Staying awake while flying

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wanttoflysoon

Filing Flight Plan
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wanttoflysoon
I am not a pilot, however, I fly on an airplane as a passenger frequently. I have a requirement to stay awake during flights and am not successful in meeting this requirement. I do not believe it is due to a medical condition, I believe that it is the motion of flight combined with the ample amount of white noise is an environment that induces drowsiness.

What do you do to stay awake during flights? Do you find it difficult to stay awake during flights? Thanks.
 
I do not have trouble staying awake in flight. The act of flying keeps me "in the moment" and fully awake. Then again I am not on long distance flights over oceans, but I assume the flight crews have more than enough to keep their minds engaged. -Skip
 
Drink a lot of coffee then focus on not peeing yourself. Works for me until... it doesn't.
 
Are you allowed to watch media? Many airlines now have in flight entertainment of some kind.
 
Focusing on something that keeps your brain active. Reading a book, working on your computer, playing games, etc.
 
I can't recall a time when I've ever had to fight to stay awake during a flight when I'm flying, then again I probably wouldn't be flying if I was that exhausted. I have zero issues sleeping on commercial flights though.
 
What I do is set the autopilot, then set my alarm for about 20 minutes before the end of my flight. That way when I wake up, I'm freshly rested for the approach portion of my flight.

If TRACON needs me, their radio traffic will wake me up eventually.

(Dear FAA investigators... I'm kidding. My fuel capacity won't allow me to stay in the air long enough to fall asleep.)
 
As a pilot, getting drowsy in the air means I'm hypoxic, so I descend or grab oxygen. Or else I've been flying way too long, so I descend and land.

Very seldom has it ever been a problem. Even with fatigue, the first symptom isn't drowsiness. It's difficulty spotting traffic at a distance.
 
wanttoflysoon said:
I am not a pilot, however, I fly on an airplane as a passenger frequently. I have a requirement to stay awake during flights and am not successful in meeting this requirement. I do not believe it is due to a medical condition, I believe that it is the motion of flight combined with the ample amount of white noise is an environment that induces drowsiness.

What do you do to stay awake during flights? Do you find it difficult to stay awake during flights? Thanks.
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Totally non-helpful comment: You and I have the same reaction to jets. I love to use them as a way to catch up on sleep. Makes the whole experience tons better since flying coach is a pretty uncomfortable way to travel in modern times. White noise and vibration is a beautiful thing for me.
 
172andyou said:
Totally non-helpful comment: You and I have the same reaction to jets. I love to use them as a way to catch up on sleep. Makes the whole experience tons better since flying coach is a pretty uncomfortable way to travel in modern times. White noise and vibration is a beautiful thing for me.
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Yup, airliners put me to sleep. Add a little light turb, and it's even better.
 
If you can live with the calories, eating helps. I mean, like, eat constantly. Graze. Helps to have a couple of different kinds of snacks and switch back and forth (sweet, salty, chocolaty, crunchy, etc.) Avoid the stuff you should be eating (high fat, low carb, low protein), that'll just satisfy you. You want the stuff that'll leave you hungry and wanting more... carbs.

This is just another form of entertainment, but it's one that won't distract the way reading / watching tv will. For me, on long car trips, I can go until the bag of sour jelly bellys runs out, then it's time to refuel.
 
I have done a lot of night flying, late night such as being woke up from a dead sleep to being in the air less than 30 minutes later. I will admit there have been a few times I was really having trouble staying awake. There has been times that I get home after a flight and get ready to go back to bed, and as soon as my ear touches the pillow, the phone rings and I am off again.

When I feel my head bouncing off my chest, I get one of the med crew to come up front and talk to me to keep me awake. But if they are really busy with the patient, that activity usually keeps me awake.

Not every night flight is like that. Sometimes after getting home I have to unwind for an hour or so before going back to bed.
 
Actually, unless I'm in the window seat and there's some interesting scenery, I generally find that going to sleep during a flight is a good use of my time.
 
Less scotch?

I've been riding commercial over 100,000 miles/year for about 20 years now.

If the white noise is lulling, get some quality ears. I did Bose QC over the ear for about 15 years. Now I use their in-ear style QC20.
Also, if you're flying often get that Gogo account set up and you can surf PoA.
 
Try using really strong mints like Altoids Arctic. I do not do this while I fly, because I'm so excited and it keeps me awake, but it's a great way to stay awake without the jitteryness and unhealthyness of caffeine.
 
I enjoy my naps while flying commercial. The last flight I took I was so asleep that I didn't wake up until I felt the tires hit the runway.

If I get to my destination & can't sleep due to my napping a glass or two of scotch solves that problem. I never leave home without it.
 
As a new pilot, the rush of flying keeps me bright eyed and busy tailed. I hope that thrill never goes away. As a passenger I sleep very sound. Less I'm sitting next to a hottie. Then I stay awake and tell her I'm a Pilot just in case that helps.
 
So why do you need to stay awake?

I usually have no trouble staying awake on an airline as I am always either right in front of a kid with restless leg syndrome or some baby that won't stop crying.
 
Well if I'm not actually piloting, it would be difficult. If you're not occupying your brain with some sort of activity, you're going to get drowsy.

