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Nine Tips for How to Sleep Better on Flights from #TheSnoozery

With the holiday season looming, in this article we suggest nine practical tips to help you sleep better on flights.

I have done a lot of flying with my job. That's involved a lot of trying to sleep on flights. It’s not easy to get your head down for a decent kip. You can’t legislate for being seated next to a noisy child (unless of course it’s your own) but you can take precautions for other factors that are in your control.

So here’s what I’ve learned so far…

1. Get a Good Seat

      Ideally you want a seat away from the predictable sources of noise such as the loos, the galley and the bar (if they have one). Having an aisle seat is marginally better as you don’t have to disturb other people to go to the loo. Snooze zones can be helpful. Remember that bulkhead seats are often given to potentially noisy families.

2. The Flatter the Better

      Plane seats come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The main factor I have found that determines how well you sleep is whether the seat goes flat or not. So Virgin Upper class and BA Business for example both have good flat seats.

5. Dress Comfy

      Wear something warm and loose with a bit of give. The sharp Paul Smith suit can travel in the hold. Though personally I would think twice before boarding in trackie bottoms.

4. Stay off the Sauce

      Some folks swear by a night cap to help them drift off and I think in moderation it probably helps to relax. But too much of the old falling down water and you’ll be dehydrated and uncomfortable. Watch out.

5. Cut Out the Stimulus

      A good pair of earplugs and a sleep mask are vital. Freebie earplugs on flights are generally okay but the sleep mask is usually poor at cutting out the light, so consider investing in a decent one before you go.

6.  Do not Disturb

      Be clear about whether you wish to be woken for meals or not. Eating before departure in the airport cuts out this potential disturbance.

7. Avoid the Lag

      Jet-lag is a miserable condition. Avoid the effects by getting into the destination time zone as early as you can. I always reset my watch as soon as we take off.

8. Medication

      If all else fails sleeping pills can help – but beware the grogginess factor and try them out beforehand to check what kind of effect they have on you. It's not a good idea to be landing in a strange place feeling groggy.

9. Kids and Babies

      Some young children just don’t like flying and I’ve been on flights where they will not stop crying. After eight hours of that anyone’s saintly patience is going to be tested. Spare a thought for the parents. Getting angry with them or their kids won’t solve anything.

How to Choose a Sleep Mask - Two Main Factors to Consider

Our experience suggests that there are two main factors to consider when buying a sleep mask – comfort and effective light blocking.

Most people’s knowledge of sleep masks comes from their experience on flights where the airline freebie is deployed to try to get some kip against the odds on a long haul. This is unfortunate because the tendency is to believe that all sleep masks are as ineffective and uncomfortable as these freebies. That is not the case.

Sleep masks can be an effective way to block out unwanted light in the quest for a great night's sleep. So if your curtains let in light, if your partner likes to read at bedtime, or if you are off on holiday they can be helpful.

So here’s a few things to think about when choosing a sleep mask, if you fancy an upgrade from the freebie.

Comfort – the factors that determine how comfortable a sleep mask is to wear are how soft the material is and how well it is able to conform to the shape of your face. Everybody’s face is a different shape, so you need a mask that can flex to fit. The sleep mask should also be light-weight.

Some people prefer silk masks because they are naturally very smooth against the skin.

The other factor that determines comfort is whether the mask is shaped. Flat masks tend to press on the eyeballs, which can be uncomfortable and disruptive.

Lastly you should think about the strap – it should be nice and wide so that it does not cut into the ears or head and it should be easily adjustable.

Airline freebies are nearly all “flat” masks with very thin straps that cannot be adjusted. They are just about better then nothing, but only just.

Light Blocking – The other main factor is the ability of the mask to block out light. Most modern masks are made of good opaque materials. The place where the light is most likely to come in is around the edges of the mask around the nose. Hence masks that have soft portion around the nose area that can conform around the shape of the nose will have most chance of blocking out the light.

Other things to think about are the colour or design – sleep masks don’t have to be black to still block the light out. The other factors are durability and price.

