Sleeping on planes......

[Cruiser Elite]

I guess sleeping on planes is a bit like eating / drinking / fornicating - we have all done it a number of times.

Prompted by a number of posts by my cobber Capt'n Snooze - AKA MEL_Traveller whose sleeping requirements are 22hrs uninterrupted or else there is zero chance of functionality for the other 2 hours - I was wondering what are the sleeping habits / reqts of other AFFers?

Personally I seldom get more than 5 hrs sleep any night I am home - so 5 or 6 hours sleep on a plane is ample for me. I always take a sleeping tablet just to make sure I do indeed get the length of sleep I require. I do 10 or so trips to China each year - MEL-SIN is ~7hrs so overnight flights I can easily get my quota. I never eat on these flts and clearly tell crew DO NOT DISTURB until must wake and change for landing.

Others? Do you sleep readily on planes? For what length of sleep? What are your habits? Aided by tablets or unaided? Both short haul and long haul as we all enjoy a nanna nap now and then.

 

[Hvr]

I sleep very well on planes. Change into the jammies, put in the ear plugs and on with the mask and I'm off in the land of nod. Slept for about 10 hours once on a LAX-SYD flight in F. I ask for the bed to be made up ASAP and the FAs are happy to oblige.

At the end of the month I'm travelling to BKK and intend to sleep most of the way. I'll finish work at 0200 and be on the 0600 flight to SYD. Definitely need to sleep on the long flight.

 

[RooFlyer]

I'm mainly TPAC, so lots of time available, but I sleep very poorly on planes. Always in J (occasionally F), therefore a bed long haul but even with a temazepam, its hit and miss. I suspect I sleep more than I think, small periods of wake-and-doze but its never a long period of complete rest. However in spite of poor sleep I usually arrive at the other side reasonably functional and can then last the day and then 'crash'.

Ear plugs, PJs but I find eye masks uncomfortable to wear. Sometimes I use a nasal spray to keep nasal passages open in the dry environment.

Before the flight I try to figure out where turbulence might be (eg equator; ask the CSM) and plan my 'best chance of' sleep either side of it, if possible. I detest meal services that start after 10pm and for night flights, I eat in the lounge, then deploy the bed as soon as I'm allowed and spend the clattery meal service time just relaxing; then I take a temazepam when the lights go out.

Zero chance of any sleep in whY nor a nap on short haul.

 

[TomVexille]

I'm usually capable of 6-7 hours of sleep in Y on a TPAC.

 

[SuzieQ68]

In J, not bad, usually a couple of drinks takes the edge off enough to get some shut eye. In Y, zero chance. Can never get comfortable enough - even with a couple of drinks. Try and take day flights as much as possible, but when you live in ADL, day flights returning from Asia are few and far between.....

 

[cambriamarsh]

My wife can do 10 hrs Tpac in Y and can sleep thru the take off roll! I wish

 

[andye]

When I was working crazy hours for the NHS my eyes would close the moment I sat down in the plane. Mrs andye not too pleased to be managing the small children solo.
Even now can easily sleep in Y flights of any duration. Obviously much prefer to be flat after a few glasses of good red on the long-haul

 

[defurax]

I sleep more on planes than at home! I usually sleep 5 and a half hours at home, but on planes I have slept up to 8 hours, even in Y!

 

[anna2103]

Have never been able to sleep on a plane, Y J or F, with or without sleeping tablets and alcohol. Even with noise cancelling headsets, the engines are just too loud and it keeps me awake. Am the same in noisy CBD hotels - hence my very use of tripadvisor to find soundproof hotels

 

[JohnK]

Sleep is natural.

Slept easily on yesterday's CNX-BKK flight. Woke only for 5-10 minutes for snack and fell asleep. Slept 2-3 hours on the BKK-SYD flight last night in 23B. And then today slept for most the SYD-BNE flight waking mainly for snack.

Sleep mainly unaided although it helps to be tired. Surprised how easily I can fall sleep before takeoff.

 

[Revolio]

Looks like I am the odd one out. I get a few 5 minute naps on anything over 7 hours ( under 7 hour flight time I don't sleep at all),- I just can't drift off. And it's always economy. So I'm always jetlagged on arrival; but always sleep 10 hours then (irrespective of arrival time).


Having just been sent a Seniors Card, the desire for long flights has diminished severely. CBR-CNS is now preferably to o/s travel. Young man's game, lol.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I guess sleeping on planes is a bit like eating / drinking / fornicating - we have all done it a number of times.

.....but not necessarily on a plane though CE. :shock:

Prompted by a number of posts by my cobber Capt'n Snooze - AKA MEL_Traveller whose sleeping requirements are 22hrs uninterrupted or else there is zero chance of functionality for the other 2 hours - I was wondering what are the sleeping habits / reqts of other AFFers?

