Sleep and relaxation strategies before flying

In brief

• High quality sleep can help to reduce anxiety and is especially important before you fly
• Establishing a sleep routine can help you to relax, ensuring you’re in the best frame of mind to fly
• Getting enough exercise, eating healthily and practising mindfulness can also help

Why sleep can help reduce pre-flight anxiety

Good sleep and effective relaxation are two of the best ways to prepare for flying and reduce anxiety. When you have a rested body and calm mind, you’re better equipped to cope with the potential stresses of takeoff, turbulence, and landing. 

On the other hand, a lack of sleep can increase irritability, reduce your ability to cope, and potentially increase feelings of panic.

In this guide, we’ll explore proven sleep and relaxation strategies to help you face your flight with confidence. We draw on evidence and expertise from sleep science and mental health research to help you build a sleep and relaxation plan to increase resilience.

Why sleep and relaxation matter before flying

Sleep plays a central role in emotional regulation, experts agree. When you’re well-rested, your brain processes stress more effectively. Your body is less reactive to triggers that can cause anxiety. Not getting enough sleep or experiencing poor sleep can disrupt this balance, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and panic.

Research shows that sleep deprivation increases activity in the amygdala. This is the part of the brain that’s responsible for fear responses. If you’re already tired, a small bit of turbulence or an unfamiliar noise can feel more threatening. 

Sleep is vital, but you’ll also want to increase your resilience. Relaxation strategies work to calm the body’s stress response before it escalates.

Together, good sleep and relaxation can help you build confidence in flight. We need to be realistic. While they won’t eliminate your fear of flying, they can help to reduce its intensity. Here are some practical things you can do to improve sleep, relax, and build resilience.

Establish a pre-flight sleep routine

A sleep routine is important (whether you’re flying or not). Going to bed and waking up at consistent times in the days leading up to your flight helps regulate your circadian rhythm, making you feel stronger and more alert, studies have shown.

Here are a few ways to create a positive pre-flight sleep routine:

• Try to shift bedtime slightly earlier if you have a morning departure. Try to do this two to three nights before flying. Your body reacts better to gradual changes than sudden adjustments.
• Keep wake-up times regular, even on weekends. This simple strategy prepares your body for travel.
• Create a wind-down routine before bed. This puts you in the best place for a relaxed and rewarding sleep. Try to dim lights an hour before bed, avoid stimulation (like using your phone or tablet), and choose calming activities such as reading to get you in the mood for sleep.

When it comes to sleep, consistency is more important than perfection, says the NHS. Even small improvements in routine could make a positive difference to pre-flight anxiety. 

Create a sleep-friendly environment

Your bedroom environment has a major impact on sleep quality, says the Sleep Foundation. A few days before you fly, focus on building a relaxing sleep environment by:

• Keeping the room cool and dark. A temperature around 18°C is ideal for most people. You’ll find that blackout curtains or an eye mask can reduce light pollution, especially during the summer.
• Limit noise with earplugs or white-noise apps if you want to mask disturbances.
• Make the bedroom a sanctuary rather than a workplace. If possible, keep your bedroom (and bed) for sleep, not work or doom-scrolling.

Insomnia is a serious, but fairly common, health issue. Flyers who suffer from insomnia may find it useful to pack sleep-friendly tools for the trip, including earplugs, an eye mask, and a small pillow. This can extend home comforts into the aircraft cabin itself. You can even bring a familiar toy, if you want to.

Avoid stimulants and alcohol

Caffeine and alcohol are stimulants. They’re common causes of disrupted sleep and pre-flight anxiety. 

Caffeine has a half-life of around 5–6 hours, meaning that an afternoon coffee can still affect you at midnight. We recommend limiting caffeine intake after lunch in the days before flying.

Alcohol may make you drowsy initially, but it fragments sleep and reduces restorative REM cycles. Alcohol before bed can lead to waking up restless and more anxious, influencing and impacting you throughout the day.

Nicotine is also a stimulant. If you smoke, avoid cigarettes in the hours before bed to prevent problems with sleep.

We’re not telling you to avoid alcohol or caffeine. Small adjustments in consumption of both can reduce pre-flight and in-flight anxiety.

If you smoke, avoiding nicotine close to bedtime can help improve sleep quality. Reducing or quitting smoking has wider health benefits too, but even small changes before a flight can make a difference.

Digital detox before bed

The blue light from screens suppresses melatonin. This hormone signals to your body that it’s time to go to sleep. For nervous flyers, scrolling late at night also fuels anxiety. This is especially true if you’re spending time reading about flying, reading inaccurate turbulence forecasts, or checking the weather at your destination.

