Follow These Tips If You Want Any Hope Of Sleeping On A Flight

Sometimes it's worth following celebrities on Snapchat, just to see their private plane content. It's voyeuristic and delicious to imagine what life would be like if you had a full bed, comfy armchairs, pillows, and blankets every time you flew the friendly skies. In real life, you're probably in a middle-back row on a packed plane, with no clue how to get some shut-eye in the sky.

There are a few reasons why it's so hard to sleep on the plane: It's noisy, you're confined to a small space, and most people can't sleep sitting upright, says Nitun Verma, MD, a sleep physician at Crossover Health in San Francisco, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. "Also airplanes have lower levels of oxygen and humidity, and that can make people uncomfortable," he says.

But the good news is there are ways to make the experience more comfortable — that don't require access to a private jet. Ahead, Dr. Verma shares his tips for sleeping on a plane.