Choosing the best seat for sleeping
The best seat to sleep is a window seat, not only for the reason of being able to put your head against the wall to sleep in a somewhat more comfortable way but also because you can’t get interrupted by people wanting to pass by you to go to the toilet. Only downside is, if you wake up and really need to go to the toilet you will have to bother 2 people. In case you don’t care that much about other people, then this isn’t a problem.
The aisle seat can be a great option, you have easy access to the toilets, as you don’t have to bother anyone. But for people like me, who can’t sleep while sitting straight, this can be kind of troublesome. You have those U shaped pillows but they just aren’t made for me.
Also a quick note: Some seats can’t recline due to a toilet wall behind them, be sure to check Seat guru to be sure you can recline and if it is actually a good seat.
My preferred sleeping method
So I get myself a window seat, I take of my big sweater to use as an extra pillow to sleep against the window, and I put my backpack where my feet are supposed to be so I kind of extend the seat enough so I can have more of a laying down feeling. If you can’t have a window seat I would recommend going totally in the middle of the plane as it is not possible to bother anybody there that have to pass you when wanting to go to the toilet.
Also when just having taken off, I would go into the bathroom, wash my face a bit and put on my pajama to give me just that extra bit of comfort. But between you and me, all of this makes my plane rides a lot more comfortable, but I’ve never been able to truly sleep on a plane, sadly enough. The most I could sleep was probably 20-30 minutes, but I don’t really know if I actually slept are was just lost in thoughts for so long. ^^”
General guidelines
- Choose a good seat;
- Don’t drink coffee before and on the plane;
- Bring an extra pillow (maybe a U pillow);
- Use your bag to rest your feet on to have more of a couch feeling;
- Use noise cancelling headphones (although an expensive solution);
- Dress comfortably (I often switch to my pajama on the plane);
- Recline your seat (but think about the person behind you);
- Use an eye-mask, the less light, the higher the chance you’ll be able to fall asleep;
- If you have a pillow with you, use some lavender on it.
And only if you really need sleep, try sleeping aid, although I will never recommend to take sleeping aid without having a good thought about it. Forcing your body to go to sleep by taking drugs isn’t healthy.
If you don’t have noise canceling headphones, try normal over ear headphones as they block out at least a small amount of the sound. Even the smallest amounts can add up to a greater chance that you will be able to reach dreamland before you reach your land of destination.
Staying healthy
Whilst it may be fun to sleep through a 16 hour flight on your way to Japan, by example. Being in a airplane isn’t really as healthy which have been quite noticeable due to the 2020 thing that’s going on. To protect yourself you should keep washing your hands, use mouth masks, use an alcohol cloth on the entertainment screen and controls which you will be touching a lot and maybe get yourself a sleeping bag liner, they are thin so they don’t take up much space whilst protecting your body from the things around you.
