This Hack Will Help You Get The Best Sleep Ever On Your Next Flight

This mental shift might be all you need to sit back, relax and snooze in the air.

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.”