Remember back when you used to feel excited to fly away somewhere? Back in the days when a long plane flight – whether for business or pleasure – was something to look forward to?

Travelling can absolutely be that way again.

Natural Sleeping Pills For Plane Travel To The Rescue

If you’re struggling to sleep due to long haul travel, sleep expert Anandi advises on the best natural travel sleep aids alongside a few practical flying tips that can help you avoid the discomfort, disrupted sleep, and jet lag of modern travel.

Natural sleep aids for flying are rendered most effective when coupled with practical tips to get you comfortable and in the right mindset, so we’re going to cover all of that below.

Why are long-haul flights so hard on both mind and body and how can natural sleeping pills for flights help?

Of course we're all aware of the many inconveniences that make modern airline travel more of an ordeal than a pleasure these days. We have to deal with long queues at the airports for safety and security reasons, and often with uncomfortable seats, both in the airports and on the plane. All these things can make air travel extremely uncomfortable.

But on a deeper, more physiological level, air travel is very stressful. Cramped seating, long periods sitting in one position, and changes in altitude can cause swollen legs and ankles, aching limbs, jet lag, and the main subject of this article, disrupted sleep.

Travelling across time zones alone disrupts our circadian rhythms, and thus our normal cycles of sleep and waking. And when we finally reach our destination, not only are we often expected to go to sleep at the same time our bodies are used to getting up, we're expected to sleep peacefully in an unfamiliar bed and acoustic environment.

But there are things we can do to overcome the drawbacks and discomforts of long-haul travel and continue to get the healthy sleep we need.

Before we get into the benefits of natural sleeping tablets for aeroplane travel, we want to talk you through some practical tips and advice that will make a natural sleep and anxiety remedy much more effective.

Flying sleep aid tip #1 - Mindset and improved sleep – overcome anxiety about flying

One of the things that makes flying uncomfortable for many people is flying itself. A 2015 study by eDreams revealed that 28% of Brits are nervous about getting on a plane, with a third of them citing air disasters and terrorism as the cause of their anxiety. Although we understand that if you fall into this group it is difficult to reassure you, we'll give it a try anyway... first with facts, and then with a couple of practical tips.

First off - the facts about flying

Air travel is arguably the safest form of transportation on the planet. You may feel nervous about getting on a plane, but in reality you're far more at risk driving your car to the supermarket. Travelling via automobile is statistically 100 times more dangerous than flying. Travelling via motorcycle is even worse – 3,000 times more dangerous.

It’s highly unlikely you will come to any harm from flying.

Breathe your way to reduced airplane anxiety and better in-flight sleep

If you learn to focus on your breathing, it’s very hard to think about anything else and can be very calming. We recommend learning this breathing technique from our sleep expert, Anandi and then using it to calm down and then get to sleep on the plane, whether you suffer from anxiety or you struggle to sleep.

Flying sleep aid tip #2 - use a natural sleep aid for overcoming travel anxiety

Have you heard of L-Tryptophan (or Tryptophan) for reducing anxiety and aiding sleep?

It’s a highly effective amino acid supplement that works to increase natural serotonin produced in the body which helps to reduce anxiety and restless thoughts, which in turn help you to sleep.

Tryptophan, taken with other natural, sleep-aiding supplements such as Montmorency cherry, is a supplement widely proven to aid quality sleep. That’s because it is a source of natural melatonin.

The hormone, melatonin is naturally produced by the body in low light conditions when the sun goes down.

Magnesium oxide, Magnesium Bis-Glycinate and Magnesium Citrate are also widely proven as an effective natural sleep aid.

If you’re not an experienced bioscientist I don’t recommend taking these natural supplements separately to try and stack them into a sleep formula, as it can be difficult to get the dosage correct. Instead, opt for a natural sleep aid such as The Restored's Advanced Night-Time Nutrients - an advanced night time complex, created to reduce anxiety and improve the three stages of sleep: falling asleep, quality sleep (staying asleep) and feeling wakeful and rested the next day.

The complex is created by doctors, bioscientists and expert nutritionists.

Flying sleep aid tip #3 - Drink plenty

Avoid alcohol and caffeine and bring some chamomile tea bags on your trip. Drink the tea to wind down and fall asleep more easily on a long flight. Dehydration will make you tired and quite likely give you a headache so make sure to stay hydrated on the flight by drinking lots of water as well.

