By Helen Coffey

There are two types of people in this world—those who can sleep on flights， and those who cant. The former spring out of their seat upon arrival at their destination， fresh-faced， clear-eyed and ready to throw themselves into the ways of a new country and culture.

The latter drag themselves sluggishly down the aisle， struggling to perform even the simplest of tasks， such as using the passport machine at security or articulating whether theyre here for “business or pleasure.”1

If you happen to be one of these unfortunate souls， the start of any long-haul trip can quickly unravel as， both sleep-deprived and jet-lagged， youre barely able to function for at least 72 hours.2 But fear not—there are ways and means of securing a bit more shuteye3. Here are our top tips for dropping off4 on board.

Grab a row

We all know the Holy Grail of sleep is managing to lie prostrate to create the illusion of being in a bed.5 Obviously you can guarantee this by stumping up for business class， but if youre consigned to economy， give yourself a fighting chance by choosing a middle seat when booking.6 Couples and families are unlikely to go either side of you， preferring to stick together， and if its not a full flight youll have a greater chance of getting a row to yourself. Pick one towards the middle or back of the plane， rather than at the more popular front end of the cabin.

這個(gè)世界上有兩種人，能在飛機(jī)上睡著的人和不能在飛機(jī)上睡著的人。前者往往在到達(dá)目的地之后容光煥發(fā)，迫不及待地想沖出去玩耍；后者下飛機(jī)時(shí)腰酸背痛，兩眼無神，可能好長時(shí)間都緩不過來。如果你不幸是后者，那不妨試試本文中的幾個(gè)小妙招。

Should this fail， have a look around early on—can you spot any empty rows？ If so， ask a member of cabin crew as soon as possible if its OK for you to switch and bag7 yourself some extra leg room.

Top tip： Once youre lying comfortably， make sure you put on your seat belt so its visible over the blanket. Theres nothing worse than being woken up by a flight attendant during turbulence8 to check youre belted up.

Stick to your routine

It might seem silly， but preparing for “bed” the way you would at home means youre more psychologically ready for sleep. Changing into pyjamas， brushing your teeth and removing your make-up/washing your face can all get you in the right mindset. If you normally always read before bed， do it now too—signal to your brain that the “being awake” portion of the day is officially over.

Get the right sleeping mask9

As fetching as a faux-satin number with fun patterns might be， this is a practical item with only one real purpose—to block out the light so you can drift off.10 Plump instead for a functional black mask， with a soft lining and raised edges to create a truly dark interior.11

Put in earplugs12

Just like a sleeping mask， the right earplugs can be a game changer； for many people its the constant noise of the engine that makes it so hard to sleep on planes. Its worth trying out a few different kinds beforehand to see whether you prefer the mouldable wax or foam variety13—everyones ears are different， after all.

Take your own pillow

In the event that you have to sleep sitting up， one of those nerdy looking horse shoe-shaped neck cushions is actually very helpful—a lot more comfortable than trying to fashion the flat-as-a-pancake pillow provided into something remotely sleepworthy.14

Switch off15

Overstimulation16 is the enemy of sleep. As much fun as it is to catch up on all the films you missed at the cinema or play a game on your phone， using devices just before bed means your brain is all lit up like a Christmas tree. Plan when you ideally want to hit the hay and half an hour beforehand shut down the electronics—instead， do a bit of reading or， better yet， indulge in a 20-minute meditation to really calm the neurons.17

Embrace booze18

If you drink， having a glass of red wine， whisky， or whatever your chosen tipple may be in the hour before sleep can have a soporific effect.19 However， dont overdo it—alcohol can feel like it affects you more at altitude and if you slip over into drunken territory， it wont lead to the best nights sleep. Plus having a hangover20 on a plane is far from ideal…

Scent yourself

The power of smell is more potent than you think. Using hand cream or essential oils which have sleep-inducing properties can help you relax and unwind.21 Scents that have a strong link with aiding sleep include lavender， vetiver， chamomile， ylang ylang， bergamot and sandalwood.22 Rub some on the back of your neck and dab a touch on your pulse points for some inner calm.23

No pressure

Its easier said than done， but stressing about not being able to sleep is a sure-fire24 way of not being able to sleep. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself—instead just see it as a chance to rest your eyes for a bit. Get comfortable and relaxed， and remind yourself that its not the end of the world if you fail to get some shuteye. If you do， its a bonus. If you dont… well， just hope theyll accept your answer of “bleisure”25 as you stumble through security.

