HollywoodBQ said:

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• If they've got audio programming, here's one of my favorites. When I'm trying to sleep, I used to put on Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" and put that on loop. "I wonder why he keeps hanging up? There must be somebody at home besides your wife"

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Tell us you always mix up The Wall with Dark Side of the Moon, without telling us.

Yea I always take a complete change of undergarments and either change on the plane or on my last layover before the last connecting flight. That is a pair of underwear, undershirt and socks. Also take a carry on toothpaste. If you're layover airport has showers, take a shower. I've showered in several airports and it is the such a good feeling to be refreshed like that.

But for real. New undergarments are totally key.

Sea Speed said:

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Yea I always take a complete change of undergarments and either change on the plane or on my last layover before the last connecting flight. That is a pair of underwear, undershirt and socks. Also take a carry on toothpaste. If you're layover airport has showers, take a shower. I've showered in several airports and it is the such a good feeling to be refreshed like that.

But for real. New undergarments are totally key.

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All of this and if you like a clean shave like me, bring a shave kit.

Sea Speed said:

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Yea I always take a complete change of undergarments and either change on the plane or on my last layover before the last connecting flight. That is a pair of underwear, undershirt and socks. Also take a carry on toothpaste. If you're layover airport has showers, take a shower. I've showered in several airports and it is the such a good feeling to be refreshed like that.

But for real. New undergarments are totally key.

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Was just at the Singapore lounge in Singapore and the shower wait time was 2 hrs

Dang thats brutal. My favorite are the little nap and shower rooms in Japan. Worth every dang yen.

Benadryl and a glass of red wine.

Then I usually download a documentary series from Netflix that looks interesting to keep me entertained when I wake up from my coma.

Aggie87 said:

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HollywoodBQ said:

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• If they've got audio programming, here's one of my favorites. When I'm trying to sleep, I used to put on Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" and put that on loop. "I wonder why he keeps hanging up? There must be somebody at home besides your wife"

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Tell us you always mix up The Wall with Dark Side of the Moon, without telling us.

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Absolutely nailed me. I think it was the Wall actually because it had Empty Spaces - Young Lust. Although they did mix around the album availability as software upgrades changed over the years. Hard to believe we had the 5 inch screens when my family first flew to Australia on Qantas at the end of 2007.

Apologies to Pink Floyd fans.

Business Class lounge?

TP Ag '87 said:

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Business Class lounge?

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Yes. Booked biz class trip to the Maldives using Amex points for my flights

Wow. That's exactly where I'd be going possibly,... On Singapore Air. CRAP!!

78669AG said:

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Sea Speed said:

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Yea I always take a complete change of undergarments and either change on the plane or on my last layover before the last connecting flight. That is a pair of underwear, undershirt and socks. Also take a carry on toothpaste. If you're layover airport has showers, take a shower. I've showered in several airports and it is the such a good feeling to be refreshed like that.

But for real. New undergarments are totally key.

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Was just at the Singapore lounge in Singapore and the shower wait time was 2 hrs

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You can reserve those showers ahead of time. Ideally book once you are boarding your flight so you won't be impacted by delays.

Thanks for the tips - headed to India myself in December for work.

Beckett12 said:

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brings up memories. I spent my 30s and early 40s traveling from IAH to Narita, Jakarta, and Perth. Pretty much all business class so the miles racked up fast. Lost a lot of family time and watching my boys grow up. Was great while I was in the zone, but some regret now days of the weeks lost due to the long flights. I recall once having a 32 hour or so birthday due to flying over time zone changes. that was a trip. Now days, i prefer to stay stateside and vacay in the Caribbean. My biggest regret is all of the weeks i spent in Jakarta and never went to Bali.

Travel trips for long haul, if you are doing it for work, demand any flight over 8 to 10 hours be at a minimum business class. ridiculous for employers to send you around the world in coach.

If you are in your younger years, drink as much as you want. If you are a little older, don't get smashed and drink plenty of bottled water.

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I work for TAMU-CC.

State employees get stuck in economy no matter what, unfortunately (unless you're way high up I bet).

Careful with alcohol and that dope on these long hauls.

55 y/o man goes crazy and bites flight attendant.

