Overnight flights have a reputation: you land at your dream destination feeling like you've been run over. But seasoned travellers say a restful red-eye is less about luck and more about three small habits — one before boarding, one on your plate, and one on your screen.
**Start calm, not rushed.** Amanda Flores, a senior operations director at San Francisco's Flour + Water Hospitality Group, treats the airport itself as the first chapter of the trip. She arrives early, keeps her heart rate down, and considers time in a lounge or with a book part of the holiday rather than a hurdle. Her most unusual tip: wear lightly tinted glasses in the terminal, because harsh airport lighting signals your body to stay alert when you want the opposite.
**Watch what you eat and drink.** Erik Perez, a California publicist who regularly flies the West Coast-to-Europe route, limits himself to one early-morning coffee and skips caffeine for the rest of the day. In-flight, he orders light so digestion doesn't fight his sleep. A frequent flyer from Salt Lake City adds a warning about the free pour: skip the wine, since alcohol dehydrates you, and drink plenty of water instead — you'll feel noticeably better when you land.
**Ditch the screen.** The in-flight movie is tempting, but the blue light keeps your brain switched on. Flores suggests audiobooks instead — eyes closed, story still running. If a gripping plot is too stimulating, Perez downloads a "sleepcast" from a meditation app like Headspace or Calm to mask cabin noise. Round out the kit with a padded eye mask and noise-cancelling headphones, and you've got a decent shot at real sleep in economy.
**Why it matters:** if you're crossing time zones, sleeping on the plane is the cheapest jetlag remedy there is. Landing rested means your first day abroad is for exploring, not for nursing a headache in a dark hotel room. These tips cost little or nothing — the biggest change is simply planning your airport time, your meals and your entertainment with sleep in mind. They work best for anyone taking a six-plus-hour overnight flight, especially west-to-east routes like the US to Europe, where the arrival morning hits hardest.
