View Full Version : Sleeping on long haul flights?
ferretca18
25-05-2010, 22:33
Just wondering really... Is it safe to take sleeping pills to knock me out for a long haul flight? Ive read up about the increase in risk for DVT?
Also, Is nytol any good? Or does it only aid in natural sleep?
Im just bored of 10 hour flights, would be nice to sleep through all of it and get to Canada all fresh:)!
Cheers
I dont really know anything good but Nytol is only an aid and to be honest its not really that great mate.
mark basford
26-05-2010, 00:36
Having just sat on a plane for 13 hours to get to Singapore.........the only way to really get a good sleep is to upgrade to business class and get a decent seat!
Being comfortable is the answer and cattle class seats are just too much of a compromise. Then you get disturbed by people moving past you to get to the bog and the like. And my absolute pet hate, is when the person behind uses the back of your seat to pull themselves in or out by, jerking your body back and forth! That sooooooooo pi$$es me off! Buy one of those blow up neck supports to stop your head flopping about.
I find being well rested before travelling helps as well as not eating/drinking too much. I also find that if I am heading west, I suffer less lag than when heading east; that always kills me!
Never tried sleeping tabs of any sort, and to be honest, not sure you would feel particularly refreshed anyway.
you know the best way is natural!:)
My mate came back from holiday, 10 hour flight each way
What he done was:
2 sleeping pills
woke up an hour before the flight lands
Moaned about not being woken up for food
Got fed
Arrived a happy bunny
I tried this technique when I travelled, took some nytol just before I got on the plane to Florida, sat awake for 3 hours on the plane. Decided I may as well stick it out as it wasn't working, popped some proplus and fell asleep 40 mins later for 2 hour. :-/
Woke up feeling like shit.
Hate long haul flights, I'm about 6ft so just about fit in the seats, some woman pushed her seat back 10 mins into the flight, asked her to move the seat foward as it was now on my knees, 20 mins later she asked to swap seats as she had a "back problem" which required the seat back, brother was behind me so said afraid he was the same as me.
Had to deal with tapping her on the sholder every few hours making her put her seat foward as she would try sneak it back when I went to the toilet. Don't think we're going to be friends anytime soon.
Long hauls not for me, 4 hour max travel time from now on, if the countrys worth travelling too it would be closer. :-O
I went to Florida last month with a load of Nurses and a Surgeon. They were all popping anti-histamine in the form of hayfever tablets in order to help them sleep. I thought id have a bit of that action so took one. I got 5 hours good sleep and woke up with 2 hours of the flight left so plenty of time to wake up before deboarding.
The Chef
26-05-2010, 08:34
I went to Florida last month with a load of Nurses and a Surgeon. They were all popping anti-histamine in the form of hayfever tablets in order to help them sleep. I thought id have a bit of that action so took one. I got 5 hours good sleep and woke up with 2 hours of the flight left so plenty of time to wake up before deboarding.
:nod:
I've used this trick too. Obviously make sure you dont get the non-drowsey stuff:wack:
I presume you have an ipod (or the like), if so, noise cancelling ear/headphones are a god send on planes - and a bit of light music will aid sleep.
Other than that - I wouldn't take anything elsew as you're likely only to wake up feeling sh*tter.
If money permitts, defenately upgrade to business or upper (wouldnt really bother with 'premium economy (one: its a bit of an oxymoron, two: it doesn't give you vast amounts of room over economy. ))
Even after all that, you do sleep - you're unlikely to avoid jet-lag - just delay it. Which in some cases is actually worse. You might find concentrating on getting a sleeping pattern once arrived is your best bet. i.e take sleeping aids before bed once in canada for a few nights.
I use Boots travel calm tablets, they're meant to help with motion sickness but have the helpful side effect of making you drowsey :)
Hate long haul flights, I'm about 6ft so just about fit in the seats, some woman pushed her seat back 10 mins into the flight, asked her to move the seat foward as it was now on my knees, 20 mins later she asked to swap seats as she had a "back problem" which required the seat back, brother was behind me so said afraid he was the same as me.
