Stress isn't the only saboteur; circadian clocks can also disrupt one's ability to sleep. Extreme departure times can upset your rhythms, such as an early-morning flight for a later riser.
Travel insomnia is a short-lived sleep problem that even frequent travelers experience. Travel insomnia sufferers often, despite their best efforts, struggle to achieve that coveted Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep in a new space.
Don't Pull an All-Nighter
Somewhat along the same lines as drinking, if you have loads of work to do before a big trip, don't try to do it all the night before. Some travelers just stay up all night if they have early morning flights. The thought here is that you can sleep on the plane.
Jet lag is a short-term sleep disorder that can occur after long-distance flights that cross three or more time zones. Upon arrival, a person's circadian rhythm is still anchored in their home time zone, creating a misalignment with the local time at their destination.
Airports want you to take advantage of their incredible shopping and dining facilities, which you can't do if you're rushing to the gate. Also, they factor in the time it takes to find parking. Airlines, on the other hand, don't want you milling around the boarding area for too long.
Generally speaking, most airlines advise that you arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to a domestic flight, and at least 3 hours prior to an international flight. That said, there are many factors to consider that will help you decide how much time you should budget for at the airport.
“As a general rule of thumb – for domestic flights, you should try to get to the airport 2 hours before your flight departure time,” explains Laura. “That should leave you plenty of time to make your way through security checks and to the gate.
When you're traveling within the United States, we make the suggestion to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to departure. For most airports, you must be checked in at least 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time (airports requiring additional time are listed below, Go to footer note).
Known as the 'two-nights rule', many athletes believe that sleeping two nights prior to race day has a positive effect on performance; more of an effect than sleeping the night before. This seems to be particularly true of longer distance runners and triathletes.
4. Take melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone your body naturally produces when it's getting ready to go to sleep. Taking a melatonin supplement when you first get on a flight— if traveling overnight—is a great way to ease yourself to sleep, so you wake up refreshed and rested when you land.
“If you're landing when people are awake in the middle of the day, that's what you want to do, too. Sleep as much as you can on the plane,” she says. “If you're going to be landing at night, do your best to stay awake on the plane and sleep at your destination.”
The early bird may be known for catching the worm, but it also catches the best flights. In fact, people who get the first flight in the morning can usually expect a smoother trip, friendlier staff, a cleaner plane and, often, a cheaper ticket.
Early morning or nighttime flights
Statistics say that flights during the early morning or night are less turbulent than day-time flights. These red-eye flights mean you can worry less and catch up on much-needed sleep due to a smoother flight and less worrying about turbulence.
People often come to us requesting the doctor or nurse to prescribe diazepam for fear of flying or assist with sleep during flights. Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed.
Doctors rarely recommend sleeping tablets for flying for several reasons. Some tablets render you immobile, which would be problematic during an in-flight emergency. Even if you're OK with that small risk, avoid sitting near an emergency exit where you could be responsible for many lives in an emergency.
Lunesta (eszopiclone) and Sonata (zaleplon) are other well-known prescription sleeping pills for travel. They act quickly, but won't keep you asleep as long as Ambien CR. Sonata is especially recommended for those on flights of only five to six hours.
3 hours before bed: No more food or alcohol. 2 hours before bed: No more work. 1 hour before bed: No more screen time (shut off all phones, TVs and computers). 0: The number of times you'll need to hit snooze in the AM.
The Quarter-Hour Rule
If you are not asleep in about a quarter of an hour then get up, go into a different room and do something quiet until feeling sleepy, then try again. Whatever you do, make sure it isn't going to wake you up more than you already are.
The 2-3-4 nap schedule is for babies who are on two naps a day. The first wake window would be 2 hours, the second would be 3 hours and the last wake window for bed is 4 hours.
If you're not checking luggage, the carrier advises you to arrive at the airport at least 60 minutes before your scheduled departure time. If you're checking luggage, it's 90 minutes. For international flights, give yourself two hours, says United.
A short-haul flight is one of up to 3 hours in duration. Medium-haul flights take 3-6 hours. A long-haul flight runs for 6-12 hours, whilst an ultra-long-haul flight is in the air for over 12 hours.