I fly at all times of the night. Never gotten drowsy piloting but there have been times I was mentally / physically drained afterwards. I think the act of flying, with all the tasks involved, keeps me alert. Then again, I've read that one's brain isn't fully alert until 20 minutes after being woken in the middle of sleep. That's about the time I'm touching down in the middle of nowhere, on some country road, at 3 AM. :eek:
 
I don't have a difficult time staying awake when I'm up front flying. When I'm riding as a passenger in the back if I'm tired its easy for me to get to sleep, but if i'm not tired and just riding as a passenger I just occupy time like I would any place that I can't move around, play some games on my phone, read some magazines on the iPad, inflight wifi to text and chat with friends, I have a good range of TV shows and movies downloaded on my ipad/phone and ill just plug in headphones and watch that.
 
wanttoflysoon said:
I am not a pilot, however, I fly on an airplane as a passenger frequently. I have a requirement to stay awake during flights and am not successful in meeting this requirement. I do not believe it is due to a medical condition, I believe that it is the motion of flight combined with the ample amount of white noise is an environment that induces drowsiness.

What do you do to stay awake during flights? Do you find it difficult to stay awake during flights? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I usually go back to the crew bunks and open up a package of freshly laundered sheets, two pillows then strip down to my skivvies and dive in. Sometimes I take one of the blankets but we keep it at about 67 F back there so it's a good temp for sleeping.
 
The first 8 hours are hard enough , but it's the 10th and 11th hour of a long leg that really start to test your ability to stay focused when it's time for the arrival and landing phases of the flight. Staying awake for a 5-7 hour flight is not too concerning to me anymore.
 
ircphoenix said:
What I do is set the autopilot, then set my alarm for about 20 minutes before the end of my flight. That way when I wake up, I'm freshly rested for the approach portion of my flight.

If TRACON needs me, their radio traffic will wake me up eventually.

(Dear FAA investigators... I'm kidding. My fuel capacity won't allow me to stay in the air long enough to fall asleep.)
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At the suggestion of my PPL CFI, when I passed my checkride I read "The Killing Zone." One of the incident reports he examined was of a pilot who would (unbelievably) do what you described-he would climb to cruise altitude, set the AP, and nap on his long XC flight. Predictably, one time he either didn't get the AP set right or the altitude hold had an issue, and he descended all the way to the dirt.
 
Omalley1537 said:
At the suggestion of my PPL CFI, when I passed my checkride I read "The Killing Zone." One of the incident reports he examined was of a pilot who would (unbelievably) do what you described-he would climb to cruise altitude, set the AP, and nap on his long XC flight. Predictably, one time he either didn't get the AP set right or the altitude hold had an issue, and he descended all the way to the dirt.
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Some people's kids. Complacency kills.
 
TRocket said:
I hear meth works well...
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Nah.....

There is a very simple "solution."

Boil and strain 1.5 ounces of shredded psilocybin mushroom with finely ground lemon into cup and then add required amount of five hour energy shots
(One shot = 5 hours)
Boil remaining solution down to at least 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per TSA carry on requirements.
Stuff cooled sludge into empty travel size toothpaste tube.
Board airplane.
Fasten seat belt.
Listen carefully to safety briefing.
Then consume contents of said toothpaste tube and enjoy the ride.
 
I've never had a requirement to stay awake / alert while ridng in the back, and frequently don't, regardless of what I bring with me.

I've never gotten sleepy while up front flying, whether I'm going 10.4 nm for fuel or 4:40 home from somewhere, but then again, I'm only at about 750 hours so far up front . . .

Good luck!
 
Get 8-12 hrs sleep the night before.
Eat sunflower seeds (with the shell).
Caffeine.
Book, magazine, movie, Foreflight.
Talk your neighbor's ear off.
 
HUMMM....staying awake while flying? 30 Years of backside of the clock all over the world....our motto...sleep till your hungry and eat till your sleepy.
Some guys drink a vile liquid straight out of the pits of hell called coffee. Some like me drink soft drinks and water until the bladder makes you get up just as your taking your break. Entire books have been written on fatigue and yet the FAA does nothing. We now use a communication system called CPDLC...Controller Pilot Data Link Comm...once we log in then we talk to no one for hours over the ocean. We take "breaks" as it is impossible in my opinion to stay alert for those hours. A zombie like state that we can pop out of immediately upon a radio call, a "ding" from ATC or the flash of lightning. I am "awake" but am I really? I find it best to take turns and study the overhead panel for a few minutes. That refreshes. Lets see...one autopilot on, flight management computers programmed and double and triple checked...eight hours of nothing to get ready for an approach into China with thunderstorms....those few minutes of "overhead study" come in real handy.
PS...there is nothing so dark as the middle of the Pacific on a moonless night. We turn the cockpit lights on and chat about women, the latest divorce, politics, religion, systems, the contract, the stupidity of management.
 
I usually follow along on my iPad. I just pull up the charts and figure out what procedures we're flying. I spend a lot of time looking out the window. I've probably fallen asleep on 5% of the commercial flights I've taken. I just can't sleep on a plane, or in a car, or on a train...
 
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