Sleeping on planes without ruining your week
A short field guide to landing rested: when to eat, how to dress, and the three things to pack within reach.
Long flights compress everything that normally helps you sleep — darkness, quiet, temperature, posture — into a narrow seat under cabin lights. You cannot fix all of it, but a few small choices change the outcome.
Eat earlier than you think. Digestion competes with sleep. A light meal in the lounge, then water on board, beats a tray of pasta at cruising altitude.
Dress in layers you can shed. Cabin temperature drifts; being slightly cool is far better for sleep than being slightly warm.
Within reach, you want three things: a silk mask for total darkness regardless of cabin lights, foam earplugs or noise-cancelling buds, and a small bottle of water you do not have to ask for.
On landing, get fifteen minutes of daylight as soon as you can. Light, not coffee, is what resets the clock.