How well do you sleep on planes?

[OZDUCK]

I am another awful sleeper on a plane. Even in a flat bed J seat I might get half an hour here and there if I am lucky. I use a CPAP machine but whether or not I use it on-board seems to make little difference.

 

[Cynicor]

So I’m still the sole plane sleeper! Crazy. I wonder if being insomniac makes you more likely to be an FF or vice versa

 

[Forg]

In 0A, wonderfully. Anywhere else, terribly.

Well that’s entirely what the autopilot is for, innit?

So I’m still the sole plane sleeper! Crazy. I wonder if being insomniac makes you more likely to be an FF or vice versa

I think most don’t cope with discomfort all that well, when trying to sleep; comfort doesn’t work well with max-passengers! Probably some F’s where your legs aren’t trapped even when lying flat?

 

[I love to travel]

If I drink enough about 3 hours

 

[Pvcmenace]

I'm not terribly good at all. In Y 30 minutes of sleep in every 120 minutes. On a lie flat maybe 2-3 hour blocks. No alcohol in flight helps as the need to go to the toilet is reduced that disturbs me the most.

 

[rbjhan]

Entirely depends on particular situations for me...
Sometimes I sleep great on planes, sometimes terribly....only in J though!
Y would be no sleep, which is why I don't do Y long haul.

 

[Duffa]

The "ting" of teaspoons on Royal Doulton china always wake me just when I've finally gotten over on a 7hr J flight. Who the hell drinks tea or coffee at that hour!!?

 

[Forg]

The "ting" of teaspoons on Royal Doulton china always wake me just when I've finally gotten over on a 7hr J flight. Who the hell drinks tea or coffee at that hour!!?

As with icecream, the collective societal decision regarding coffee of “can’t consume X at Y time” never made much sense to me … I’d happily have an affogato with my coffee & icecream for breakfast, supper, or any ol’ snack.

The enforced “night” onboard does annoy me though, and does make a mess of my flights. Why do we even have to have a “night” on a flight to Singapore that leaves Australia at 10am?! Now that messes with your sleep at the destination, if not onboard …

 

[VPS]

It is very variable whether I sleep on planes or not. Recent F on Emirates was great. I actually don’t mind the plane noise as it is like a brown noise and I find it soothing

 

[Justinf]

Not great. I’m not a great sleeper at the best of times.
as someone who can only get to sleep by laying on my tummy with my hands cradling my head (sounds weird, it’s difficult to explain) and toes outstretched, most J beds are not long enough for me to do that (I’m 184cm tall). The 188cm and 190cm beds don’t cut it for me.
With that, i tend to use alcohol to get to sleep and we all know it works for getting to sleep, but not for staying asleep and when i wake up, i feel worse.
nowadays i only have a small amount of booze and take my chances with eventually falling asleep on my side.
also the cabin temperature is almost always stfling. I’ve recently started taking a small fan with me on long haul flights.
I love white noise and can’t sleep without it, so the engines are soothing for me.
once from SFO to SYD in Y, I slept 10 hours sitting upright, which was almost a miracle.
The few times I have done QF F with the longer bed, I have slept quite well.

 

[Forg]

I actually don’t mind the plane noise as it is like a brown noise and I find it soothing

Dunno how well I could sleep with “the brown noise” ... !!!!

 

[itchy feet]

Cabin noise is the biggest disruption for me. Passengers wandering around, standing talking in the aisles, crew marching up and down. Heavy footsteps even from the most petite crew member. Particularly bad in Economy.

 

[Flashback]

With the assistance of drugs and a flat bed.

Surprisingly, antihistamines work best for me

I find a sleepy antihistamine (like phenergen) dries you out too much.

I do quite a bit of travel to Africa and often have to connect via ADD so means a 7 hour overnight flight which is not ideal. I'll usually eat in the lounge and then once onboard, as soon as the seat belt sign is off it's into bed mode and off I go. Usually manage 5 hours on those. Cabins are generally too warm so you wake up feeling mucky anyway.... arrivals showers are a godsend.

 

[rbjhan]

Not good at all on my CI flight from Mel to Taipei.... crying babies will do that to you!
In this case everyone....We were all exchanging looks while deplaning...
At least I was able to move to the empty seat at the very back!

 

[PumaPilot]

I find as I get older (and not wiser) that I take longer to fall asleep. and sleep lighter. In Qantas Biz in the 330, I find the seats to narrow and snuggle to sleep, I get wedged in the seat, better in the 380, I think they have a slightly wider bed. I once fell asleep out of Bangkok before take off (in smoking in economy, remember those days ?) and woke up as the Capt smacked the aircraft into Heathrow's main runway, a good 13 hours, out like a light. Not these days though. I'm off to Singapore from Brisbane in Biz then London from Singapore in Econ so I'll let you all know how I sleep on the Sing-LHR leg ! Wish me luck

 

[dajop]

then London from Singapore in Econ so I'll let you all know how I sleep on the Sing-LHR leg ! Wish me luck

Since the end of that thing that paused travels a few years ago, I've done 5 trips from SIN-Europe (2 in Y, 3 in J), and not slept a wink on any of them. But they did all leave Singapore between 11am and 2pm, so basically were day flights all the way, thus didn't really matter to me, and I wasn't even trying.

Good luck, hope you get some sleep!

 

[kiwipino]

As I've gotten older I've become worse at sleeping on planes. 7 years ago when life had me going to the US East Coast several times a year, I could sleep without any aids. I even did UA's HOU-SYD direct in Y and remember being asleep for most of the 17 hours.

Now I still choose overnight flights to maximise time off. But it's usually a hard day after because at best, the most I have gotten is maybe 3 hours on HND-SYD in Y. That's with melatonin, eye mask and ear plugs!

Have started booking day flights so I can actually enjoy my time, catch up on movies and the like.

 

[kpc]

I take sleeping tablets on overnight flights and get 4 or 5 hours (6 if lucky) sleep....not the best quality sleep, and always feel a bit groggy when I wake up.....but it is much better than no slerp at all!

 

[clifford]

I always take alcohol (hopefully of a very nice persuasion) and it gives me a few hours. In the past I've taken rohypnol and let me tell you, alcohol is 1000% better.

With alcohol, no jet lag, maybe a small hangover. I know which I prefer.

 

[zig]

I sleep very poorly anywhere except in my own bed at night ( I can't nap during daylight hours).
So on a plane (only in J) with noise, activity, new environment etc... sleep is not going to be an easy option.
I am very cautious in use of sleeping tablets, antihistamines and alcohol, so the best I can get (with judicial use of aforementioned aids) is a couple of broken hours slumber.
After an hour or so, I end up just lying quietly with ear plugs and sleep mask on, pretending to sleep, and hoping to at least relax and get some rest.
I always arrive feeling like a zombie.