Need help sleeping on long haul flights

WindyCityPilot

WindyCityPilot

Well-Known Member
Not sure if this is the right forum or not...mods feel free to move it if need be.

Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to get some sleep on long haul flights? I have the hardest time trying to sleep when flying on long haul flights. Are there any over the counter meds that can safely be taken to help you sleep?

Thanks!
 
WindyCityPilot said:
Not sure if this is the right forum or not...mods feel free to move it if need be.

Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to get some sleep on long haul flights? I have the hardest time trying to sleep when flying on long haul flights. Are there any over the counter meds that can safely be taken to help you sleep?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

You can take melatonin. My sister lives in Amsterdam and my parents live in Phoenix. My mom swears by the stuff. You can start taking it a few days before at a certain time during the day (I'm sure someone here probably knows more than I do about the intervals) and take some just before the flight and it will help you sleep.

For me going over there isn't a problem because the flights leave in the evening and I can sleep because it's dark. On the way back I usually party all night until about 5am and head to the airport and pass out as soon as I board. It's harder for me to sleep on the way back because you leave in the morning and it's light the whole way home.
 
WindyCityPilot said:
Not sure if this is the right forum or not...mods feel free to move it if need be.

Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to get some sleep on long haul flights? I have the hardest time trying to sleep when flying on long haul flights. Are there any over the counter meds that can safely be taken to help you sleep?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Sleeping mask
Ear Plugs or Some sort of headphones.
Stay up before you go on the flight, for me, if I have a early morning departure, I will stay up all night, sometimes, I will work in the office.

If you have a Natural Food Store near your house, for me it is called Wild Oats, they have some good stuff to help you sleep.
 
What if you took some sleep pills and then had to evacuate the aircraft in an emergency? That wouldn't be cool.
 
I know you said OTC but a Valium works wonders.
Melatonin is great too though I wouldnt start taking days before the flight. Take two right before boarding and about 30 minutes later youll find yourself peacefully relaxed and ready to snooze. Just dont take it too often, it shuts off the brains ability to make the stuff and the next thing you know you'll be a pill junky.
And booze. Drink lots o'booze.
 
Van_Hoolio said:
What if you took some sleep pills and then had to evacuate the aircraft in an emergency? That wouldn't be cool.
Click to expand...

I said sleep on the plane not be in a coma! :) Thanks for the response everyone. I think most of my problem is not being able to lay down. If I could lay down on the plane I probably could fall asleep. Not going to work back in cattle class unless I get a row to myself.
 
I might suggest that this be moved to the Flight Surgeon thread...I'd be interested in his take on sleep aids.

If you have enough time on the flight, I'm told that Ambien works wonders - a friend who routinely flies from DFW to Heathrow uses it, but he also says that the Ambien hangover can be...challenging.

I can't really drink booze and fly anymore - I get dehydrated on the flight and end up feeling worse than before I slept.

Noise cancelling 'phones help me sleep on flights, as well as getting things as dark as possible.

Finally, for me, what actually helps me the MOST is controlling my breathing. Simple rhythm absolutely helps me relax more than anything else and I can usually get into that restful mode without any trouble...

...until the #$%&^# in the row behind me uses my headrest as a handhold to get up and pee. God almighty but I hate when people do that....
 
WindyCityPilot said:
Not sure if this is the right forum or not...mods feel free to move it if need be.

Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to get some sleep on long haul flights? I have the hardest time trying to sleep when flying on long haul flights. Are there any over the counter meds that can safely be taken to help you sleep?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I take tylenol pm's with me... and eat myself silly....

then i use an eye mask and an ipod with sleep music to calm me down...but no amount of excitement or enthusiasm helps with trying to get to sleep!! i've had that happen before too.. 2 hrs after getting off the plane, i'm just wiped out because i was just too excited to sleep!
 
Etymotic ER-6i's. 30 db of noise isolation (8x reduction in ambient noise). They're essentially earplugs with speakers in them. Great sound quality. Easy to fall asleep with these on. Plus, you can actually hear and understand the inflight movie. $100. http://www.etymoticresearch.com

er6i-side.jpg
 
Kristie said:
I take tylenol pm's with me... and eat myself silly....

then i use an eye mask and an ipod with sleep music to calm me down...but no amount of excitement or enthusiasm helps with trying to get to sleep!! i've had that happen before too.. 2 hrs after getting off the plane, i'm just wiped out because i was just too excited to sleep!
Click to expand...

That's probably my problem most of the time....I really want to sleep but I know once I get there I'm going to have such a good time I'm too excited to sleep. It would be so nice to just fall asleep after takeoff and arrive refreshed and ready to go.

I do have the Bose noise cancelling headset, sleep mask, and neck pillow and I still can't sleep half the time. I have some Tylenol PM so maybe I'll give that a shot as well.

We'll see...thanks everyone for the input!
 
WindyCityPilot said:
I said sleep on the plane not be in a coma! :) Thanks for the response everyone. I think most of my problem is not being able to lay down. If I could lay down on the plane I probably could fall asleep. Not going to work back in cattle class unless I get a row to myself.
Click to expand...

I've tried Melatonin, but don't like the effect it has on me. I've heard Ambien is good. I always use earplugs and a mask.

You hit the nail on the head with the above post though. Essentially it is all about being able to relax the neck muscles. If you can get into a position to relax the neck muslces then you can get to sleep. A neck pillow helps a lot with that. The most important point though is the amount of seat recline. If it's not going beyond 150% than it's just not going to cut it for a comfortable sleep.

I just arrived in Taiwan today after 16.5 hours of travelling. The first 8 was in economy on a Cathay Pacific B777-200. Fortunately the flight was not very full and I got a good window seat with a beautiful Chinese woman. I took 5 airplane pillows and piled them up against the sidewall just above the armrest and then had two neck pillows to support my head and neck. I reclined at an angle with my feet going under the adjacent seat in front. It was just enough to get the neck muscles relaxed. The beautiful Chinese woman put her head on my lap and stretched out on the remaining two seats. We slept okay for about 4 hours.

This reminds me of a red eye flight I took from LAX when I was still working at
Flight Safety Boeing. The guy next to me was experimenting with an inflatable back support/neck support that he hoped to start selling to airline passengers. He gave me one to try out. It took the better part of 30 minutes to blow the thing up and was pretty cumbersome. Never did see it get marketed.


Typhoonpilot
 
typhoonpilot said:
I reclined at an angle with my feet going under the adjacent seat in front. It was just enough to get the neck muscles relaxed. The beautiful Chinese woman put her head on my lap and stretched out on the remaining two seats. We slept okay for about 4 hours.
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Dear Penthouse,

I never thought I'd be writing to you, but, I was on this flight to Taiwan...

;)
 
Drink a nice glass of red wine. There is something in red wine that puts you to sleep...... ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz
 
Dude, get a really difficult subject textbook. Like statistics or Quantum Physics. My one nursing textbook used to put me right to sleep. It's amazing I passed Med/Surg 2.
 
You can take an over the counter antihistamine Benadryl. I don't think Ambien is OTC. I believe you need an Rx for that.
 
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