Choose your seat wisely:
Morwood added: “To sleep on the plane while flying economy, you’re better off in a window seat. You only have a person who may disturb you on one side, you don’t have to move for others to use the bathroom, and you can rest your head against the plane wall.”
Utilise natural light:
A window seat also gives you access to natural light, which impacts your biorhythms. “So in a window seat you both rest better and let sunlight rouse you when you need it to,” advises Morwood.
Don’t force it
Morwood said: “Some people just take jet lag on the chin and tough it out. Others use tricks like coffee, more coffee, vitamins, and various edibles. And then there’s John McClane making fists out of his toes in ‘Die Hard’ – but that’s another story!
Proactive sleep adjustment
To maximise the effectiveness of this strategy, Morwood suggested: “If you’re flying through a lot of time zones – maybe to the Far East or Australia – you can also start trying to match your sleep patterns with those at your far-off destination before you leave.
“That way you’ll really lessen the impact of the adjustment you’ll have to make when you land.”
Combine this with sleeping on the plane in a well-chosen seat – perhaps an emergency door seat if you’re tall.
Morwood also suggested small tweaks such as staying hydrated, not drinking alcohol and sleep accessories such as a sleep mask, earplugs and comfortable clothes can make all the difference on a long flight and beating jet lag.