Flying Economy: 15 Tips for a Perfect Sleep on the Plane

One of the strategies to survive long haul international flights is to sleep all the way. Here are 15 koala-proved tips to for a perfect sleep on the plane, when you are flying economy.

Choose your flight wisely.

If your goal is to sleep on the plane, then choose an evening flight 

Choose your seat wisely

1. If you realize that you are sitting next to babies, there are two opportunities for you to change your seat as soon as possible.  You can watch the video about sitting next to babies here. 
2. Avoid the seeds near the board, that’s where flight agents tend to put babies, because that’s a perfect place to put cradles
3. Book a window seat by so you can lean on the window to take a nap.  Also, you don’t need to worry about your neighbor going over you for bathroom
4. When flying economy, if you can find a roll of three empty seats in the back, you can lift the handles and sleep there.  But be quick, they go fast! 
5. Stay away from where people tend to congregate—such as lavatories, the middle area, and kitchen.

Drink wisely:

1. Stay away from alcohol, that will dehydrate you and keep you awake
2. Stay away from coffee
3. Drink a lot of water, keep hydrated.  Staying hydrated help prevent headache during jet lag.

Avoid lights

1. Most tips advice not to watch movies on the plane because of the screen.  But for me, I find that I’ve become sleepier after watching a movie. Plus, what am I doing to do with all that time flying international economy?
2. Bring an eye mask.  The cabin lights might be turned off, but you may have someone near you who wants to turn on the reading lights or suddenly open the window and you will wake up by the burning light.

Wear comfortable clothing

1. Wear something that is soft, conferrable. No button or knot in the back or on the side, as they might bump you when you lay down 
2. Wear layers that allow you to take off.  I noticed that after the meal service, the cabin temperature will suddenly get cold and hot.

The shortest international nap I had is my trip from New York to Toronto.  The flight is 30 minute and business class has laid flat seat! 

The moment the flight gets in the air, I laid down and took the shortest lay flat nap.  

There’s no time to waste!

The Wake-Up Service

Some airlines such as Korean Air asks if you would like to be wakened up for meal service.  You could tell them to let you sleep.

But Korean air also bakes chocolate cookies in the middle of the flight, I don’t want to be wakened up for meal but I want to be wakened up when the chocolate cookies are ready!

Once I flew China Southern. I was deep asleep when the flight attendant woke me up and said: dinner is ready!

It’s was still two hours from landing. Food is so important in Chinese culture, I figured that flight attendant thinks it’s an important responsibility to make sure I wake up to eat.

It reminded me of the moment when my mom pulled me, the grumpy teenager out of the bed for dinner.

Secretly, as a traveler, it touched my heart to hear “Dinner is ready!” instead of a “Mam, would you like us to serve you dinner” when away from home.

Natural supplements

If you are a woman traveling alone, or need to be driving after landing, I suggest you don’t take sleeping aids until you arrive in the hotel room.

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About me:

Hey, I’m Tess, an entrepreneur, and owner of Delicate Revolt, where I share 1. Lessons learned by an entrepreneur; 2. How to achieve energy, efficiency, and style on business travels.