Personally I seldom get more than 5 hrs sleep any night I am home - so 5 or 6 hours sleep on a plane is ample for me. I always take a sleeping tablet just to make sure I do indeed get the length of sleep I require. I do 10 or so trips to China each year - MEL-SIN is ~7hrs so overnight flights I can easily get my quota. I never eat on these flts and clearly tell crew DO NOT DISTURB until must wake and change for landing.

Others? Do you sleep readily on planes? For what length of sleep? What are your habits? Aided by tablets or unaided? Both short haul and long haul as we all enjoy a nanna nap now and then.

I've had a good sleep on UA in whY ages ago LAX/SYD when I had 4 seats to myself in the centre. Another good sleep NRT/ORD on UA in J for about 6-7 hours when I went to sleep after the dinner service then woke up with one hour to go when they were serving breakfast. Not surprising as the night prior was spent in transit at GUM on uncomfortable lounges at the KE Morning Calm Lounge (Priority Pass) then United Lounge after arriving ex NGO around 0030 then departing at 0700 for NRT so didn't get much sleep.

I don't take any tablets as don't have any difficulty sleeping.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

.....but not necessarily on a plane though CE. :shock:

.................bucket list!

Before I found AFF I did like 100 o/n flts to/fro PVG/PEK on SQ in Y - always took a Xanax and slept like a baby - I still do it today but mainly in F. I hate eye shades / I hate ear plugs - never use either.

Cruiserette is not a great flier - she must use motion sickness tablets - one tablet and a couple glasses Champers she could sleep ALL day without waking - go figure.

 

[medhead]

Mum has expressed the opinion that I could sleep on a barbed wire fence. I've also slept in a wide range of places. As such I do believe if you can't sleep your not tired. With cpap assistance I can get away with as little as 4 hours sleep.

But I didn't sleep through the couple going for it, in Y, in the row in front of me on a Qantas 747. Almost asked to join in but SWMBO might not have been happy.

 

[artemis]

I had one of the best sleeps of my flying life in QF PE from LAX-BNE a few weeks ago. I was expecting a grim night's sleep flying PE, but actually was so tired that I just crashed.

Had dinner and champagne in the F lounge, got on board, earplugs and blanket and slept for 7 hours straight, only woken by my seat mate who was fidgeting around. Went back to sleep for another 4 hours.

The lovely FA was very concerned because I hadn't eaten all flight and was only having the continental breakfast! She really was awesome and couldn't believe I was sleeping so soundly!

 

[tgh]

When I was young , I could sleep almost anywhere.. and often did so.
I can still manage ten hours in my own nest, and usually sleep well enough in J.
Main point of my post is the y experience..
Returning from an extremely active ,exciting, alcoholic and stressful mara expedition( I had the flu the whole time ) , I was very well lubricated prior to boarding courtesy of the Menzies lounge in JNB.
Boarding into my preselected 2x2 y hole up the back of the 747, I was surprised to find I had company.
Really interesting person , and I remember as we took off saying we should have some good conversations on the long flight back to sidderney.
T'was not to be… I remember nought 'cept the final descent into sydney…no food ,no conversation , no anything.. oblivion ruled.
One way to enjoy why.. exhaustion, illness plus alcohol.
Took me many weeks to recover..

 

[mark4217]

When I got an unexpected upgrade to F, I deliberately stayed awake the whole trip from Dubai to BNE. No way I was missing out taste testing all the menu and fine wines. My wife put her PJ's on and slept almost the whole trip.

 

[marki]

When I got an unexpected upgrade to F, I deliberately stayed awake the whole trip from Dubai to BNE. No way I was missing out taste testing all the menu and fine wines. My wife put her PJ's on and slept almost the whole trip.

Well done that's really the only time one can get hold of top quality drops!

 

[blackcat20]

Ive never slept well on a plane. A tad better in J but economy is a nightmare of me getting more and more overtired until I get quite upset and want off. I'm not looking forward to flying Y next week...

 

[leadman]

My working life means I'm doing at least 18-20 7+ hour night flights a year and I really must get that sleep in. Down to a fine art now as I found that the common "sleeping aid" tablet from Target in the US works best. Its an antihistamine, non-addictive and cheap. One hour before the flight take the tablet, have a few beers or glass of wine. Effectively as the plane takes of the seat goes down and the AY sleep mask comes on (the softest I have found, MH is like wearing an elastic band!!!!). I don't take the dinner but if I'm up I will have the breakfast. I have a success rate of around 80% which is not too bad.

Struggle with those flights around 5 - 7 hours as they are just not long enough. But NO amount of tablets would have worked a few months ago when travelling from IST to DEL. The consistent ringing of the hostess bell was incredible and had to wear the NC headphones the whole trip. Water torture would have been nicer!