Some travelers are blessed with the ability to fall asleep on a flight as soon as their seatbelt clicks into place. But for many of us, it takes ginger ale, Dramamine, an eye mask, fan, and music or movie marathon to lull us to sleep. And staying asleep until wheels down? Now, that's a whole other beast. However, aviation and sleep experts say that scheduling nap time in the middle of a flight could be to your benefit.
According to former airline pilot Dan Bubb, the worst time to sleep on a flight is during takeoff and landing because of airplane ear and evacuation safety protocols.
RELATED: 9 Foods That Can Cure Jet Lag, Experts Say.
Medically referred to as ear barotrauma, airplane ear happens when stress builds up in your ears due to a difference in “air pressure between your environment and your inner ear,” explains Travel + Leisure. As a result, your ears may feel plugged or clogged. In more advanced cases, severe ear barotrauma can cause permanent hearing damage or loss, per Cedars Sinai.
Ear barotrauma can be experienced outside of airplanes, too—like when driving through the mountains due to the elevation change or if you’ve taken an underground/underwater form of transportation.
A simple trick to resolving built-up pressure is to yawn, swallow, or chew gum. According to Travel + Leisure, “These actions open up the eustachian tube in each ear, which regulates pressure changes in the organ.” However, these actions aren’t possible with shut-eye.
"When we are asleep, we don't swallow as much to equalize the pressure in our ears," explains Bubb, an aviation expert teaching at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in an interview with Travel + Leisure.
Bubb says it also isn’t advised to sleep during takeoff and landing because that's when flight attendants are issuing special instructions in case of an emergency event. Reports from Boeing warn that takeoff and landing are when a plane is statistically more likely to endure an accident.
"The other reason to avoid sleeping during takeoff and landing is to be fully aware of what is happening if there is an emergency and passengers and crew members need to evacuate the airplane," explained Bubb.
RELATED: How to Pop Your Ears When Flying.
Jet lag also comes into play when you sleep on a plane. For instance, if you’re en route to Europe or somewhere that’s more than six hours ahead, your sleeping habits will change at your destination, so getting ahead of it can help the flight pass by and set you up for success once you arrive.
“As soon as you get on the flight, adjust your clocks to your destination’s local time and sleep as you normally would there,” Rachel Beard, sleep wellness manager at A.H. Beard’s Sleep Wellness Center, told news.com.au.
Though you may be tempted to queue up a movie, Beard said, “If you look at your clock and see it’s 2 a.m. in your destination, it’s probably a good idea to get some sleep.”
Beard added that you'll want to think about what you're eating and drinking and when: "If you’re about to have a massive change in timezone it would be best to avoid caffeine and a big, heavy meal before you need to sleep–even if it is at a normal time in your home timezone."
