Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Catching Z’s while Travelling
You’re heading out for a relaxing vacation, and you don’t want to be depleted when you arrive – but your airplane seat only goes so far back and your neighbor has already started snoring. Your daily bus commute into the city is an hour plus, and is the perfect opportunity to grab a little more sleep before your day begins – but the beeping of city traffic and the start/stop of the bus is keeping you awake. Do these situations sound familiar? Planes, trains, cars – getting some sleep in a moving object while sitting upright can be challenging, to say the least. You’re not alone – many people have trouble falling asleep as passengers. Often, it seems like you can almost get there – if only X, Y, and Z could happen. Unfortunately, we can’t control all the outside factors that keep us from dozing off – but we can try and mitigate their effects just enough so we can drift off. We’ve compiled a few tips to help your next trip as a passenger a more relaxing one.
1. Block out the outside world - The constant humming of running engines can be soothing for infants, but distracting for the rest of us. Other noises such as traffic, other passengers, and ambient noise can keep you from relaxing long enough to get to sleep.
If this is your issue, a few items might be worth an investment. You can get some comfortable, inexpensive earplugs to drown out the outside world. If earplugs aren’t your thing, try headphones. It may seem counter-intuitive to drown out noise with more noise – but relaxing, soft music may be much more conducive to sleep than another commuter on their cell phone.
If you’re traveling during daylight hours, a sleep mask will help with blocking out bright lights.
2. Get comfortable - It isn’t easy getting comfortable while traveling. In someone’s car at least you may have the option to recline – but your recline space is more limited on planes, buses, and trains. In addition, it’s hard to doze off when the temperature is too cold, and difficult to get the right head position for sleep. Just a few provisions can help out immensely. A blanket will keep you protected from that cold air blowing from the vent directly above you (don’t have one? Use your coat or jacket as a makeshift blanket). And, with the right neck pillow, you can get a comfortable head and neck position while sitting up – no head lolling with the twists and turns of the road. Pillows are also essential so that you don’t wake up with a stiff, aching neck.
3. Avoid Interruptions and Distractions - Nagging worries are terrible for sleep – that one errant thought can keep you from falling asleep. Make sure you don’t have any concerns or distractions – your valuables should be on you or in a secure location with your luggage, so you don’t have to worry. If you have someone meeting you at the other end of your journey, make sure they know the time and place. Your trip should be planned out so you don’t have to worry about what to do when you get to your destination. If you’re on a plane, buckle your seatbelt above your blanket or jacket, so the flight attendant doesn’t have to interrupt you to make sure it’s correctly secured.
With these three tips, you can help yourself drift off to sleep in travel and commuting scenarios. Any way you can eliminate distractions and boost your comfort level is a way to increase your chances of getting some quality shut eye.