Not a joke: British Airways has worked with Prof. Vincent Walsh, a brain researcher at University College London, on a series of strategies for better sleep in flight. Many of the suggestions are customized for particular situations (west-bound trans-Atlantic, London-East Asia, etc.) but there’s a set of general suggestions as well, listed below; CLICK for full report.
The airline is also offering “slow TV” on some of its entertainment systems, programs it describes as “wallpaper style” and designed to lull you to sleep, including film of a 7-hour train journey across Norway.
Professor Walsh’s top tips to improve you sleep while flying:
• Have a light pre-flight meal before you board
• If you can, book a seat that lies fully flat or reclines as much as possible
• Take off your shoes, to improve circulation
• Don’t drink any alcohol and avoid anything with caffeine, such as tea, coffee or fizzy drinks
• If you’re awake, always take the hydration offered
• If you want to sleep, try to not watch any movies, use your tablet computer or mobile phone
• Wear an eye mask and ensure any lights around you are off and the window blind is down
They key would be to lie flat, I think.
If you’ve an extra $5000 kicking around, you too can have a great transcontinental business flight, complete with a lie-flat bed.
For the rest of us, in “main cabin,” my best helpers are loose clothing, moderate liquids before and during, avoid getting sucked into inflight entertainment. And seek your best seat: I sleep best in right-hand window seats, others have different preferences.