Overview
- Al Smith, a senior first officer at British Airways, set out his top ten strategies in the airline’s High Life magazine, with UK outlets circulating the advice this week.
- He urges planning sleep before departure, taking controlled naps after landing, and capping rest on landing day to under three hours with an early bedtime if it’s after 3pm.
- Sleep hygiene is central, including blackout-level darkness, tight temperature control with air conditioning, and quality bedding to support consistent rest.
- Practical hacks include clipping hotel curtains with a coat hanger, choosing quality decaf tea, using phone dark mode and Do Not Disturb at night, avoiding shopping to kill time, and not sitting on the bed when trying to stay awake.
- He recommends getting outside for sunlight and light exercise to help re-entrain the body clock, warning that oversleeping can slow adjustment and trigger insomnia.