Here are some things to try:

• Switching digital devices off an hour before bed.
• Using “night mode” if you must check your phone to keep the screen duller.
• Instead of using your phone or tablet, try a calming, screen-free activity such as journalling, stretching, or listening to a podcast.

Digital detox reduces stimulation caused by blue lights. Avoiding digital devices gives your brain permission to shift into rest mode, helping you to sleep better.

Relax through breathing and muscle release

Anxiety often builds physically. The symptoms can include tight shoulders, shallow breathing, and restlessness. Relaxation techniques can help to calm the body, making sleep more likely.

Here are two simple relaxation methods to try:

Progressive muscle relaxation: Starting at your feet, tense each muscle group for five seconds, then release. Work your way up the body and try to consciously notice any differences between tension and relaxation. This can help keep you grounded and in the moment.

Breathing exercises: Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique to relax yourself. Inhale for four, hold for seven, exhale for eight. Repeat for several cycles. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering heart rate and preparing you for sleep.

If you practise these techniques before bed, they can help you to fall asleep quickly, leading to longer and more restorative sleep. These breathing techniques are highly effective and can also be used again during the flight to manage anxiety. 

Practice mindfulness and meditation before flying

Mindfulness is all about paying attention to the present moment and dealing with what’s actually happening, not what you think might be happening. Mindfulness can help reduce pre-flight anxiety by stopping the mind from racing into catastrophic “what ifs.”

When it comes to sleep, you can try a short mindfulness meditation before bed.

Try to focus on your breath, noticing the rise and fall of the chest. Each time thoughts drift to flying, gently return to the breathing. This can provide a barrier between your conscious mind and negative, intrusive thoughts.

Apps such as Headspace, Calm, or any of the other NHS-recommended resources can provide guided meditations to help improve sleep and reduce anxiety. 

Mindfulness doesn’t demand much investment. As little as ten minutes can be enough to calm an overstimulated mind.

Exercise and diet

Physical activity can have a transformative impact on sleep, says the Sleep Foundation. Even a brisk 20-minute walk the day before your flight can reduce tension and make rest easier. 

If you’re used to doing more, then do it! The important thing is to move, increasing your heart rate and working your muscles. This can have a big impact on mental health, including reducing feelings of depression.

However, you should avoid vigorous workouts close to bedtime (within two hours) as they may leave you energised and unable to sleep.

Diet also matters. Try to eat a balanced evening meal with complex carbohydrates and protein to stabilise blood sugar overnight.

While you’re a grown-up and can do what you want, try to avoid heavy, spicy, or fatty foods close to bedtime, as they can disrupt digestion and sleep quality.

Establishing healthy routines, including exercise and a good diet, in the days before flying can support both sleep and emotional resilience, says the Sleep Foundation.

Grab a strategic nap 

If nerves prevent you from sleeping the night before, then a nap can help. But you need to use your sleep strategically.  A short nap (20–30 minutes) in the early afternoon can help to restore alertness without making it harder to fall asleep at night.

It may be hard, but it’s better to avoid long naps or naps later in the evening. These can disrupt the circadian rhythm, interfering with sleep quality. On the other hand, if you’re going on a long-haul flight across several timezones, naps can help you adapt to the time at your destination.

On the morning of your flight

The day of a flight can be a challenging time for nervous flyers. You will feel nervous, but that’s your body reacting to an unfamiliar experience. Recognising this is positive, because it enables you to put things in place to reduce anxiety.

Before a flight, try to:

• Wake at a consistent time. Don’t oversleep, as it can make you feel groggy. Aim to wake up with more than enough time to get to the airport with no stress or anxiety.
• Eat a balanced breakfast. Skipping meals can increase jitters and reduce concentration. Ensure you’ve got something you enjoy eating that’s healthy, nutritious, and will make you happy.
• Use relaxation techniques. If you feel tension while packing, preparing, or heading to the airport, practise mindful breathing.
• Arrive early. Rushing through an airport heightens stress. Giving yourself plenty of time can reduce anxiety before you even reach security.

Airports are never relaxing environments, but you have the skills to manage. Grounding techniques in the airport, such as the 5-4-3-2-1 sensory method, can help calm nerves and keep you grounded.

Sleep, relax, exercise, and (if possible) enjoy your flight

Fear of flying can be fuelled by poor sleep and mounting stress. Making some simple changes can help you enjoy healthier and better sleep. As well as making some small lifestyle changes, it’s about establishing routines that can benefit you before any flight. 

Sleep and relaxation techniques won’t remove all stress, but they can help to reduce it. Even if anxiety remains, you’ll be better equipped to face it calmly, manage it effectively, and move beyond it.

You can find practical tips to support you in our Calm Flight Toolkit and on our Help Desk pages.

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