Travel Tip: Sleeping on a Flight

One of our favorite travel hacks is to fly at night. Often, red eye flights are less expensive and not as crowded. Also, if you can spend the night on the plane, you don't lose valuable time in your destination. But, to make this work, it's important to sleep on the flight.

We often have people tell us how much they struggle to sleep on a plane, but we have some tried and true methods that work for us almost every time. Here are some of our personal tips:

What to Wear

✦ Soft and Stretchy Clothing

I like to wear buttery soft knits: Think yoga pants/leggings and a soft shirt (Poof has some very soft 100% cotton pieces. I'm not usually a big proponent of synthetics, but a 90/10 or 95/5 polyester/spandex blend is super soft and flexible). Jordan has a favorite pair of Adidas golf pants that are soft and comfortable, but look like dress pants. He pairs that with a Nike dri fit polo.

✦ Short Sleeves

Wear short sleeves, but always keep a hoodie, fleece or sweater nearby. As the temperature fluctuates, you can add or subtract layers.

✦ Your Most Comfortable Undies. Ladies - My favorite bra and panties are Victoria's Secret sexy illusions collection: No seams, and they don't dig in, even if you're stuck wearing them all day, all night and all the next day.

Guys - Jordan recommends comfortable Under Armour dri fit boxer briefs. *Bonus tip: We try to wear comfortable, but still "nice." We've noticed we are treated well when we're dressed a little nicer.

What to Bring

✦ Blanket

A blanket will help you regulate temperature, as the climate seems to constantly change on a plane. A scarf or pashmina is a great alternative, because it folds up small, and it's easy to wear right onto the plane.

✦ Headphones/Earbuds

We each bring at least one pair of headphones to listen soft music, and to block out the sounds of fussy kiddos, or the strangers behind you who have inevitably decided to strike up a boring conversation and chat all night.

Our Bose bluetooth earbuds are our favorites for everyday, but since they come with a hefty price tag, we're nervous to travel with them. Jordan and I vary a bit on our travel headphone choice: He likes his earbuds to fit tight to block out the sounds of the plane. Sound quality is super important to him. He travels with Klipsch R6 in-ear headphones, and the sound quality is great. I have tiny ears, and my ears pop and swell when we fly, so I like teeny tiny earbuds, so they aren't too tight. My focus is on comfort. For flights, I like SkullCandy JIB. They are comfortable, and the sound quality is definitely still there; plus they are inexpensive enough that I don't have to be nervous about losing track of them (which tends to happen to me often!).

We like to pack a headphone splitter so we can watch the same show/movie and listen to the same music together.

*Bonus tip: If you're like me, and struggle to find headphones for tiny ears, check out this article http://best-ear-buds.com/best-earbuds-for-small-ears/

✦ Pillow

I prefer an inflatable neck pillow. It is much easier to pack, because it takes up about as much space as a wallet. With an inflatable pillow, you can adjust the firmness. My neck pillow has a removable plush cover for easy cleaning, plus it feels better against your face than the plastic feel of a traditional inflatable pillows. I bought mine years ago and it has no name brand on it. The closest I could find is the BestMaxs travel pillow - only $10 on Amazon.

✦ Sleep-mask

Jordan really likes to wear a sleep mask. It's not for me, though, because I feel claustrophobic in them. He says a contoured mask is the most comfortable.

What to do

✦ About an hour before sleep:

- Have a light snack and go potty.

- Inflate your pillow and get your blanket out of your carry-on

- Settle in and get comfortable

✦ Relaxing Movie or Music

We usually watch a mellow show or a movie we've seen a hundred times to settle down and get drowsy. Once we start to doze off, I like to switch to spa music. It blocks out the airplane noise, people talking, and the fussy babies.

✦ Melatonin

Melatonin helps me fall asleep and stay asleep, without waking up groggy. I always take 2 about a half hour before I want to fall asleep. Dollar tree has little packets of melatonin chewables. The bag is resealable, and it's small, so it packs easily. Plus, 15 tablets for $1 is pretty good deal!

✦ Lavender Essential Oil I like using lavender essential oil right before I want to sleep. I try to only use a drop or two in an unscented lotion. More than that, and the odor can be really strong. I try to be aware of my neighbors and not overwhelm them with the smell. I rub it on my neck, chest and hands and it helps me relax.

✦ Cuddle If you are traveling with a friend or spouse, don't be afraid to lean on one another for a more comfortable position. I often lay my head on Jordan's shoulder, or put my legs in his lap. If it gets uncomfortable, he always lets me know. Just make sure you aren't invading their space so much that they can't sleep!

✦ "Wake-up" Set an alarm about 30 min before landing so you can "wake-up" and feel refreshed when you deplane, not groggy. I like to use the bathroom, have a snack and touch up my make-up. If we have a full day ahead of us, Jordan likes to get us pumped with upbeat music on our headphones. Setting an alarm helps me relax, because I won't be kept awake worrying about oversleeping.

* Bonus Tip: To avoid jet lag, try to set an alarm to wake up in the "morning" time of wherever you're landing (make sure you go to bed at a destination local bedtime those first few nights too).

Good luck! If you give these a try, let us know they work out for you. If you have a question or need any travel tips, send us a message. Your question might be featured in an upcoming post.