Funnily enough, on my recent budget red-eye flights to and from Indonesia, I slept better than I expected. I’m typically not a good plane sleeper, so what changed?
I noticed I had let go of my idea of “the perfect flight sleep,” which for me involves earplugs, an eye mask, a neck pillow and a reasonable seat recline. I had none of these things, but told myself it was no big deal. This helped me relax enough to rest, and ultimately nod off on the plane.
Curious about how this happened, I reached out to sleep psychologists. They said it wasn’t surprising. It turns out the thoughts running through your head can make it harder to sleep on planes ― especially if they end up becoming rigid rules.
In other words, placing expectations or pressure on yourself to sleep often backfires, according to Caroline Jennings, a clinical psychologist who holds a certification in behavioral sleep medicine.
These beliefs may sound like, “If I don’t get enough sleep on this flight, the vacation/conference/event I’m flying to will be terrible on that first day.” Or perhaps, “I’ve spent so much money on this vacation, so I need to sleep so I feel refreshed and not waste any moment of it.”
Maybe you’ve upgraded to a flatbed seat and researched the best pillow online only to find you’re not drifting off. Or you might anticipate being woken up anyway throughout the duration of your flight.
It’s not totally your fault for thinking this way. From an evolutionary standpoint, humans will not sleep well if they detect a threat.
“The threat activates the fight, flight or freeze response, which is protective if there’s a threat. We’re going to be a little bit more on guard. We’re going to be monitoring the environment. We’re going to be keeping our wits about us,” Jennings said.
When you introduce sleep expectations, it piles pressure on you to sleep. “When you’ve put that pressure of ‘I need to sleep, it’s really important that I do,’ you’ve sort of introduced this threat, ‘You better sleep, or else!’” Jennings explained.
The threat causes you to feel anxious, upset and frustrated, which makes it more difficult to fall asleep or sleep well.
Putting conditions on your sleep ― like needing a certain pillow ― can also make it harder for your body to fall asleep if those conditions aren’t met. “If you do run into a situation where you don’t have that pillow or that seat, you’re going to convince yourself that you’re not going to be able to sleep. That’s going to spike your anxiety, and then you won’t be able to sleep,” said Daniel Kessler, a clinical psychologist who holds a certification in behavioral sleep medicine.
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The Almost Too-Simple Hack That Fixes This Problem
What can you do about this so you can get good rest? Stop trying. Seriously, that’s it.
“Ask anyone who’s had a sleepless night, or anyone with insomnia, [they’ll tell you] no amount of wishing or praying or hoping for sleep puts you to sleep,” Jennings said. “Instead, you have to set up the circumstances to sleep and then let it happen naturally.”
Here’s how, according to Jennings and Kessler:
Take reasonable steps to make your flight more comfortable.
Bring earplugs, a pillow, and an eye mask; dress in layers to account for temperature changes; and pick a window seat, Jennings advised. Because airplane air is naturally drier (for a reason!), keep yourself well-hydrated, opting for water instead of alcohol and caffeine, which can affect your sleep, according to Kessler.
Lower or remove expectations.
Accept that an airplane isn’t your normal sleep environment, so it’s not necessarily easy for your brain to drift off right away. “Your body is meant to sleep, but it’s not meant to sleep at any time under any circumstances,” Jennings said.
“Take that pressure off and say, ‘I’m gonna relax. I’m gonna rest,’” Kessler said. “‘If I fall asleep, great. If I don’t fall asleep, that’s OK.’”
Before the flight, get your sleep.
Jennings advised trying to get sufficient sleep the day before you travel, instead of staying up late to pack, for example. It can help take the pressure off you having to sleep on the plane and can also help you weather any potential jet lag.
Plan activities to do for the duration of the flight.
Bring enough activities to keep yourself occupied for the entire flight, Kessler said. It gives you something to switch your attention toward if you’re frustrated and feel anxiety bubbling from not being able to sleep.
Jennings suggested giving in to being awake and soaking up your flight: “You’re not sleeping, but you now have this chunk of time to do something you enjoy, to catch up on movies or make progress on a book, or learn a foreign language.”
“By giving in to being awake and accepting it, it’s going to lower that pressure to sleep, distract you from your worries, and ultimately, that may be just the thing that allows you to fall asleep,” she said.
