Are you planning your next travel destination? If you’re going by air, you’ve probably encountered an infamous problem— how to sleep properly on a plane.
It’s hard to fall asleep with turbulence and the constant racket caused by being in the air.
To solve this issue, you might be considering getting a sleep mask. But does a sleep mask help you sleep on the plane?
Yes, they do! Sleep masks can be a great way to help you give the peace you so desperately need. They block all light, providing a great condition for sleeping.
Read along to know how exactly sleep masks improve sleep and which one to get. We’ll also be providing some helpful tips along the way.
All About Sleep Mask On Plane
Sleep masks are a great way to get much-needed sleep while on a plane. They block all incoming light, copying the environment of your comfy bedroom.
But why bother spending money buying a sleep mask? Well, first of all, you shouldn’t see it as spending money, you should see it as a worthwhile investment. First, you have to know why sleep is so essential for us to understand this.
Why Sleep Is Top-Priority on A Plane
As humans, sleep is one of our most important biological processes. Without it, we can’t function properly. Sleeping less than 8 hours a day causes myriad health complications like high blood pressure, insomnia, and digestion issues, just to name a few.
While traveling, it’s hard for you to sleep. With the noise of the road, other people clattering, and constant interruptions, it’s hard for your body to stay calm. This is super common on planes. Because turbulence, flight announces, and whatnot makes a chaotic environment, not letting your body rest properly.
But it highly disrupts sleep, leaving most people tired at the end of the trip. What good is a trip if you’re tired all the time and can’t even enjoy the beauty of your favorite travel destination?
So, sleep should undoubtedly be your top-most priority on a trip.
The Solution to Get Good Sleep on A Plane is Sleep Mask
Luckily, you’ve got a pretty simple solution — sleep masks! Sleep masks are masks for your eyes that provide a dark environment, tricking your body into thinking it’s at home.
The dark and quietness that a sleep mask provides mimic the environment of a calm bedroom, and your body gets tricked into sleeping more comfortably.
Even more, sleep masks help reduce noise as well. They do this indirectly. When your body thinks it’s in the calm presence of a bedroom, it’s automatically able to block background noise efficiently. It allows your body to rest even better and drastically increases your sleep quality.
All things considered, it’s pretty easy to realize sleep masks are a fool-proof way to maximize your comfort on any trip.
Is Wearing a Sleep Mask Good for You?
Sleep masks are always safe and good for your health, no matter what the trip is. On airplanes, they can be great in blocking unnecessary light from the overhead counters. Even on cars and trains, they block out distractions from the headlights of other vehicles on the road.
They’ve no known health complications. Some fear that sleep masks can put pressure on the eyes and cause eye pain or other complications. But this is solely a myth. Sleep masks haven’t any major health complications whatsoever.
On the contrary, considering they increase your sleep quality, they’re rather good for you. By giving you much-needed sleep, sleep masks make sure your health is in top-notch condition and you’re ready to tackle your trip in the most energized way possible.
Benefits of Wearing a Sleep Mask
By now, you should not doubt that sleep masks are a safe, reliable, and sure-way solution that has your best interest in mind. To convince you further, let’s take a look at all the benefits that wearing a sleep mask can bring —
- Improved Quality of Sleep: Of your total sleep time window, the maximum possible time will be spent in deep sleep because of the calming effect of sleep masks. Your body will sleep better, preparing you properly for the next day.
- Peace of Mind: Sleep masks provide unparalleled peace of mind by blocking unneeded light. As you won’t be seeing all the racket on an airplane, your mind won’t focus on them much, and you’ll be in a much calmer state.
There’s a famous English proverb that goes, “Out of sight, out of mind.”
- Increased Focus: By providing you with peace of mind, sleep masks will also help increase your focus levels. You’ll be able to focus much better on your thoughts and feel your brain and body relaxing.
If you like listening to an audiobook or podcast on a plane, you’ll notice that you’re able to focus better on them.