Had to deal with tapping her on the sholder every few hours making her put her seat foward as she would try sneak it back when I went to the toilet. Don't think we're going to be friends anytime soon.
People asking me not to recline my seat on flights piss me off. If they know they can't fit, they should pay for seats with extra leg room, but they shouldn't expect me to be uncomfortable just because they are too tight or too stupid to pre-book their seats :mad:
I just read on flights. Sometimes I can drop off for a bit, but it isn't decent sleep and you still don't arrive refreshed :no:
marko14a
26-05-2010, 09:14
I jst end up with a bad neck and drool on my shoulder if I sleep on planes :wack:
I jst end up with a bad neck and drool on my shoulder if I sleep on planes :wack:
This is what you need. I also found the Virgin Atlantic fleece throw blanket the give to you that you can attach around your neck doubles as a brilliant Superman cape.
http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00ICtTuVazFfhM/Two-In-One-Travel-Kit-Inflatable-U-Neck-Pillows-Eye-Mask-TF141N-.jpg
bass_junkie123
26-05-2010, 09:58
Go to docs and pretend you're scared of flying, get Diazepam, take, feel amazing then sleep! :thumbs:
ferretca18
26-05-2010, 12:45
hmmmmmmmmmmmm, anti histamines usually knock me for six actually (took some for a bug bite and just passed out for a few hours!)
Yea, noise cancelling headphones, ive got some sures so all i can hear is my heartbeat and my music/movie:)
Not too worried about jet lag, as mark said, i dont get it going west, only comming back or going east:confused: Plus ill be too excited to sleep when i get to Whistler lol.
The Chef
26-05-2010, 13:11
hmmmmmmmmmmmm, anti histamines usually knock me for six actually (took some for a bug bite and just passed out for a few hours!)
Yea, noise cancelling headphones, ive got some sures so all i can hear is my heartbeat and my music/movie:)
Not too worried about jet lag, as mark said, i dont get it going west, only comming back or going east:confused: Plus ill be too excited to sleep when i get to Whistler lol.
Ahh - so its not the jet lag - just the boredom issue. Thats easily solved - admittedly it costs though... if your flying virgin (i'm shure other carriers offer the same service...) definately do the upgrade thing - its f*cking brilliant. :nod:
Sitting at a bar drinking beer, on a plane is just about the best place you can have a beer:notworthy:nod:
One massive downside is - if you do sample upper class you will detest all subsequent forms of flying. Flying then becomes very expensive!!
You could try to blag your way to an upgrade - but I really dont think that happens anymore
Ive often just not slept the night before a long flight - get on plane, pass out, wake up 8 hours later :thumbs:
Trying this on the way back from Brazil with what was probably Swine Flu got me some mad hallucinations when I didnt manage to get any sleep though :D
ferretca18
26-05-2010, 14:07
LOL, im like a walking zombie if i dont sleep! Still, thats worth a try! hahahah if not only for hallucinations:wack:
I'm 6ft3" and always prebook seats if i can. Ask for the Bulkhead seats or the emergency exit. Bulkhead can be a bit of a double edged sword as there are normally lots of baby's, but noise canceling head phones sort that.
:nod:
If money permitts, defenately upgrade to business or upper (wouldnt really bother with 'premium economy (one: its a bit of an oxymoron, two: it doesn't give you vast amounts of room over economy. ))
It depends on the carrier. Air New Zealand PE is probably better than most US carriers business class... I guess if the ferret is going to Canada it'll either be on Air Canada or BA?
I find it hard to sleep on planes (which is a pain as I tend to fly a lot long haul - I've just flown in from San Fran landing about 2 hours ago :wack:)... My tips would be:
Take a cushion or a neck brace thing.
Something to cover your eyes - either a mask or wear a hoodie and pull the hood down gangsta style.
