Tips and tricks that work

Between the fear that some people experience on airplanes, the temperature on flights, – why is it always so cold on airplanes? The noise of the engines and the rush of carts with drinks, food, coffee and people who come and go to the bathroom, sometimes it is difficult to fall asleep. In case you have planned to make a transatlantic trip or plan to go to Asia or Australia, today I tell you how to get to sleep on a long flight and I give you a few tricks and tips that work.

Obviously, many of the tips that I will give you, are perfect if, like me, you travel in Economy class because if you have the luck – and the salary – to be able to allow you to travel in First class or in Business, the comfort of the seats, – Double beds in some case – will not make necessary some of the tricks and tips that I will give you.

Choose comfortable and wide clothes for traveling

No tight jeans or clothes that you cannot loosen. The most comfortable thing is to wear chandelle trousers, a shirt and a sweater that allows you to put more or less clothes depending on the temperature regulation of the cabin. In addition, it is convenient, especially after a long trip, to have a change of clothes, at least underwear, and a toothbrush to have the feeling of getting cleaner. (Although logically, we shower when arriving at the destination)

Choose your seat when booking

The best seats to sleep are those of the windows, which allow us to lean on them or place a pillow bent so that our heads do not fall off. Those in the corridor have the inconvenience that we will be awakened by the passengers inside, and we will probably take a hit with the food cart when the flight attendants pass by.

The seats of the area of emergency exits or those in front of the screens, may seem attractive because they give us more space for the legs but beware, it may be a mistake because for security reasons, some of them cannot be reclined the seat or the armrests cannot be raised, issues to be assessed by each one.

If you can look for rows from the front

It is no coincidence that the business and first class seats are in the front of the aircraft, since in that area the flight becomes less heavy. If possible, choose front rows in the tourist class area since you usually hear less of the engine, tend to vibrate less in case of turbulence and tend to have less traffic from other passengers than the rear area.

Also, avoid as much as possible to be close to the area of toilets or bathrooms of the plane because on a long trip, you will get sick of seeing and hearing people waiting, talk etc. and the noise of opening and closing the doors.

Other things that help to sleep

As I already told you when giving you the tips to make a long flight more bearable, there are certain things that can help us to sleep like reading books (paper, light from electronics or tablets can hinder the conciliation of sleep), wearing masks or headphones to isolate ourselves from light and noise, or it may even be good for us to take a sleeping pill or take a capsule with melatonin.

The travel pillows that wrap around the neck and the blankets to feel warm also come in handy . Trick: If you touched the middle seat between window and aisle, you can use the pillow putting it upside down to support the chin and avoid neck pain.

Try to get sleepy on the flight

At the time of choosing the flight schedule, -if we have that option- night flights will be good when we are already predisposed to sleep. Thus, when taking off we will be already wishing to sleep and we will do it without difficulty after dinner on board.

Drinks on board

When the flight attendants come with dinner, I always ask to drink water and also wine or beer, which makes me sleep more and of course I do not drink coffee or sodas with caffeine that I can reveal.

I hope that with these simple tricks and tips to sleep on a long flight will help you survive you next long flight. I hope your next trip by plane is like a trip in time when you wake up almost when you are arriving at your destination.