Sleeping well is essential to a good day. Because I sleep in new places and at different times often, I need to have dedicated and packable items or practices that guarantee a good nights sleep. Here are my top 5 sleep essentials as a flight attendant.

1. Comfortable Pajamas

Some people prefer to sleep in the nude. I am not some people. I am all about short sleeves+shorts for my pajamas. And I try to pack my nicer looking ones for layovers in case the fire alarm goes off in the middle of the night. I don’t want to be caught outside in my high school Soffe shorts and old college t-shirts. I would like to give off the aura that I am a semi put together adult.

2. White Noise App

Picture this: It’s Saturday evening in New Orleans (pre-pandemic). You hear all sorts of sounds of people enjoying their vacations in your hotel. You, however, have to get up at 3:30am the next morning to make van time. Even if you call in a noise complaint about your next door neighbor, there’s no way the hotel staff can make every noise go away. Enter, the White Noise app. It’s free, and drowns out most other noises with your choice of sound. I personally like the ‘Air Conditioner’ sound. I know this doesn’t apply to those of you that sleep with TV’s on, but I cannot. I will without a doubt get sucked into what ever is going on in the show/movie and stay up way too late.

3. Sleep mask, etc.

My mom got a sleep mask for me as sort of a joke when I was 13. I have never been a morning person. 12 years later and I MUST have a sleep mask for a good night’s rest. Now it’s a security thing for me and I really like the pressure on my face. For those of you not quite as hard core as me, a sleep mask can still benefit you greatly when napping during the day or traveling! Satin or silk is best for your skin, and it’s great to get a matching scrunchie that’s easy on your hair too! I also have to put my hair up when I sleep. This keeps it from getting into a tangled mess while I sleep.

4. Night time routine

I’m not great at routines. I do have a fairly strict night time routine that I love because it really signals to my body that it’s time for bed. I personally wash my face, brush my teeth, do my skin care, take my medication, pull my hair up in a high ponytail or bun, and layer on perhaps a concerning amount of chapstick. What can I say? I’m an open mouth breather at night and waking up with chapped lips in the WORST. This routine doesn’t always work with putting my brain to bed and that’s when I employ tip number 5.

5. If all else fails: melatonin + hot shower

This one can be tricky, I either need to have the next day off, or PLENTY of time before I have to be at work. But this method never has failed to knock me out. I take 5mg of melatonin (I like the gummies), wait about 20 minutes, and get in a hot shower. During the 20 minute wait, I try to do next day set-up stuff like making sure all my devices are plugged in. Also note, this cannot be a hair washing shower. You will be too tired to do any after shower hair care. Have your moisturizer sitting on your night stand so you have a chance of slapping some on before slipping into a near coma restful slumber. I typically only do this when I feel like I have sleep debt I need to catch up on. But hey, can’t say it doesn’t work!

Those are my top ways to get a good night’s sleep!

Do you have tried and true methods that you use to go to sleep? I’d love to hear about them below!

Thank you so much for reading, it really means a lot to me. Until next time, stay fab! Xoxo,