As soon as you try and check in, ask if it's possible to get an exit row or bulkhead seat, especially if you are tall and in economy. If they don't give them to you at check in, sweet talk the gate agent when you go to the gate (earlyish). They often don't let you do online checkin to exit rows or bulkheads, so if you don't online checkin you can sometimes blag one of those at the airport. It never hurts to ask anyway - there were 2 free exit row seats and several bulkheads free on a pretty packed flight earlier - anybody could have had the extra legroom if they'd have asked - it worked for me on the way out and the way back... If you've not signed up for the frequent flyer program for that airline (or one of it's affiliates), having the free card normally means you will get priority over someone who doesn't, even if you don't have any miles on it yet...
I've not tried taking anything to help me sleep, but if you are taking something, try it at home before you try it on the plane. I've heard of some of them having some really strange side effects which aren't good on a plane (eg. constant sleepwalking and shouting in your sleep!)
My top tip for when you get there is to try and go to bed at normalish time for the zone you are arriving at. I usually try and spend the evening in the bar and get as battered as I can, means I don't wake up at 3am wondering wtf time it is, usually knocks me out until 6 or 7 :D
ferretca18
26-05-2010, 16:00
LOL, sleepwalking, excellent! that would be well funny! hahahah
But yea, the last sentence is bang on, I normally go out and get battered! Always works, I fly a lot (usually US/Canada) so im used to that, i just get so bored on flights lol.
Chriscooke
26-05-2010, 16:37
I booked a seat with extra leg room (not long haul I admit) I ended up with a seat by the fire exit. Only issue was that I was next to the door and the emergancy slide took up my room. Would of been great if I only had one leg :wack:
But yea, the last sentence is bang on, I normally go out and get battered! Always works, I fly a lot (usually US/Canada) so im used to that, i just get so bored on flights lol.
I bought an Archos video player a few years back and stock up on movies and TV series - rather than sitting and watching the dross they provide I watch my own stuff. Passes the time for me, but I like films :)
Nytol is rubbish for sleeping. I can't sleep on planes, 26 hours to Australia with no sleep was horrible!
Go to the doctors, tell them you can't sleep and get them to prescribe you some Zopiclone, 1 7.5mg tablet, and you will be out for 8 hours, you will also wake up feeling refreshed, but it will taste like you've been sucking on coppers when you wake up!
ferretca18
26-05-2010, 19:47
hmmmm sounds interesting... I may look into that, cheers.
Yea ive got a psp with a load of games and movies, as well as movies on my phone, I just get bored sat in one place, even walking around gets very dull very quick!
Go to the doctors, tell them you can't sleep and get them to prescribe you some Zopiclone, 1 7.5mg tablet, and you will be out for 8 hours, you will also wake up feeling refreshed, but it will taste like you've been sucking on coppers when you wake up!
Spot on. Zopiclone is fab. Take it as soon as you board, start watching a movie, wake up in Canada with no idea when you fell asleep. :thumbs:
Deep Blue
27-05-2010, 12:59
People asking me not to recline my seat on flights piss me off. If they know they can't fit, they should pay for seats with extra leg room, but they shouldn't expect me to be uncomfortable just because they are too tight or too stupid to pre-book their seats :mad:
I just read on flights. Sometimes I can drop off for a bit, but it isn't decent sleep and you still don't arrive refreshed :no:
This is all well and fine until you get to the airport hours before check in opens, first in line for check in everything going smoothly, arrive at the desk, explain that you're 6'5" and would like an exit seat to be told they are all taken :wack:
You get on the plane and you see a medley of midgets, cripples and old people sitting in the exit seats! :mad:
I am not a footballer, a celebrity or any other high paid public figure so I cannot afford to spend thousands on holiday flights, and do not appreciate how the cabin staff look down their noses at me, let alone people who love to recline their seats into your face. :(
Being big is hard enough without all this height discrimination!
You get on the plane and you see a medley of midgets, cripples and old people sitting in the exit seats! :mad:
I thought the exit seats were to be only occupied by able bodied people capable of opening the emergency door. In fact i remember an uncle of mine telling me he was spotted in the check in cue and singled out for such a seat because of his size.
