How To Sleep On An Airplane

Reid counting sheep on an airplane

I am not the world’s best sleeper regardless of the circumstances. I have had trouble sleeping at night as far back as I can remember. I’m very sensitive to noise, light and other disturbances (mainly all of the thoughts racing through my mind). Because of that I often suffer from insomnia and tend to be grouchier then the average person in the morning. On the other side there is Reid, who falls asleep at the drop of a hat and can sleep through a space alien attack. Yup- suffice it to say it can be pretty frustrating to be married to such a good sleeper when you are a crummy one!

Because of my sensitive sleep habits, sleeping on planes does pose an issue. Granted, I was in the process of getting better and was starting to find it MUCH easier to some Z’s on planes and then BabyTravels came along, but that is a whole different story. Anyways, I wanted to share some of my sleeping on airplane tips for those who may still be struggling. Keep in mind theses tips are things that help me, so if you have your own suggestions please share!

Bring a U-Pillow. These bad boys have saved my life on many plane rides. It’s really the standard of my plane sleeping strategy. Can you imagine sitting in the middle seat on a red-eye and trying to sleep without one of these magnificent life-savers? Near impossible. You can wear them the traditional way, use it to lean against the window, or if the person in front of you is not reclining their seat (never happens) you can put it down on the tray table and sleep face down with your face in the hole.

Make a sleeping playlist. Before leaving home create a playlist on your preferred music device of songs that you know are soothing and can put you to sleep. One of my friends growing up told me that the best music to fall asleep to is music you don’t know- that way you won’t find yourself singing it in your head. Some great classical or instrumental music may do the trick as well.

Choosing the right seat. Well I rarely have any say about where my seat is when I board a plane but if I did- I would first decide what my priorities are. If it’s most important for it to be darker and quieter I would choose a seat as close to the bulkhead as possible (or even better first class). However, if it’s more important to me to be able to spread out I might choose a seat toward the back of the plane because less people are likely to choose those seats and you may just find yourself with an empty seat next to you or even more lucky to find two empty seats next to you. Use caution because it will be noisier toward the back because of lavatories or galleys (it really depends on the layout of the plane) and most flights these days are overbooked, which means less empty seats, even in the back.

Positive thoughts, relaxing your mind, loose clothing, bringing a blanket, and using sleeping pills are also tips and suggestions I have heard from others. But it really just depends on your personal sleeping style and taking the time to plan out what is going to help you relax and snooze on your flight.