The Clever Tip That Will Help You Snooze Soundly On Your Next Flight

While some enjoy the luxury of extra space or even a small bed during flights, most of the world must deal with tiny seats offering just an inch or two of reclination. When you add this upright position and proximity of neighbors to the noise, brightness, motion sickness, and fear of flying, sleeping on a plane can seem nearly impossible. Many turn to melatonin supplements or over-the-counter medication like Benadryl to help fall asleep while in the air.

Another common tactic for snoozing during a flight is listening to white noise through headphones. Some people use white noise nightly, even while sleeping at home. A plane's natural noise sometimes acts as enough ambient sound to mimic white noise. However, you still might hear babies crying and passengers or flight attendants chatting unless you have white noise of your own playing. But white noise might not work for everyone. Enter the more subtle pink noise. This has become an alternative for anyone needing sleep regardless of altitude.

White noise encompasses all sound frequencies that are audible to humans. It often includes television static, a whirring fan, or rain. Pink noise has all sound frequencies as well, and some of its common sounds, like waves and rain, are in white noise, too. However, pink noise brings lower frequencies to the ear's attention more so than higher ones. This is why some find pink noise more relaxing than white noise because the latter amplifies low and high frequencies in equal amounts, despite the fact that some find high frequencies bothersome. Pink noise consists of soothing sounds such as ocean waves and rustling leaves.

Max Stevens of the Sleep Checklist is an advocate for pink noise. "While the studies on pink noise are small they do show promising results," he told The Sun. "If you have listened to white noise on a plane and it didn't work for you, try pink noise as it could help you to settle quicker and sleep for more of your flight."