This is all well and fine until you get to the airport hours before check in opens, first in line for check in everything going smoothly, arrive at the desk, explain that you're 6'5" and would like an exit seat to be told they are all taken :wack:
Book the seats online before you arrive at the airport then. It isn't rocket surgery or brain surgery ;)
let alone people who love to recline their seats into your face. :(
Being big is hard enough without all this height discrimination!
It isn't height discrimination. I book my plane seats knowing they will recline. It is a right I have paid for and shouldn't be told I can't exercise that right by some lanky streaks of piss who can't be arsed to organise themselves enough in advance to prevent them from bothering normal people. I shouldn't have to adjust my lifestyle to accomodate the needs of freaks of nature :no:
Put some movies on your iPhone if you aren't and apple hater then you have entertainment for the whole flight :-)
I thought the exit seats were to be only occupied by able bodied people capable of opening the emergency door. In fact i remember an uncle of mine telling me he was spotted in the check in cue and singled out for such a seat because of his size.
Yep, if you see someone who clearly isnt supposed to be in an exit seat (old, disabled, under 14, carrying baby, extremely fat, looking a bit green) then sit as close to them as you can as you can take their seat when they get moved. :thumbs:
Wearing a suit to fly often helps with upgrades etc. as well :thumbs:
Put some movies on your iPhone if you aren't and apple hater then you have entertainment for the whole flight :-)
Couldn't you do that with most other 'phones though? :confused:
Wearing a suit to fly often helps with upgrades etc. as well :thumbs:
Iv'e tried this before, didn't work, I sat in economy for 5 hours looking like a cock :wack:
Iv'e tried this before, didn't work, I sat in economy for 5 hours looking like a cock :wack:
Was that because of the suit though? :wack: :D :D
Couldn't you do that with most other 'phones though? :confused:
The real confusion is he said entertainment for the whole flight .... Canada is 10 hours away
the last time I did that journey I got through 2 PSP batterys, a Nintendo DS battery, an HTC diamond battery and an entire ipod battery
No way will an iphone last 10 hours of use
You could get something like this, portable iPhone/iPod charger:
http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/portable-iphone-charger/index.htmlindex.html?utm_source=google-shopping&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=google-shopping
Also, try not to sit next to someone who try's to talk to you the whole way, its really annoying. I sat next to an Indian guy who was singing along, to a load of Indian songs, all the way from Manchester to Dubai, was very annoying, how can anyone sing for 8 hours constantly? It wasn't really singing to be fair, it was more like a strange moaning noise.
ferretca18
27-05-2010, 14:15
LOL, thats bad! I had an indian woman from Gatwick to Dallas/fort worth with a newborn baby, a 1 year old and a 2 year old, all screaming the entire way! AND i was sat by the loos which stank:hurl:
Thats when i invested in decent headphones:)
The Chef
27-05-2010, 14:26
Iv'e tried this before, didn't work, I sat in economy for 5 hours looking like a cock :wack:
This really made me laugh.:nod:
And its true - well the wearing a suit/smart clothes. 'blagged' upgrades are basically a thing of the past now. None of the major airlines will even entertain upping someones class. Its too much of a money spinner - and why should someone whoes just paid £3k for a first class seat have to sit/lay/drink near some blagger who bought a dirt cheap ticket.:rant:
Jonny Wilkinson
27-05-2010, 14:30
....the only way to really get a good sleep is to upgrade to business class and get a decent seat!
I find being well rested before travelling helps as well as not eating/drinking too much. I also find that if I am heading west, I suffer less lag than when heading east; that always kills me!
Never tried sleeping tabs of any sort, and to be honest, not sure you would feel particularly refreshed anyway.
This :nod:
Business class is also more entertaining as you get a much higher stewardess to passenger ratio, you can take your time over the meal and enjoy it, eat when you want, sit at the bar set the seat completely flat for some decent lying-on-your-side kip instead of the stupid S shape you end up with in a semi-recliner.
I used to fly regularly to SFO (Virgin Upper FTW). I used to fly midweek, book Premium Economy and upgrade to Upper on air miles when possible to offset some of the extra cost but even booking Upper was a third of the cost of BA and at least twice as good.
