do you sleep on airplanes?

[SmackFu]

I'm taking a vacation to Europe next week, which means I have to deal with the stupid overnight plane flight again. (I'm glad I have the chance to make the complaint, don't get me wrong.) The flight leaves JFK at 9:30 PM and arrives at 11 AM or so, so I'm completely screwed if I don't sleep on the plane. We're talking roughly 32 hours of being awake if I did the math right, which is just rough.

So the problem with sleeping on the plane is that I just can't do it. No matter what I've tried on various flights, I just can't get any decent sleep. Part of it has to do with it being way to early to go sleep, until most of the way through, so I'm just not tired. Damn my night-person-ness. And then there's the whole deal with just barely fitting my knees under the seat in front. Makes relaxing tough?

Any sleep tips from frequent travelers? Or ways to deal with the time difference and such if I don't get any sleep on the plane?

[In Conceivable]

Have a couple of drinks?

You are going to be on the plane about 13 hours? Why not take a couple of Sominx or Tylenol PM (No drinks if you take the Tylenol). That is what I usually do. They wear off on me in about 8 or 9 hours. I don't know if I would take them if I didn't know how my body would react to them though.

Maybe bring a pillow. Try to get a window seat so you have something to lean on. Bring a sleep mask to cover your eyes and some ear plugs.

[UncleBill]

As soon as the door closes on the airplane, set your watch to the time at the destination, and do things according to that time. Give you a jump start on jet lag. But in this case, sleep as soon as you can. Set up some sign that you do not wish to be disturbed if asleep. Buy one of those horseshoe looking pillows, it can make sleeping in coach much more possible. Bring earplugs. Don't be shy about getting a blanket.

[Bryan Ekers]

I prefer to sleep in the airplane, myself.

[samarm]

Which city are you flying to? If its western Europe the flight should take about 8 hours (based on my memory of flying it before).

Your height makes a BIG difference. I'm just over six feet tall (not particulularly tall by anyone's standards) and I have real trouble getting a good night's sleep on long haul flights.

One tip I can give you is try to get to the airport early and get a seat just behind one of the dividing walls, and get an aisle seat. After everyone has settled down on the flight, you should be able to get your legs stretched out (using a bit of the aisle) and get at least some sleep.

Having a couple of drinks is good advice, but don't drink too much. The pressure in the cabin means that you become dehydrated, and alcohol dehydrates your body anyway. The combination of these factors can make you end up feeling rough by the time you get off at the other end.

[kanicbird]

melatonin
5-htp

[Ruby]

An OTC antihistimine can also make you drowsy. I'll second that blanket thing. It's hard to sleep if you're body is chilly.

[SmackFu]

Thanks all.

In Conceivable: It's 13 hours on the clock, but only 7.5 hours in realtime with a 5 or 6 hour time change.

UncleBill: But then I'll miss the food! I've seen people do that hardcore though, to the point of fully reclining across 3 seats in the center aisle of a 747, before we even left the ground. I think I'll try the horseshow pillow though. Last trip I flew Virgin and they gave complimentary mask and earplugs (they rock). I'd never tried that before and that worked very well for the isolation. You just don't realize how loud those planes are in particular. But the seats were still so damn uncomfortable I couldn't sleep, so maybe the pillow would help that.

samarm: Paris is the destination. I'm about 6 foot, so my slouched down posture on a plane is essentially the same as my normal one, regrettably.

I'm toying with the idea of getting up at some unholy hour that morning, like 4 AM. Then work all day, go to the airport, and be exhausted by the time I get on the plane. Could it work?

[Grelby]

How do I sleep on airplanes? Very uncomfortably.

In all seriousness, I slept on a 3 hour hop once, even. Of course, it helps that I got to Montreal (I was flying out of Mirabel) at about 7 or 8 in the evening, and to sleep at about midnight (if at all - most uncomfortable hotel bed ever). And then had to be at the airport by 4:00 in the morning. Yeah...

[chique]

Originally posted by SmackFu
I'm toying with the idea of getting up at some unholy hour that morning, like 4 AM. Then work all day, go to the airport, and be exhausted by the time I get on the plane. Could it work?

Absolutely. That's what I did when I flew to Spain. I stayed up packing all night the night before, stayed awake for my Minneapolis-Newark leg, and by the time I got on my 8 p.m. Newark-Madrid flight I was shot. Put on the mask, put the pillow under my head, leaned up against the bulkhead, listened to them announce they'd be teaching us how to use the 777's personal entertainment system in just a few minutes.....and the next thing I knew we were descending.

I was really REALLY dehydrated when I got off the plane, but at least I had slept well.

[Landshark]

Sleeping on airplanes? I don't. Period. Never been able to.

You'd think the continuous drone from the engines during a red-eye flight would act as white noise and help me sleep, but it never has.

I've never been able to pinpoint why I can't sleep on planes.

So, my flying to Chile from Los Angeles and back last year to visit family was a highly mixed experience. The Lan Chile flight crews were great and the food was actually quite good, but there was no sleeping during the entire 12-hour overnight flights there and back. As soon as I was at my sister and brother-in-law's place in Chile and as soon as I got home I collapsed into bed and slept for about 5 hours then had a regular full night's sleep later in the day and was fully functional the next day.

[scr4]

Originally posted by SmackFu
I'm toying with the idea of getting up at some unholy hour that morning, like 4 AM. Then work all day, go to the airport, and be exhausted by the time I get on the plane.

Maybe, but I found it doesn't work for me. If you try too hard to get to sleep, it just stresses out more and I can't sleep. Why not just get more sleep than usual the night before? Then if you don't get any sleep on the plane it won't be too bad.

