Flying across time zones? Anxious and uncomfortable while doing so? We asked medical experts about the pros and cons of five different sleeping aids. If noise-canceling headphones don’t help you doze off, you may need to consider a more heavy-duty fix: sleeping pills for flights. Certainly, some flights don’t warrant sleeping aids—such as when you’re taking a short trip or traveling west against a time difference, says Aneesa Das, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist at the Ohio State University. For those flights, you may as well stay awake, she says. But if you’ll be on a plane overnight and waking up in a vastly different time zone (find our list of long flight essentials here), logging some shuteye on the plane is crucial to arriving refreshed—or close enough to it. This hormone occurs naturally in the body, but taking an extra dose helps induce sleep and adjust your circadian clock. That means you should be able to function better at your destination and decrease the effects of jet lag, Kilkenny says. You’ll want to start taking melatonin a few days before your trip, about four to six hours before your bedtime, so that you’re ready to hit the pillow 30 minutes to an hour earlier than normal. That’s when sleeping pills and supplements can help. For most people, they’re a reliable solution if they have trouble sleeping on planes, and they’re always a better option than ordering wine when the beverage cart rolls around. “Alcohol will allow you to fall asleep more quickly; however, most people will then experience very disrupted and fragmented sleep quality. No matter which medication you decide to go with (if any), there are a few ground rules to follow. First, give it a test run at home. “You want to know how your body tolerates it before you go,” Das says. Then, once you’re settled into your seat, remember to pass on booze and don’t pop the medicine until the flight attendants have gone over safety.
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Five Best Sleeping Pills For Flights According To Medical Experts
