How to Actually Sleep on a Plane—and Wake Up Rested—According to Travel Pros

Sleep can already be a pretty stressful thing for many of us, but sleeping on a plane? Talk about an added degree of difficulty. And it can be pretty crucial to get that sleep. Especially if you decided to take the 4 a.m. flight to avoid delays later in the day or are taking a red eye. Heck, even if you're just trying to catch up on some missed naps, a plane is a good place to get more hours in. The problem is that there's a lot of pressure. It's like the moment you have to go to sleep, you suddenly aren't tired or can't get comfy (and is it OK to recline your seat?). To help, we asked some frequent flyers for their best tips and tricks for mile-high shut-eye.

Just Focus on Resting
Sometimes the pressure we put on ourselves to fall asleep is precisely the reason we can't. "My advice for sleeping better is to try not to focus so much on the actual sleep," says TV host and travel expert Darley Newman. "Sometimes rest can be good enough." So, next time you're on a red eye, try just enjoying the resting time and seeing what comes of it.

Mimic Your Nightly Routine
We all have our own agenda of things we need to do before bed. While you might not have your actual bathroom vanity and bed available, you can get pretty close, says travel writer Michelle Joy, "At home, this involves a shower, skin care, and clean pajamas before crawling into bed," she says. "For my scaled down plane version, I brush my teeth, use a wet wipe and moisturize my face, and put on fuzzy socks."

Swap Out Your Earbuds
"I always bring a blackout sleep mask with built-in Bluetooth speakers—it's much more comfortable than earbuds when falling asleep on a plane, especially on overnight flights," says David Brodie, the founder of Voyascape and host of the Travel in 10 podcast. What should you listen to? Brodie suggests downloading podcasts about the destination you're heading to so you can immerse yourself before you land.

Opt for a Window Seat
Yes, an exit row or first class would be amazing, but if those pricier tickets aren't in the cards for you, travel journalist Wendy Helfenbaum implores you to get a window seat. "You can lean against the wall, and won’t be woken up by seat mates having to use the loo!"

Download a Helpful App
Erin Carey, Director of Roam Generation, a PR agency specializing in travel, says one of her biggest tips is to use the Timeshifter app. Download this before jumping on a plane headed to a different time zone and it can help you prep in advance. "It helps you adjust to the new time zone. I follow it's recommendations to a a tee, avoiding caffeine and taking melatonin at the suggested times to help regulate my sleep cycle." So, if you're supposed to be sleeping on a plane to help avoid jet lag, this could help!