What’s the Best Way to Sleep in Flight?
For the Washington Post, writer Natalie B. Compton detailed exactly why sleeping on a flight is so damn hard. You may be surrounded by sneezing, coughing, or other restless passengers that make it difficult for you to sleep well. Or, as Compton writes, it’s just the harsh operating conditions of the aircraft itself. “The only thing that could be more destructive than these strangers is the deafening noise of planes and overhead lighting, which seems to be designed to counter any attempt to sleep,” she says.
However, aside from noise and lighting, aircraft seats deserve most of the blame. They are cramped, uncomfortable, and rarely recline more than a few inches (unless you’re lucky enough to be in first or business class) – the best you can do is sleep in a semi-upright position and hope your limbs don’t. will do. enter the personal space of other passengers.
To emphasize that an airplane is a terrible place to get an eye out , WaPo asked readers to indicate their preferred sleeping positions – and provided some of the best and worst answers in a series of illustrations with accompanying descriptions. To be honest, we don’t know how some people do it. Some positions look terrible on your back. Others may make you fly out of flight.
Here are some answers, as WaPo writes:
- Viewfinder: For window seats only. Fall asleep straight with your head against the window.
- Keeper: Stack as many of your belongings on a tray and fall asleep on it.
- Power Stance: for middle seats only. Raise both legs and place your feet on both armrests in the row in front of you.
- Thinker: Lean forward with your elbow on your knee, resting your head on your hand.
- Upside down scenario: Raise your legs up and fully rotate on the seat so that you face it. Cross your legs and bend forward.
We cannot help but doubt some of these answers. While there is no single “correct” position, the power stance is aggressive — no one wants your feet to be near. And Flipped Script doesn’t take into account how tiny the spaces are; it would be impossible to fit your entire body, including your legs, on the seat.
For example, I prefer it to be simple, with arms crossed, head tilted, blanket and pillow buried behind me (mainly because the seats are too uncomfortable for my lower back). Meanwhile, Virginia, our editor-in-chief, strongly believes in the need to use several different sleeping positions depending on the location. “I don’t sleep well,” she told me.
So, we ask our readers: what is your preferred sleeping position in flight? Who, in your opinion, sleeps the worst in flight?