The right way to sleep on a business flight
by Tony Huynh
After soaring in the sky for hours, no one likes to arrive at their final destination feeling groggy, especially if you actually have to do work on the trip. But let’s face it: a plane is just not a place to sleep. Between people climbing over you, noise from screaming children, and the sardine-packed chairs, getting some quality shuteye can seem near impossible.
If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. According to a study from Expedia, 48% of Americans find sleeping on a plane a struggle. In addition, 20 million Americans have a case of flight anxiety that whips them out of falling asleep. The difference between a good and bad work trip is the amount of rest you get. A plane is the first place you can prevent a confrontation with your mortal enemy, jet lag.
If you’re flying in first class or true business class, we envy you. But if you fly on coach for your work trip like the rest of us, the good news is that the quest for perfect sleep is possible. If you think that includes watching an in-flight movie or having a mile-high happy hour until you knock out, though, you’ve been sleeping on planes all wrong.
According to scientific studies, there are strategies that can help you catch sleep easier. Some of these strategies include:
- Crank your seat back to 135 degrees, the safest position for sleep
- Say bon appe-sleep to snooze-inducing foods like bananas
- Fill your earpods with pink noise to decrease the time it takes to fall asleep
- Put on an eye mask to block out light and increase melatonin in your body
Read on for research-backed tips to maximize your sleep on your next work flight (plus stats, for those who like numbers!), from Casper.
Image credit: Infographic courtesy of Casper. Header image courtesy of C. Cagnin.
No comments yet.