The struggle to sleep on a plane is real: in fact, recent research found that only 5% of us are capable of doing so.
But is the feat of sleeping while on the move, 35,000 feet in the air, beyond the other 95% of us – or are there measures we can implement in order to change our fortunes and actually sleep on a plane for longer than 10 pathetic minutes? According to Martin Seeley, CEO and sleep expert at MattressNextDay, it's the latter.
The beginning of this journey starts with one cotton-clad step: that is, packing a pair of comfy, warm socks in your hand luggage, as Seeley recommends. It might seem like a trivial measure, but science has shown that keeping your feet warm through wearing bed socks can radically improve your sleep quality. In a study, the number of awakenings during the night was 7.5 times lower in the group of subjects that did wear the socks compared to the group that did not.
Other additions in your aviation sleep kit should include an eye mask, in order to block out the light from various sources (a window, or the glare of a neighbour's TV or iPad screen). Seeley recommends, particularly, you find a variety with moulded eyes as opposed to the standard-fare one provided at your seat on long-haul flights.
The other item to pack is a memory foam travel pillow. Albeit a somewhat bulkier addition – a velcro tie fastened around a bag handle works wonders, we find – this little squishy cushion will provide one hell of a home comfort when it's time to nod off. If you really can't bring yourself to lug a pillow around, try wearing a big scarf in a soft material like cashmere which can then be folded up as a makeshift pillow for the flight.
Another item that you might not have thought about is a pair of over-ear noise-cancelling headphones, in order to block out cabin noise. Sure, your wireless AirPods or equivalent may serve you well when you're out and about in everyday life, but given that they have a habit of falling out when you're shuffling about and may easily get trapped in a tight space underneath a plane seat (yours or someone else's!), this is far from the best choice to fly with, advises Seeley.
To give you that extra sleep-enhancing boost, download a white noise track to play while you're flying. Numerous studies have pointed to the benefits of white noise for aiding deep sleep.