Going West was always an 11am to 2pm (11hr) flight so I used to try to make sure I got a good nights kip the night before and then stay awake for the extra 8 hours. The on-demand films choice was huge, I used to take work with me, chat at the bar to passengers of stewardesses, read some mags, and a book. I just used it as socialising time :)
Going East used to be an overnight flight 3pm to 9am (10hr) flight and I used to make sure I went to bed late and got up early the night before so I was more tired...get a meal around 5pm then ready to go to sleep by 6pm and wake up and hour before landing.
It depends on your flights but flying Upper really is about more than getting a bigger seat :nod: It opens up your options to fly how you want.
Book the seats online before you arrive at the airport then. It isn't rocket surgery or brain surgery ;)
It's rare that they will let you pre-book exit row or bulkhead seats though - mainly because they can't tell that you aren't able bodied, and because the bulkheads are reserved for people with kids as they attach the bassinet cot to it. On some airlines they get released at 24h, but you can usually only get 'em if you are a frequent flyer with status on that airline... After that if they are still available it's a case of asking at the gate or at check in :)
No way will an iphone last 10 hours of use
You can get about 7-8 hours of video from an iphone in flight mode...
You could get something like this, portable iPhone/iPod charger:
http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/portable-iphone-charger/index.htmlindex.html?utm_source=google-shopping&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=google-shopping
I've got a portable USB pack for charging my video player - works a treat :)
Also - check www.seatguru.com - they list the best seats for nearly every aircraft, so when you check in online you can go for a better seat, sometimes due to the layout of the plane you can get extra even in economy :)
There was a guy on the plane yesterday who was huge. He had a 'Hawaii National Volleyball Team' tracksuit on, and he was probably about 6'10 or so. I hope he got a decent seat because it would have been hell for him..
Worst guy I ever had sat next to me was ages ago, flying to the US. He was mid 20's, obviously of middle eastern descent. One eye, with an eyepatch, wearing a ropey looking T-shirt and camo combat trousers. He didn't smell to good either. I tried to ignore him for most of the flight (luckily there was an empty seat between us), but come the time to fill in the immigration paperwork, he leant over and asked me for help. Being the nice chap that I am, I helped him fill in the forms... Most of it was fairly straightforward, where are you staying etc...
Question: Countries visited prior to this trip.
Answer: Afghanistan, Iran
Me: Hmmmm
Question: Are you carrying any meat / vegetables / dairy
Answer: Yes
Me: Ummmm... :eek:
I made sure he was a loooooong way away from me in the queue - there was no way he wasn't going to get interrogated...
Jonny Wilkinson
27-05-2010, 14:37
This really made me laugh.:nod:
And its true - well the wearing a suit/smart clothes. 'blagged' upgrades are basically a thing of the past now. None of the major airlines will even entertain upping someones class. Its too much of a money spinner - and why should someone whoes just paid £3k for a first class seat have to sit/lay/drink near some blagger who bought a dirt cheap ticket.:rant:
Virgin used to have a policy of filling seats from the front so they would upgrade people from Prem Econ to Upper and Cattle to Prem Econ to make sure the seats were full. BA were happy to leave them empty. :wack:
Nowadays, the affinity schemes mean most seats are taken by people "buying" with loyalty points so you don't get "free" upgrades.
Travelling in a suit is silly (unless its linen and then its going to look bad by the time you get to your destination).
On the other hand, being smelly, scruffy, unshaven and/or uncomfortable at the start of your journey isn't going to enhance your or your fellow passengers journey. :wack:
I used to wear chinos or similar, a golf shirt and deck shoes and carry a jumper but I am quite old. :rolleyes:
'blagged' upgrades are basically a thing of the past now. None of the major airlines will even entertain upping someones class. Its too much of a money spinner - and why should someone whoes just paid £3k for a first class seat have to sit/lay/drink near some blagger who bought a dirt cheap ticket.:rant:
The only people that are likely to get upgraded are people who are elite frequent flyers with that airline - either because they use upgrade vouchers, or the flight's overbooked in a lower class - they will bump an 'elite' up a class to free up seats.