- Better Mood: You’ll notice a better mood throughout your airplane journey as well. Flying can be pretty taxing for both your brain and body. Well, sleep masks help relax both.
You’ll then be in a much better mood. Enduring the rather arduous journey will become a piece of cake for you.
- Preparing You for The Trip Ahead: By providing you with the best sleep, sleep masks will help your body relax and get the most rest possible on a plane. You’ll wake up the next morning fully energized and ready to enjoy your trip.
While other people may be slouching and tired from the tiring ride, you’ll be up and ready to go exploring and make the most of your trip!
Which Sleep Mask to Get?
Now that you’ve seen the benefits of sleep masks, there should be no doubt in your mind about using one on your next trip on a plane.
Lucky for you, most airlines offer a free basic sleep mask for every passenger. But they’re pretty frail and basic. In most cases, they’re super thin and don’t can’t do the job properly. We wouldn’t recommend relying on them too much.
The sleep mask we’d recommend is MZOO Sleep Eye Mask for Men and Women. They’re one of the best in the market and are a good fit for both men and women. Unlike the free airlines sleep masks, they’re not frail. These will provide the best possible sleep while on a plane.
Some Tips to Get Better Sleep in A Plane
On the idea of how to get the best possible sleep on a plane, here are some tips you can use to get your body relaxing properly on your upcoming trip—
1. Wear Ear Plugs
Although sleep masks indirectly block noise, you can get earplugs to block the noise directly. Earplugs are seemingly inexpensive and can be carried easily on a plane. If you compound them with sleep masks, you’ll get the best sleep you’ve had on an airplane!
You can check out Mack’s Ultra Soft Earplugs. They’re pretty affordable, and there’s no way you’ll run out during a trip.
2. Listen To Audio
Another option is listening to lo-fi music, podcasts, or an audiobook at low volume while you sleep. These will help block outside noise and provide an ideal environment for sleep. It’s best if you get noise cancellation earbuds, as they’ll block background noise as best as possible.
Noise cancellation earbuds are a great way to enjoy music and help you sleep at night if you’re in a busy environment. You should check out Beat’s Studio Buds. It is a great noise-canceling bud in the mid-budget range.
If you’ve no noise-canceling buds, try listening to music with the provided headphones beside your airplane seat. They won’t block background noise, but by turning up the volume, you can get the job done, to some extent.
3. Sleep On Your Regular Bedtime
The final tip we’d like to give is to sleep at your regular bedtime. Flying on an airplane means jetlag and mixed up timezones. It’s easy to get confused about your local time, and your body gets confused too.
Humans evolved to sleep at set times, and disrupting that time is harmful to your body. If you don’t sleep during your regular bedtime, your body gets confused and has difficulty relaxing and shutting off.
To know what time it is in your standard timezone, check the Clock App on your smartphone. It has a Worldwide feature, where you can see your regular time. Be sure to sleep when it’s night in your timezone on the plane. This way, you’ll be able to fall asleep easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can take melatonin if you have an extreme case of jetlag or insomnia when you travel by plane. If you complement melatonin with a sleep mask, you might have a great night of sleep on an airplane.
But we’d recommend going easy on the dosage, as too much melatonin will interfere with your circadian rhythm, causing harm in the long run.
Yes, but not all of them. Airlines such as American and United Airlines offer free sleep masks. To know whether your airlines offer one, you can check their website or simply call their help desk.
Sleep masks are made of many materials such as fabric, cloth, and more. But the most recognized and comfortable is a silk sleep mask. It’s known to be smooth on the skin and doesn’t absorb moisture from your skin either.
Final Words
Now you should be able to answer anyone: does a sleep mask help you sleep on the plane? Sleep masks are a cheap and convenient tool for anyone who travels constantly and likes to keep their health in check as well.
By looking after your health with sleep masks, you’re preparing yourself to be ready and energized for your upcoming trip. Getting a sleep mask will probably be one of the best investments you’ve made for your health.
We wish you fun times on your upcoming trip and travels.