1. sluggishly： 行動(dòng)緩慢地，呆滯地；aisle：（席位間的）通道；articulate： 清楚地表達(dá)。

2. 如果你恰好是這些不幸的家伙中的一個(gè)，那么你所有長途旅行的伊始都會(huì)糟糕透頂，因?yàn)槟慵热庇X又有時(shí)差反應(yīng)，可能在未來的至少三天內(nèi)都沒法正常行動(dòng)。long-haul：（飛機(jī)）長途飛行的；unravel：（計(jì)劃等）失敗，瓦解；jet-lagged： 有時(shí)差反應(yīng)的。

3. shuteye： 睡眠。

4. drop off： 睡著。

5. Holy Grail： 指眾人追求的最高目標(biāo)；prostrate： 俯臥的，平臥的。

6. stump up： 勉強(qiáng)支付一筆錢；business class： 商務(wù)艙；consign to： 使陷于；economy： 經(jīng)濟(jì)艙（economy class之略寫）；fighting chance： 可能而不易得到的機(jī)會(huì)。

7. bag： v. 占據(jù)，搶占。

8. turbulence：（由風(fēng)造成的空氣或水的）湍流，不穩(wěn)定的強(qiáng)氣流。

9. sleeping mask： 眼罩。

10. 綴有有趣圖案的仿緞眼罩可能會(huì)很迷人，不過它其實(shí)就是個(gè)很實(shí)用的東西，只有一個(gè)真正的用處——遮擋光線，讓你不知不覺地睡去。fetching： 迷人的，吸引人的；faux-satin： 仿緞料；number：（群體中）突出的一件，有吸引力的事物；drift off：迷迷糊糊地睡著。

11. plump for：（在難以定奪的情況下）選擇；lining： 襯里，里子；raised edge： 卷邊，翻邊。

12. earplug： 耳塞（常用復(fù)數(shù)）。

13. beforehand： 事先；mouldable：可模制的；wax： 蠟；foam： 泡沫材料。

14. 如果你必須坐著睡覺，那看起來傻乎乎的U型枕其實(shí)非常有幫助——比起試圖將飛機(jī)上提供的扁如煎餅般的枕頭改造得適于長距離睡覺，用U型枕要舒服得多。fashion： 制作，把……塑造成。

15. switch off： 切斷電源。

16. overstimulation： 過度刺激。

17. hit the hay： 睡覺；indulge：（使自己）沉湎于；meditation： 冥想；neuron： 神經(jīng)元，神經(jīng)細(xì)胞。

18. booze： 酒。

19. tipple： 酒；soporific： 催眠的，令人昏昏欲睡的。

20. hangover： 宿醉。

21. essential oil： 精油；sleep-inducing：催眠的；property： 特性，特質(zhì)；unwind： 放松。

22. 很有助眠效果的香料有熏衣草、香根草、洋甘菊、依蘭、佛手柑和檀香。

23. dab： 輕涂，輕抹；pulse point： 脈搏點(diǎn)。

24. sure-fire： 一定能成功的。

25. bleisure： 是business和pleasure的混成詞，原指商務(wù)休閑旅游，此處用以呼應(yīng)文中第二段結(jié)尾，表示在飛機(jī)上沒能入睡的人無法清楚回答海關(guān)官員關(guān)于“此行目的是商務(wù)（business）還是休閑旅游（pleasure）”的問題。