You’ve been on the plane for six hours. You’ve put your seat back as far as it will go, closed your eyes and somehow managed to drift off.
Twenty minutes later, the cabin lights come on.
Then it’s a meal trolley. An announcement. Someone opens a window shade. The passenger beside you turns on their screen.
And suddenly you're wide awake again.
For Australians, long-haul travel often means spending a serious amount of time in the air. Whether you're flying to Europe, North America or connecting through Asia or the Middle East, getting some proper rest on the flight can make arriving at your destination feel considerably easier.
But there's a big difference between dozing on and off for eight hours and getting a decent block of sleep.
A neck pillow and comfortable clothes certainly help, but your sleep environment matters too.
And one of the hardest things to control on a plane is light.
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Shop Sleep Masks →Why Is It So Hard to Sleep on a Plane?
Aircraft cabins aren't exactly designed like bedrooms.
Cabin lighting changes throughout the flight. Passengers are watching movies. Window shades go up and down. Meal services begin. Announcements interrupt the cabin.
Even when you're ready to sleep, the environment around you might not be.
Light also plays an important role in regulating our circadian rhythm, the internal body clock that helps determine when we feel alert and when we feel sleepy.
When you're travelling across multiple time zones, those cues become even more complicated.
Your body might think it's 3pm. Your destination might say it's midnight. And the aircraft cabin might suddenly decide it's breakfast time.
You can't control everything happening around you. But you can take more control over your own sleep environment.
1. Create Your Own Darkness
Closing your eyes isn't the same as creating a properly dark sleep environment.
There may still be cabin lighting, sunlight through the windows and the glow of dozens of screens around you.
A well-fitted blackout sleep mask creates darkness directly around your eyes, regardless of what the rest of the cabin is doing.
For long-haul travel, look for a sleep mask that is:
- Comfortable enough to wear for several hours
- Adjustable without feeling tight around your head
- Designed to minimise light around the nose
- Contoured to reduce pressure directly over the eyes
- Easy to pack and keep clean while travelling
Think of it as creating your own little sleep environment in seat 34A. The cabin can stay awake. You don't have to.
2. Decide When You're Going to Sleep Before You Board
One of the easiest mistakes on a long-haul flight is simply sleeping whenever you feel tired.
Instead, consider your destination time before you board. If part of your flight corresponds with nighttime at your destination, that may be a useful window to aim for sleep.
You don't have to adjust perfectly from the moment you take off, particularly on complicated multi-leg journeys, but thinking ahead can help you avoid spending most of your destination's nighttime watching four movies, then falling asleep just as everyone there is waking up.
Before boarding, ask yourself:
When do I actually want to sleep on this flight?
Having a plan is much easier than trying to work it out somewhere over the Indian Ocean.
3. Recreate a Small Part of Your Normal Bedtime Routine
You can't take your bedroom onto a plane.
But you can take some of the cues you normally associate with winding down.
Brush your teeth. Change into comfortable clothes. Put your phone away. Apply your usual skincare. Put your sleep mask on.
It doesn't need to be elaborate. The aim is simply to create a clear transition between travel time and sleep time.
If you regularly travel long haul, following a similar sequence each time can also make the routine feel increasingly familiar.
4. Step Away From the Screen Before You Want to Sleep
This can be a tough one. You have hundreds of movies available, nowhere else to go and another nine hours until landing.
But if you're planning to sleep soon, consider switching the screen off before putting your mask on rather than watching until you physically can't keep your eyes open.
Screens are another source of light in an already illuminated environment, and stimulating content isn't necessarily helping you wind down either.
Finish the movie. Put the screen away. Get comfortable. Then create darkness.
It might feel strange sitting quietly for a few minutes before falling asleep, but that's exactly what most of us do at home.
5. Think Beyond the Sleep Mask
Light is important, but it isn't the only reason sleeping on a plane can be difficult.
Think about the complete environment.
Light. Noise. Temperature. Position. Comfort.
Noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs can help reduce cabin noise. Layers make it easier to adjust when the cabin temperature changes. A supportive travel pillow may make it easier to find a comfortable position.
And if you're planning to sleep, have everything you need within reach before you settle in. The less you need to rummage through the overhead locker, the better.
6. Be Mindful of Caffeine and Alcohol
That airport coffee might feel essential before boarding, particularly if you've had an early start.
But if you're hoping to sleep soon after take-off, think about when you're having caffeine rather than automatically grabbing another coffee at the gate.
Alcohol can also make you feel sleepy initially, but it doesn't necessarily translate into better-quality sleep.
If getting a decent block of rest is your priority, your pre-flight and in-flight choices can make a difference.
And, of course, staying hydrated is particularly important during long-haul travel.
7. Make Your Travel Routine Feel Familiar
Some travellers like to create a small travel wind-down ritual using products they already associate with relaxing at home.
That might mean skincare, stretching, changing into comfortable clothes or using a magnesium body product before leaving for the airport or during a stopover.
The important thing is not to treat any one product as a guaranteed sleep solution.
Instead, think about building a series of simple cues that tell you:
I'm finished for the day. It's time to rest.
A Simple Long-Haul Sleep Routine
Next time you're facing a long flight, try planning your sleep rather than hoping it happens.
STEP 1 — CHECK YOUR DESTINATION TIME
Decide roughly when you want your main sleep window to begin.
STEP 2 — GET EVERYTHING DONE FIRST
Eat, brush your teeth, use the bathroom and get comfortable before settling in.
STEP 3 — SWITCH OFF THE SCREEN
Give yourself some quiet time rather than watching until you fall asleep mid-movie.
STEP 4 — CREATE DARKNESS
Put your sleep mask on before you're completely exhausted.
STEP 5 — REDUCE DISTRACTIONS
Use earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones and get comfortable.
STEP 6 — PROTECT YOUR SLEEP WINDOW
If you wake briefly, avoid automatically reaching for your phone or turning the entertainment screen back on. If you're still within your planned sleep period, recreate your dark environment and try to settle again.
What About Meals?
This one comes down to personal preference.
If a meal is being served just before your planned sleep window and you're hungry, eating first may make sense.
But you don't necessarily need to wake up for every meal simply because the cabin crew is serving one.
If sleep is the priority, consider letting the cabin crew know that you'd prefer not to be disturbed where possible.
Sometimes another two hours of sleep is more valuable than another bread roll.
Don't Forget the Hotel Room
Your sleep environment doesn't suddenly become perfect once you've landed.
Hotel rooms can come with glowing alarm clocks, bright hallway light creeping under the door, unfamiliar curtains and early morning sunlight.
This is another reason a good sleep mask is such a useful travel essential.
It doesn't matter whether you're on the plane, in an airport lounge or trying to sleep in a hotel room on the other side of the world. You carry your darkness with you.
The Takeaway
You can't turn an economy seat into your own bed. And no travel accessory can guarantee eight uninterrupted hours of sleep at 35,000 feet.
But you can make the environment around you more sleep-friendly.
Plan when you want to sleep. Step away from screens. Reduce noise. Get comfortable. And, importantly, create darkness rather than relying on the aircraft cabin to do it for you.
The plane might still be flying through broad daylight but behind your sleep mask, it doesn't have to feel that way.
Take Better Sleep With You
At Dusk & Sable, we believe your sleep environment shouldn't be completely dictated by where you happen to be.
Our Dusk Dream Mulberry Silk Sleep Mask, Dusk Midnight 3D Silk Sleep Mask and Dusk Eclipse Sleep Mask are designed to help block unwanted light and create a darker sleep environment whether you're at home, on a long-haul flight or waking up in an unfamiliar hotel room.
And with a compact travel case, it's easy to keep your sleep mask protected and ready to use from take-off to check-in.
Because when you're travelling thousands of kilometres from home, sometimes the simplest sleep cue is the one you can take with you.
Block the light. Create your night. Sleep wherever travel takes you.
