If you’re like me, it doesn’t matter if your flight is 24 hours long.  If I doze off for 20 minutes here and there, it will be a lot.  So I’m heading down to a conference (you know- the 7am starts and 10pm end times with little, if any free time during the day) and plan on trying some of these tips since my 3am wake up call will probably not leave me in a bright and cheerful mood.

So what are the 10 top tips to falling asleep on a plane?

  1. Avoid caffeine before the flight– yes, that means no coffee, tea and no chocolate
  2. Forget the booze before the flight- Studies have shown that drinking alcohol within 1 hour of a flight can dehydrate you, leave you groggy if you can fall asleep and make you need to use the restroom.
  3. Read a BOOK- not your email on your smart phone or Ipad.  The screen emits a blue-ish light that messes with our body’s natural sleep hormones
  4. An eye mask and ear plugs will help you cancel out the background light and noise.
  5. Bring a neck pillow and grab a blanket and pillow (if your airline even still offers them)
  6. Try to book the best seat possible— falling asleep in a middle seat in coach may be downright impossible.  If it’s a long flight- book business/first class or at least, the extra legroom seats.
  7. Recline your seat to help you get a bit more comfortable.
  8. Take your shoes off (or at least loosen them up).  Be mindful of your neighbors and wear clean socks
  9. Hit the bathroom before the flight so you don’t need to wake up in the middle to use it
  10. If all else fails, take a sleep aid.  I usually will take ambien but if you haven’t tried a prescription sleep medication before,  don’t use your flight to try it out first.  There are things like melatonin or dramamine or even benadryl that can cause you to feel sleepy.  Again, check with your doctor before trying and try it out before your flight.

Do you have any travel tips to share with us?  If you send them to info@myvacationlady.com, we might publish it on our Tuesday Travel Tips or in another blog post.

Thanks for reading

Mindy

My Vacation Lady

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