I don't know how you guys can sleep during the flights, esp in economy. We flew to Ireland a couple years ago and I thought I'd be smart and pop 2 Benadryl and 800mg ibuprofen to sleep the entire way. Nope, slept maaaaybe 1 hour broken up into small cat naps. Basically spent flight groggy as hell and miserable lol

Reel Aggies said:

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I don't know how you guys can sleep during the flights, esp in economy. We flew to Ireland a couple years ago and I thought I'd be smart and pop 2 Benadryl and 800mg ibuprofen to sleep the entire way. Nope, slept maaaaybe 1 hour broken up into small cat naps. Basically spent flight groggy as hell and miserable lol

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I sleep poorly on long flights. Last year I was flying over to meet my wife and kids in London. Stayed up late the night before my flight, got up early and worked out before work, had a couple of beers in the airport and a couple of drinks on the plane. Thought for sure I would conk out on the flight. Nope. Slept like 30 minutes. When I met my wife in London she could tell I was a zombie.

ChipFTAC01 said:

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Reel Aggies said:

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I don't know how you guys can sleep during the flights, esp in economy. We flew to Ireland a couple years ago and I thought I'd be smart and pop 2 Benadryl and 800mg ibuprofen to sleep the entire way. Nope, slept maaaaybe 1 hour broken up into small cat naps. Basically spent flight groggy as hell and miserable lol

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I sleep poorly on long flights. Last year I was flying over to meet my wife and kids in London. Stayed up late the night before my flight, got up early and worked out before work, had a couple of beers in the airport and a couple of drinks on the plane. Thought for sure I would conk out on the flight. Nope. Slept like 30 minutes. When I met my wife in London she could tell I was a zombie.

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I gave up on the "wearing myself out before a flight" strategy for this very reason. Now I do the exact opposite...I try to get as much rest as I possibly can prior to the flight. Then there isn't as much pressure to sleep on the plane, and if I do it's a bonus. But no matter what: noise cancelling headphones are a must!

I don't understand the drinking a few to go to sleep strategy at all. Alcohol disrupts sleep patterns for most people and you guys probably aren't downing 4 drinks a night to go to bed normally.

You add that to other things you aren't doing on a normal night you are trying to overcome like: sleeping really near strangers, in a loud environment, in seats that are small and not comfortable and not that hygienic no matter what class you are sat in.

I've logged a whole lot of long haul flights at this point. The ones I've felt the most rested on are easily the ones I've not had drinks on.

Simple fact is there isn't a real solution to the problem. It's asking your body to do something in a way that's way too out of habit and routine for you. You are sleeping poorer on a flight than in your own bed. If you are a good sleeper, that probably means 4 hours instead of 8 hours. Average sleeper means 2 hours instead of 6 hours and a bad sleeper means you probably aren't sleeping.

Agreed on this. My strategy too

These have been great tips
1. Stay hydrated and for me it's key to drink powdered electrolytes the day you fly and the day after. I've used the Liquid IV Brand which is so easy to travel with
2. I'm going to sound like an old lady, but the reality I have an ankle with a rod and pins from a bag car wreck. Compression socks or a compression sleeve on your ankles does wonders for fluid retention. This is key for anyone even if you have no injury
3. Each hour of your flight to keep swelling down in your feet and ankles make the lower case a,b,c,d 10 times while rolling your ankles.

This wont apply to all long haul flights, but I have been started taking the flights that take off at midnight for the longer stretches. I live in rural CO and so airports are few and far between. I fly to SFO after work on a Friday and then take the 00:50 flight from SFO on EVA Airlines or Korean Air to BKK/MNL. I can usually get 5-7 hours of sleep and then either read or watch a movie in the rest of the time.

What is sillly for me is that I can sleep pretty good on a plane, but not so well at home. Im on call 24/7 and get called a lot so my sleep isnt great at home.

You reminded me, it's not something i've done personally but some people have found that wearing compression running tights like "Skins" helps on long flights. I think it got popular in Australia after that lady died from deep vein thrombosis.
https://skinsaustralia.com.au/

Looks like blood clots are still happening, even to younger people.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/womans-blood-clot-warning-to-long-haul-flyers-dont-be-as-silly-as-i-was/HNQAQ26ZXZH53FBCUAWJPLXFMM/

Yeah I wear compression socks and pop a baby aspirin lol

- drink lots of water
- have a small toiletry bag with you on board (hand cream especially)
- buy seats with the extra leg space
Reading CheapAir reviews might be useful as well, there you will definitely find some more tips and tricks. And the situations to avoid of course.