Should I stay awake on flight?

Start adapting your sleep-wake rhythm during your flight. This means that you can relax and sleep on the plane when flying eastward. If you are flying west in the other direction, however, you should try to stay awake in the plane, as hard as it may be.



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“If you're landing when people are awake in the middle of the day, that's what you want to do, too. Sleep as much as you can on the plane,” she says. “If you're going to be landing at night, do your best to stay awake on the plane and sleep at your destination.”

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“If you're landing when people are awake in the middle of the day, that's what you want to do, too. Sleep as much as you can on the plane,” she says. “If you're going to be landing at night, do your best to stay awake on the plane and sleep at your destination.”

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Try to Sleep During the Flight
One of the best ways to minimize jet lag is to try and sleep during the flight. Using earplugs, eye masks, or noise-cancellation headphones helps to block out light and noise.

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Long-haul pilot and flight safety specialist at Balpa (the British Airline Pilots Association) Stephen Landells recommends drinking plenty of water on the plane, eating lightly but at sensible times and trying to avoid caffeine or other stimulants.

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The key to beating jet lag begins with hydration. Flying alone dehydrates the body, and consuming dehydrating liquids will increase fatigue. Remaining hydrated allows the body to better process foods, which becomes more difficult at altitude. Along those same lines eating lightly will assist in this effort.

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Our top tips for sleeping on a plane
  1. Bring your own pillow and/or blanket.
  2. Wear comfortable clothes.
  3. Use a sleep mask.
  4. Follow your usual bedtime routine as close as possible when you're on the plane.
  5. Invest in a pair of noise-canceling headphones or earplugs.


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How do you survive a 5 am flight?
  1. Pack Strategically According to your Travel Day Itinerary. ...
  2. Prioritize Shower + Personal Care the Night Before. ...
  3. Pre-Set Your Travel Day Outfit. ...
  4. Go to Sleep Early. ...
  5. Check In the Day Before. ...
  6. Get TSA Pre-check Access. ...
  7. Weigh Your Bags at Home. ...


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Take a melatonin pill. That's the hormone that our bodies use to put us to sleep naturally. Pop the pill a few hours before the flight.

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Cheaper fares Airline revenue managers know this too, and that's typically why the first flight of the morning is the cheapest one. There's much less demand to fly at 6 a.m. than there is at, say, 9 a.m., and that reality is often reflected in the fares charged for a given route.

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Before your flight, keep an eye on the seat map to see if there are any empty rows you can claim last minute.
  1. Use those air miles to upgrade. ...
  2. Shell out for premium economy. ...
  3. Prepare for jet lag. ...
  4. De-stress before you arrive. ...
  5. Pack plenty of face masks. ...
  6. Buckle your seat belt over your blanket. ...
  7. Pack an eye mask.


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13 Tips for Surviving a Long-Haul Flight
  1. Choose your seat. ...
  2. Power up. ...
  3. Get comfy. ...
  4. Bring some snacks. ...
  5. Always bring a scarf or shawl. ...
  6. Pack a pillow and blanket. ...
  7. See no evil, hear no evil. ...
  8. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.


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Prevention. Most people don't need to worry much about clots on short flights. But if you're already at risk for clots and you plan to take a plane trip that's longer than 6 hours, you can do a few things to avoid them. Get up and walk around every 2 to 3 hours.

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Taking a melatonin supplement when you first get on a flight— if traveling overnight—is a great way to ease yourself to sleep, so you wake up refreshed and rested when you land. However, this should only be done for flights longer than 6 hours, as this is how long it takes melatonin to leave your system.

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Get into the habit of sleeping eight hours per night. When needed, and if possible, nap during the day, but limit the nap to less than 30 minutes.

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The main reason it's easy to fall asleep when flying on an airplane is because the cabin is pressurized and, therefore, restricts the amount of oxygen your body takes in.

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Take melatonin 20 to 30 minutes before sleep (for eastward travel, melatonin can also be taken en route, 30 minutes prior to the target bedtime at your destination. It doesn't need to be taken en route for westward travel).

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Pilots, flight attendants and business travelers are most likely to experience jet lag. Being an older adult. Older adults may need more time to recover from jet lag.

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This is also why pilot reports of turbulence are meaningless without knowing the types of aircraft involved. A pilot encountering turbulence has three options: change altitude, alter course, or ride out the roughness.

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Early morning or nighttime flights These red-eye flights mean you can worry less and catch up on much-needed sleep due to a smoother flight and less worrying about turbulence. This is because during the night, wind speeds are typically reduced, and also thunderstorms tend to alleviate overnight.

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Best Time of Day to Fly This means leaving early morning and late at night. The bright spot to getting up early or arriving late at your destination is that these flight times, like ones at 6 am or earlier or the redeye, tend to be less crowded, resulting in a more comfortable and less stressful trip.

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