Six things to look for in a sleep mask

1. Good fit
You need to ensure that the sleep mask fits your face well so that it is comfortable and also so that it does not let any light in around the sides.
2. Comfort
If you are going to drift carefree into the land of nod you need to be sure that nothing is going to disturb you and that includes your sleep mask. So look for soft materials and good design.
3. Wide strap
You need a good wide strap so that it does not dig into your head and cause you to wake. We've all tried those airline masks with the floss like straps. Avoid those and go for one where the strap is wide enough to spread the load on your head and keep you comfy.
4. Adjustable
Everyone has a different shape of head. That's what makes us an interesting species. So you need to find a sleep mask that can be adjusted to fit your shape. Velcro adjusters work effectively.
5. Eye cavities
These are the holes that allow your eyes to move around freely inside the mask. So you can roll your eyes to your heart's content and no one will be any the wiser.
6.Light blocking
Might sound obvious but they also need to cut out the light. So they need to be made from opaque materials, and fit well around the edges. The area where light leakage is most likely to occur is around the nose. Many designs include a flap of material around the nose that serves to block this out.

And finally...there's also a curious perception that sleep masks need to be black in colour to work effectively. That's not actually true as it all comes down to how well the material they're made from blocks light and the fit. So pink can work just as well as black!

All the sleep masks we stock at The Snoozery meet these criteria. If you are interested check them out here.Click here.

How to sleep well at a hotel

As someone who frequently travels around the world and stays at a lot of business hotels there are a few ways to ensure you get a good night’s sleep at a hotel. Here’s what I have found…

Keep the noise down…

Before the trip checkout the hotel in terms of its location and proximity to noise sources such as roads, railways, airports, bars and clubs. Take a look at a good cross section of reviews on Tripadvisor – I tend to look at a reasonable spread of reviews to get a decent picture.

A good example of this would be a hotel I have stayed at a few times in Los Angeles. A lovely hotel in many ways with great food and helpful staff. However the hotel is a an experience of two halves – rooms on the front of the hotel look out onto a noisy road, rooms on the back look out over the Hollywood hills. There is also an LA stlyle open air bar (with DJ) at one end of the hotel. Great if you want to hang out, but lousy if you want a good night’s sleep.

Use your knowledge to request a room on the quiet side as early as possible.

When you get to the room check out the potential noise sources – the main culprits in my experience are – lifts, ice machines, dripping taps, refrigerators and air conditioning. It’s much easier to change rooms at this moment before you are settled in so make a quick decision about whether you accept the room at this point. It’s not always possible to change, especially if the hotel is full, but if you don’t ask you don’t get.

Once in the room you need to manage your environment carefully. The trickiest choice is about air conditioning in hotter climates. These units can be really noisy. These days I will keep it on until I go to bed and turn it off at that moment.

The other things to watch out for are in room refrigerators that can be noisy. As someone who generally does not use the mini-bar I tend to turn them off at the wall as soon as I arrive.

What you cannot legislate for is noisy neighbours, some folks like to party hard and if you find yourself next door to them that’s generally bad luck. If it keeps up then complain firmly but politely and asked to be moved.  If there is a planned party at the hotel that affects the noise levels at your room a good hotel will advise you of the fact when you are booking.

Lights out…

Electronic devices in the room tend to have stand-by functions that can cause a lot of light interference, again switch them off at the wall. Also avoid the temptation to get sucked into late night telly or films.

Curtains and blinds vary dramatically in terms of their effectiveness. Not much you can do about this except come prepared with a good sleep mask.

Creature comforts….

Beds in hotels differ widely in terms of their quality and comfort. The Westin chain in the US make a feature of their “Heavenly Bed” which in my experience lives up to its name. Some even offer pillow menus. Seek out those hotels that see this as important.

I know some folks who insist on taking their own pillows wherever they go. This is a bit impractical for airline business travel but if you are in the car and have plenty of space it’s an option.

Sleep tight, don’t let the bugs bite

More unusually the hotels in New York have in the last couple of years been known to harbour bed bugs. I also know of someone who had that experience recently in Singapore at a good hotel. So that’s a whole new dimension to watch out for and in hotter climes the mosquito remains a menace at night without a net.

Happy sleeping!