I went to Florida last month with a load of Nurses and a Surgeon. They were all popping anti-histamine in the form of hayfever tablets in order to help them sleep. I thought id have a bit of that action so took one. I got 5 hours good sleep and woke up with 2 hours of the flight left so plenty of time to wake up before deboarding.
American Benadryl I suspect, miles better than the UK Benadryl, and it knocks you for 6 :wack:
Go to docs and pretend you're scared of flying, get Diazepam, take, feel amazing then sleep! :thumbs:
Up until a few years ago i was terrified of flying.
So i flew to new zealand. While afghanistahn kicked off. So had to fly round the no fly zone, and in total i was airborne for 27 hours.
I Went to the docs, got diazepam, 10 of to be exact. He told me to take 2 on the way out, 2 on the way back.
I did 5 on the way out, not a jot of sleep. Not even a doze. Nada.
I did howevr miss the first day of my holiday as i slept for exactly the same amount of time as i'd been flying...:wack:
Adrenalin+diazepam=nothing...:D
(same again on the way home too..:rolleyes:)
Im watching this tread in interest as im 6ft 6 and in October, I will be flying to Jakarta, in economy!
Being so tall means, I cannot properly fit into the normal Economy seats. I can fit, but with no comfort whatsoever. If the person in front of me tries to push their seat back, they can't, all that happens is they are trying to push me back (19 stone) good luck with that :wack:
I ALWAYS pre-book to get an exit seat or extra leg room, but thats usually where all the kids and parents come and stand during the flight, which means you gets lots of kids running around and falling over your legs :rolleyes:
Sometimes, they are already booked, which means I have to pay for an exit seat ($40!!)
As mentioned above, the best way is to pay for an upgrade, but considering Business is like 3x the amount of an economy ticket, its very hard to justify the cost.
Jonny Wilkinson
04-06-2010, 20:50
Im watching this tread in interest as im 6ft 6 and in October, I will be flying to Jakarta, in economy!
Being so tall means, I cannot properly fit into the normal Economy seats. I can fit, but with no comfort whatsoever. If the person in front of me tries to push their seat back, they can't, all that happens is they are trying to push me back (19 stone) good luck with that :wack:
I ALWAYS pre-book to get an exit seat or extra leg room, but thats usually where all the kids and parents come and stand during the flight, which means you gets lots of kids running around and falling over your legs :rolleyes:
Sometimes, they are already booked, which means I have to pay for an exit seat ($40!!)
As mentioned above, the best way is to pay for an upgrade, but considering Business is like 3x the amount of an economy ticket, its very hard to justify the cost.
If all you need is a bigger seat and more legroom, Premium Economy (on Virgin) will help you and its not going to treble the cost.
Diazepam doesn't work, and neither do any of the crap over the counter pills, trust me, I've had them all, Iv'e also taken pretty much every anti-histamine, and they also don't seem to work, you can tell I have trouble sleeping! Just get Zopiclone 7.5mg tablets, they will knock you out within 20 minutes of taking them, you can hardly stand up when your on them you get that tired, there awesome. If you can stay awake on them, then you have some hardcore brain. You can take up to 15mg, but I find 7.5mg knocks me out, 15mg will knock you out even quicker, and for longer.
Just get Zopiclone 7.5mg tablets,
:eek: i had those when i went on anti depressants...like an off switch after 10 minutes..:D
I just stay up all night before, drinking, and drink more at the airport, and try to pass out before the plane starts to taxi :D
I have heard a pint of cider and a bottle of night nurse will knock you out pretty good too :)
The real confusion is he said entertainment for the whole flight .... Canada is 10 hours away
the last time I did that journey I got through 2 PSP batterys, a Nintendo DS battery, an HTC diamond battery and an entire ipod battery
No way will an iphone last 10 hours of use
You need a new ipod ;) Mine is on all day at work (well, it was til they banned them this week :( ) and then a couple of hours in the gym, so at least 12-14hours everyday :confused:
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