Flying sleep aid tip #4 - Get comfortable enough to sleep on a plane

In what seems to be an inverse relationship, as the planes we fly in get bigger and bigger, the seats we have to sit in get smaller and smaller, and with less leg room. This can lead to cramps, aching muscles, and an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on long flights.

If you have the money you can pay for larger seats in First Class, or if you plan ahead you can sometimes pre-select seats in an exit row (which has more legroom) or against the window, so you can at least lean against it to sleep. If you hope to sleep on the flight and have trouble sleeping in public places, consider bringing noise-blocking ear plugs (you can buy them specifically to filter out flight noises, such as crying babies and air conditioning humming), an eye mask to block out light, and a comfortable neck pillow. Wear loose, comfortable clothing in layers, so you can add or remove a layer if you get too hot or cold.

Take a little bottle of lavender spray to use on your neck pillow, as lavender has calming, sleep-inducing qualities.

Flying sleep aid tip #5 – How to cope with jet lag

Jet lag is a very real thing, and occurs when you travel across several time zones. It can cause symptoms such as extreme fatigue during the day and sleeplessness at night. This is because our circadian rhythms are attuned to the day/night, light/dark cycles of our home time zone, and our bodies will try to perpetuate those cycles even though we're no longer in that time zone. This can leave you wide awake in your new destination at night while everyone else is asleep, and falling asleep during the day while everyone else is awake.

Fortunately, there are a few tips we can pass along about how to prevent – or at the very least handle – jet lag.

During your flight

Some travel experts recommend using sunlight to reset your internal clock as you travel. Plan ahead to determine the best times for light exposure, based on your departure and destination points and your normal sleep habits. Getting more light in the mornings can help you adjust to an earlier time zone (travelling eastward), while getting more light in the evenings helps you adapt to a later time zone (travelling westward). Combining light exposure with exercise like walking can help you adapt to the new time zone even faster.

Trying to sleep when you arrive at your destination

We understand your pain. It's an unfamiliar bedroom and an unfamiliar bed, and that doesn't help you to fall asleep. But again, there are things you can do to fall asleep more easily. Most people, for example, find that taking a bath or shower before bed helps them sleep better than if they just crawl into bed exhausted and still dirty from travel.

Melatonin – the brain chemical that tells you it's time to sleep – can't be produced by the body in bright light, so ask for black-out curtains at your hotel, or rely on the eye mask you brought. Avoid bright light in the afternoons and evenings of your new time zone.

One thing that has helped some people get over the unfamiliar smells of a new location is essential oils. A study published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice used fragrant oils to help cancer patients who had serious sleep problems. Aromasticks dipped into a combination of bergamot oil, lavender oil, sandalwood oil, frankincense, and mandarin orange and allowed to evaporate were found to be very helpful in inducing sleep. One plus about this approach is that these essential oils are fairly lightly scented, so they don't smell up your hotel room the way burning sticks of incense might.

Natural sleeping tablets for flying

In the course of this article, we have mentioned a number of natural and herbal sleep aid supplements that can be helpful when trying to get restful sleep while flying.

Our natural sleep aid is an effective sleeping pill to take in order to reduce anxiety, fall asleep more easily and stay asleep when flying. Combined with the practical measures we have outlines above, our sleep aid works even more effectively.

100% natural, vegan, and gluten-free, our Advanced Night-Time Nutrients formulation contains a full range of ingredients that have made it one of the most effective sleep-aid supplements on the market. These ingredients include:

• Magnesium, which reduces tiredness and fatigue.
• L-Tryptophan, an amino acid that increases production of the chemical serotonin.
• 5-HTP from Griffonia Seed extract, which also increases serotonin production, has a calming effect on the brain, and helps to reduce anxiety and insomnia.
• Montmorency cherries are high in melatonin, and regulate healthy sleep and wake cycles.
• Grape skin, also a natural source of melatonin.
• Watermelon extract is high in tryptophan and a natural source of mood-boosting magnesium.
• Chamomile, which calms the mind and reduces anxiety to promote better sleep.
• L-Taurine, an amino acid that has a naturally calming effect on the nervous system.
• Biotin, a B vitamin which helps maintain a positive, relaxed mood by contributing to normal psychological functions.