You nod off, your head drops forward or sideways, and you're awake again. That's why sleeping on a plane is so hard, your head has nothing to rest on. Everything below is about giving it somewhere to go, and the setup is different for every seat.
The one thing that helps in every seat is a neck pillow that fits. Our Neck Pillow has a drawcord at the front to snug it round your neck, so your head can't slide off the side. C$32.99, and it packs into its own hard case.
Before you book: pick the window
If you want to sleep, take the window. It's the only seat with a wall to lean on, you control the shade, and nobody needs you to stand up when they go to the washroom.
Travelling with someone? Book the window and the middle together. The stranger gets the aisle and you're only climbing over each other.
Window seat
Lean into the wall, not straight back. Put the neck pillow on with the thick part on the wall side, so your head rests on it and the wall instead of the cold plastic.
Close the shade before you settle in and leave it shut until you wake up.
Middle seat
The worst one for sleeping. There's no wall and an armrest on both sides that you're sharing.
Your head is going to fall forward, not sideways, so set your pillow up for that. Turn it round so the thick back part is under your chin and the open part sits behind your neck. When your head drops it lands on the pillow instead of your chest.
If the tray table is down and there's room, some people lean forward onto a pillow or a folded jacket on top of it. Put it back up for meals and landing.
Aisle seat
You'll get woken up, by the cart and by the people next to you heading to the washroom. Before you sleep, ask your row if anyone needs out. It saves a wake up 20 minutes later.
Lean towards the middle, not out into the aisle, so the cart and people walking past don't catch your shoulder or your elbow. Keep your feet in too.
Block the cabin light
Even with your own shade shut, the cabin lights, the screens around you and the next row's window all hit your eyes.
Flat masks press on your eyes and lashes. Our Eye Mask has moulded cups about 20 mm deep that sit off your eyes, so you can blink with it on. A slider on the band sets the fit, and it's feather light, so it goes in your pocket. C$13.99 in black, purple or pink.
Block the noise
Engine hum, the drinks cart, the baby three rows up. If you want earplugs that don't go inside your ear, the putty earplugs in our Ultimate Sleep Kit press over the ear opening instead. The kit also has the Eye Mask and our Blackout Blind, which packs flat for the hotel window when you land.
What to put in your seat pocket
- Neck pillow, out of its case before you sit down.
- Eye mask.
- Earplugs.
- A layer, a hoodie or a scarf.
- Water, so you're not waking up to flag someone down.
Get it all into the seat pocket before you sit, so you're not standing up to dig through the overhead bin once the lights go down.
The Neck Pillow and the Eye Mask together are C$46.98. Both are in our travel sleep collection, or grab the Neck Pillow on its own, shipped free to 96 countries.
Buying for someone who flies a lot? The sleep gifts guide has the travel picks.
Sitting in a passenger seat in a car? The U shaped body pillow fills it, and body pillow for side sleepers has the details.