People struggle to sleep on a plane due to the natural stress of flying. When we want to sleep, our bodies and minds must be relaxed and an anxious flyer can’t be a relaxed flyer.

People struggle to sleep on a plane due to the natural stress of flying. When we want to sleep, our bodies and minds must be relaxed and an anxious flyer can’t be a relaxed flyer.

A few tips and strategies:

1. Clear your mind. Try using a meditation app like Insight Timer. There is a huge library of meditations and you can choose the duration. Choose a longer one and it can lull you to sleep on the plane. There are apps made specifically for anxious flyers like SkyGuru which basically tells you in real-time what is happening during the flight. It’s been said it’s like a pilot is sitting right next to you letting you know about upcoming turbulence, what certain noises are and even providing weather updates.

2. Purchase a pair of noise-canceling headphones. Blocking out sounds really makes a difference, as we all know how loud it can get on a plane. It also allows you to really focus on what you want to listen to, whether that be a meditation, music or your favorite podcast.

3. Use a sleep mask. Block out the lights, sunshine and other visual disturbances of people moving about the cabin. By combining this with your headphones, you can really put yourself in a different space and almost forget that you are flying.

4. Book a window seat and take a large scarf or shawl to create your own pillow. When you have something that is yours and feels and smells like home, you can relax more easily. The window seat gives you a little more room to get comfortable and you won’t be disturbed by people in your row getting up to use the bathroom or getting into their luggage.

Bonus tip: Ensure you have downloaded everything you want in advance of your flight if you aren’t going to have Internet access.