Help! Can’t get to sleep J & F

[Princess Fiona]

I recently had 4 flights in TG business class. SYD-BKK-HKG-BKK-CNX.

I wanted to enjoy the flights. Stay awake, watch some movies and play some games. Problem is I slept through most of each flight as I was extremely tired. The sleep I had was similar to the sleep I have in economy.

Not perfect sleep but wasted valuable miles on an experience I didn't get to enjoy.

But surely a restful experience on any flight is the goal so I can’t see why I would consider this waste of miles ?

 

[JohnK]

But surely a restful experience on any flight is the goal so I can’t see why I would consider this waste of miles ?

The sleep was the same as I get in economy. If I fly business class I fly to enjoy the experience.

 

[Matt_01]

I always struggle to sleep on aircraft, even after working all day, and getting on at night e.g. xUSA or most of Asia only ever seem to get a couple of hours.

 

[Cossie]

Sleep when you have to, don't force it as you know that the harder you try, the less sleep you'll get!

 

[leadman]

With the workload i'm under at the moment, i put my seat down as we took off and slept 6 hours from MEL > HKG. Problem was it was the morning flight! Slept through breakfast and lunch and the CS said i was too peaceful to wake. Agree with Cossie, sleep when your body tells you to.

 

[andye]

I find reading a book is better than watching films to lead to a decent sleep.
I still struggle in the new timezone even when well-rested though

 

[Anna]

Yes I also find it can be hard to sleep even in J or F.

So when considering what cabin class to book, I have removed 'better sleep' as a factor in thinking about booking a higher class cabin. Consequently I have travelled a lot more in Y even long haul, have saved shedloads of $$ and have been perfectly happy.

It's very annoying to have forked out a lot of money for J in the hope of getting a decent rest, only to find there is a snorer or a baby in the cabin or leadfooted cabin crew who all ensure you get repeatedly woken up.

I still sometimes fly J, even pay cash for J, but always for a different reason than hoping to be able to sleep.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Everyone is different. I tend to be able to sleep on a barbed wire fence, so even whY is no barrier. J is better and F ... I'm yet to try

My biggest problem in life (which amusingly is not really my problem) is that I most fear snoring loudly, or worse ... awaking to find myself dribbling over my neighbours shoulder!

 

[leadman]

I'm a shocking snorer. I've had a few dirty looks over my years of sleeping on aircraft and i think i know why!

 

[trooper]

I find a non prescription sleep aid called Restavit to work well..for ME. Eyemask sure... and REALLY good "injection formed" EARPLUGS. Without those Id have no chance of sleeping.... even the newer aircraft have too much noise for me....

 

[Mike65]

Ditto Trooper. Restavit seems to work pretty well for me and I am a light sleeper who has tried Temazapam etc with no success. OTC 20 tabs for about $12. Just test first. I tried 1 tab at home and was still groggy 15 hours later. Half a tab seems OK for me - I can't remember anything after sitting down on my last night flight until several hours in.

 

[Simsy85]

I had this issue once in seat 1A on a AirNZ AKL-LAX - Hostie bought be a standard size bottle of Baileys and told me to have at it till I fell asleep...

In all seriousness though, I find it easier to fly in Y than J or F - maybe its FOMO or something like that? I want to enjoy the pointy end as much as possible. I flew UA J a few months back SYD to LAX and didn't sleep a wink. Flew Y back, fell asleep just after take off, woke up over NZ. It was fantastic.

 

[Simsy85]

Ditto Trooper. Restavit seems to work pretty well for me and I am a light sleeper who has tried Temazapam etc with no success. OTC 20 tabs for about $12. Just test first. I tried 1 tab at home and was still groggy 15 hours later. Half a tab seems OK for me - I can't remember anything after sitting down on my last night flight until several hours in.

I've used restavit on the ground and I find its good if I take half a tablet (careful, it is strong - anymore and im 'hung over') next time you are in the states, they have OTC meds called sleep aide - its a light antihistamine that isn't too bad.

 

[BenSQ380]

I don't lie flat in lie flats any more. A bit of angle helps me. In ear headphones that are comfy to lie on are great to block out noise with the right playlist. I don't take any pills - I'm not opposed to it, I've just worked out what works for me.

I seek to enjoy the perks of pointy end early in the flight and then get some sleep if it's an overnighter.

If in Y, an inflatable neck pillow with a no inflation part behind the neck is my go to.

 

[juddles]

I don't lie flat in lie flats any more. A bit of angle helps me. ...

Completely agree - being tall the lie-flat actually means lie-bent. If I have to be bent I find it slightly more comfortable trying to get some sort of fetal position.

 

[juddles]

...My biggest problem in life ... is that I most fear ... awaking to find myself dribbling over my neighbours shoulder!

I have not yet managed this feat in modern J cubicles, but if I did, that would truly be a spectacle

 

[FreddyFattler]

I usually can't get a decent sleep however on my last trip I took the 10amish SYD-BKK I was out before the plane took off.

No pills just exhaustion, I was working night shift in the weeks leading up to the flight and although I had a couple of days off before flying, I had a heap to do around home before going away.

So by the time I got on the flight id been up almost 24 hours....im sure the rest of the J cabin didn't appreciate it, but man I arrived in Bangkok feeling good!

 

[Hvr]

I usually can't get a decent sleep however on my last trip I took the 10amish SYD-BKK I was out before the plane took off.

I've slept in J on this flight many times. I've been known to take a pair of QF PJs with me and changed ASAP and slept most of the way there. Never been a problem and can't see why any other pax would care.

 

[Stoffel]

I'm a shocking snorer. I've had a few dirty looks over my years of sleeping on aircraft and i think i know why!

You weren't the guy in the Melbourne international business lounge sawing wood a few weekends ago? I had headphones on and could still hear him from across the room!

I'm another one who struggles to sleep in J. The only times I've had any decent sleep was when I was dog tired after a full day and simply couldn't stay awake any longer. When I try to "force" myself to sleep, it doesn't work. So for me, I only sleep when tired. Having said that, I do think that a few hours horizontal with your eyes closed is much better than nothing, and you probably will doze off without knowing it.

I've also found the cabin temperature to be too high for sleep on most QF flights I've been on, especially with the thick blanket they give you. I've started bringing a small bed sheet from home and use that instead. Makes a difference for me.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

There are people who can literally sleep on anything, anytime, anywhere. But we are not all the same. I have a hideous problem - I am 6'7" and only like sleeping face down. And being so blooming tall my usual habit, which my body is accustomed to, is not only sleeping face down, but having my feet out of the end of the bed. Try that one on any airline seat/bed!!

There are some good seats for tall people... TG's 'old' F (10F configuration), row 1, allows sleep on stomach with feet hanging off the end! But modern cubicles have mostly put an end to that. The best seats I find are reverse herringbone (CX for example) and the apex suite (JL, KE, WY). The window seats on those apex suites have a bed length of 7 or so feet (maybe a bit more). Surprisingly Air China's A332s business class, while lacking privacy, have a bed length of 80 inches. Allows stomach sleeping comfortably.

Worst seats for tall people? The EK/TG staggered box variety in business. And NH's F squares... which seem to be around 6 foot long. One of the worst sleeps out there