Stabilizing your head with some kind of pillow does help. Alcohol helps too.

[Booker57]

I feel for all you people. Airplanes, Busses, Boats. Sleep comes easy to me. Genes must play a big part. Dad slept through an auto accident. NO he was not driving.

Any and all things you can do to woo Morpheus is good.

[TVGuy]

When I take a red-eye (which is regularly, since I prefer to fly overnight) I usually down about four Tylenol PM's about a hour before boarding and then stuff earplugs in after we're all done with the briefings and the "ready to take off" and "flight attendents please be seated" announcements.

That and staying curled up in a window seat (first class preferably, but if coach, I try to ge the very BACK of the plane) with a couple of blankets usually does the trick for me. The blankets and curling up also are a cue to the flight attendents not to bug you at 3:30 AM for peanuts and a coke...

[Jimson Jim]

I, like Booker57, am gifted with the talent to sleep just about anywhere. That being said those trans Atlantic fights are a pain. My best trick, exercise the day you fly. If I have a chance I go for a good run about 5 hours before the flight. Stretch and cold down really well. Then have a light meal. Bring your own pillow or else you'll need two or three of the airline pillows. If you can bring your own blanket.

[Fretful Porpentine]

Wish I had some tips for you, but the only time I've ever been able to sleep on an airplane is when there's an empty seat next to me and I can curl up on both seats. I can't sleep sitting up, ever.

I've resigned myself to drinking lots of coffee and doing low-energy stuff (e.g. a bus tour of the city) on the first day. Maybe that will help?

[Judith Prietht]

My sister figured out the best way to sleep on an airplane was to travel with someone she knew so she could use them as a pillow. She is also blessed with the ability to sleep anywhere. When we would fly together from Boston to Hawaii in college she would sit in the window seat, take off her skirt (she wasn't really a pants person), wrap herself in several blankets, jam a pillow into my elbow and sleep the sleep of ages. I was always up reading because I can't fall asleep on airplanes.

I've tried the strategy of getting up early and doing a lot of things, but I found I got pretty wired about going on the trip and my adrenaline took over. It's worth a shot, though. Isn't it also important to get up, stretch and walk around a bit during the flight, to avoid those cattle car blood clots? When you get to your final destination, no matter how wiped out you are, stay up and do things until it's an appropriate time to go to bed. It makes all the difference the next morning, and you'll adjust a lot quicker. Have a great vacation! I'm jealous.

[gigi]

Originally posted by Jeffwc
I've never been able to pinpoint why I can't sleep on planes.

For me it used to be because I felt if I fell asleep, the plane would fall out of the sky. Lately I've been fine though, and found that Dramamine will put you right out. I had to get it in place of my favorite, Bonine, and it knocked me out for a good long nap.

[D_Odds]

Like a few others, all I do is close my eyes, and I can be asleep before the plane leaves the gate. I can even wake up to get a bite to eat and fall back asleep. But I can fall asleep nearly anytime, anywhere. The only times I have a problem sleeping are short hops (<3 hours) on late morning (after 9AM) and late afternoon flights (after 4PM)

[Urban Ranger]

I am thoroughly trained to take airplane trips. As soon as I settle down in my seat, I can fall asleep. Then, almost without error, I will wake up just before meals. So when I get to my destination, I will have some good sleep and a full stomach.

[Achernar]

I can usually fall asleep in an airplane, but I find that staying awake for 24 hours prior to the flight helps. Of course, in order to do that, you'd have to ruin your whole sleep schedule, which is exactly what you'd like to avoid.

[capybara]

Lord, I can NOT sleep on planes or sitting up on trains, not matter how comfortable I try to be and what kind of drugs I take. If I try to exhaust myself beforehand I'm just. . even more exhausted and destroyed.
This summer I had BAD trip-- I'm on the west coast and had to get up at 5 AM for the flight-- could not sleep at all and got into Brussels at 10Am Brussels-time the next day or however it works (14 hour flight?), then had to do this train ordeal, get to Antwerp, find my place to stay, and go take a placement language exam at 3 PM. Hellish day.
These days I just try to keep busy on the plane-- if I try to sleep I'll go insane with frustration. I feel for you. I'm too nervous about. . . strange events. . . to take any real tranquilizers or anything on a plane. You never know when you might have to go down that funky slide thing in the middle of the ocean?

Good luck.

[OMO]

Two Tylenol PMs and two mini-bottle beverages of your choice...consumed ASAP thereafter.

I'm batting .900 with this method...compare to maybe .050 prior.

[Urban Ranger]

The probability of getting killed in a plane crash is much lower than that of getting killed in a car accident. Relax.

[occ]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
The probability of getting killed in a plane crash is much lower than that of getting killed in a car accident. Relax.

No offense, but has this ever reassured *anyone*?

I think the reason people are nervous about planes is that they aren't in control of the plane. Sure, you might be more likely to get in a car accident, but you would at least be in control (assuming you're driving).

Ah well, sorry for the hijack.

[happyheathen]

25 miligrams triazalom (halycion) - see your doctor - the stuff hits fast, burns off fast - perfect for your use.

IANAMD, I just use the stuff

[tsarina]

During an overnight flight to Germany last year I downed a couple of Tylenol PMs, and I managed to catch about an hour and a half of sleep, which was better than nothing. I'm another one of those people who can never fall sleep in a moving vehicle, or while sitting upright.

Try and stay awake as long as possible when you get to your destination, at least until 7 or 8:00 pm local time. You'll sleep like a baby and be fully refreshed the next morning.

Have an awesome trip!

(I'm also looking for tips on how to sleep on flights without the benefit of booze, because I'll still be only 20 when I fly to Hungary in December...)