My Routine and Tips for Sleeping on a Plane

My tips and my personal routine for getting sleep on a long flight

Everyone is a little different in what they need to help them get some sleep on a flight. Here’s what helps me:

• Wear comfortable clothing on your flight. Comfortable clothes will go a long way to helping you feel relaxed.
• Avoid caffeine and sugar as much as possible on travel days 
• Stay hydrated 
• Eat well. I can’t sleep if I’m starving. 
• I take one 5mg quick-dissolve melatonin tablet approximately 30 – 45 minutes before the time I want to “go to bed” for the night. 
• If possible, I try to minimize screen time once I’ve taken my melatonin. 
• Set my white noise or fan sounds app to the mix and volume that I want. 
• Plug in my earbuds 
• Put on a sleep mask 

With my sleep mask on and my white noise playing through my earbuds, I’m virtually completely blocking out all extraneous noise and light that could keep me up. I don’t play the white noise so loud that I can’t hear an announcement from the captain in the event of an emergency. 

Melatonin  

My preferred nonprescription (in the United States) sleep aid for air travel is this melatonin.

I never travel without melatonin supplements, because I prefer more natural sleep aids. But I only use this to help me sleep on a plane when I have enough time on my flight to sleep for at least a few hours.

Any less than 3 to 4 hours of sleep on melatonin tends to make me feel groggy after I wake up. Everyone is different, though, so you might want to try melatonin out at home to see what dosage works best for you or if you have any side effects like excessive grogginess the next day.

Related Post → How to Survive Long Flights in Economy

If you can get melatonin without a prescription and it works for you, I highly recommend you give it a try on your next long flight. It costs literally just a few pennies per dose, and it’s the one thing that makes it more likely I can sleep on my long flight. 

Hubby can’t take the fast-dissolve melatonin since it isn’t gluten-free, so these are the tablets he uses.

He also prefers to take no more than 2 mg, so he’ll take one or two of these 1 mg tablets to help with sleep. Plus the next item on the list… 

Earplugs 

Mack’s Pillow Soft Silicone Earplugs are virtually the only thing that made it possible for Hubby to sleep on our long overnight flights to Europe. The soft silicone helped him mold these to fit perfectly and block out distracting noises on the plane while he was trying to sleep.

They’re also popular with travelers who have trouble sleeping in hotels. They can block out ambient noise, street noise, and loud hotel neighbors. Mack’s silicone earplugs are non-toxic and non-allergenic.

Lately, Hubby has been favoring soft foam earplugs. If you prefer foam earplugs, you might like these instead. These earplugs also have a higher Noise Reduction Rating (33db) than the moldable silicone earplugs (see above). 

Noise-canceling headphones or earbuds

If earplugs aren’t for you, you might think about trying a pair of noise-cancelling headphones to help you fall asleep on your flight.  

These affordable headphones reduce ambient noise by up to 90%. They’re also a best seller on Amazon and a good value for the money. 

Since I prefer to travel carry-on only I’m always interested in cutting down on bulk when packing. So, I prefer to pack my carry-on with earbuds rather than over-ear headphones. 

When I’m ready to sleep, I turn on a free white noise or fan sounds app to block out background noise, pop in my earbuds, put on my sleep mask (see below), and off I go.

Free white noise/fan noise app 

I use a free Fan Sounds app to help me sleep when I’m traveling. I don’t just use this app on the plane either (with headphones!). It’s also perfect to help you sleep in your accommodations to cover up ambient or street noise. Or noisy hotel neighbors.

Sleep mask 

A good quality sleep mask (eye mask) is a must for me on a long-haul or red-eye flight. I’m one of those people who needs dark to sleep well.

And you never know when you’re going to find yourself seated next to someone who wants to stay up all night and keep their personal light on. Those things are annoyingly bright when I’m trying to sleep. 

This mask is adjustable, so you can get it to the pressure that’s perfect for you and completely block out light. And there’s plenty of room for your eyelashes, so you can blink freely and won’t destroy your eye makeup.  

And I don’t just use this mask on flights; it’s great for any trip, and I often use it when sleeping in hotels where there might be a lot of light coming into the room from outside, under the door, or from appliances or electronics in the room.

Travel Pillow 

If it helps you sleep on airplanes, pick up a good-quality travel pillow. Getting some sleep on your long-haul or red-eye flight can make a world of difference in beating jet lag. And a travel neck pillow can really help with that.  

I haven’t yet found one I’d prefer to pay money for and haul around with me, so I just take the free ones on the planes.

Travel Blanket 

If you’re like me and you get cold on flights…even if the person sitting next to you isn’t blasting the air…you go on the hunt for an airplane blanket as soon as you find your seat.

But…those airline blankets can be rather thin. Or by the time you board, they might all be spoken for.

This cozy fleece blanket is designed specifically for travel, but you can use it anywhere. It’s lightweight, machine washable, and small enough to roll up and stow in your carry-on bag. 

Compression socks 

If you suffer from swollen feet and legs when you travel for long periods, you might benefit from compression socks. 

Compression socks help with circulation that can slow down when seated in a confined space for a long time…like sitting in economy on a transatlantic flight, perhaps. They can make you more comfortable. And I always sleep better on a flight when I’m more comfortable.